Background Information The Bank, a federally chartered corporation, is one of 12 district Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLBanks). The FHLBanks are government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) that serve the public by increasing the availability of credit for residential mortgages and community development. The Bank provides a readily available, low-cost source of funds to its member institutions. The Bank is a cooperative, which means that current members own nearly all of the outstanding capital stock of the Bank. All holders of the Bank s capital stock may, to the extent declared by the Board, receive dividends on their capital stock. Regulated financial depositories and insurance companies engaged in residential housing finance that maintain their principal place of business in Delaware, Pennsylvania or West Virginia may apply for membership. Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) which meet membership regulation standards are also eligible to become Bank members. State and local housing associates that meet certain statutory and regulatory criteria may also borrow from the Bank. While eligible to borrow, state and local housing associates are not members of the Bank and, as such, are not required to hold capital stock. All members must purchase stock in the Bank. The amount of capital stock a member owns is based on outstanding advances, letters of credit, membership asset value, and the principal balance of certain residential mortgage loans previously sold to the Bank. The Bank considers those members with capital stock outstanding in excess of 10% of total capital stock outstanding to be related parties. See Note 12 - Transactions with Related Parties for additional information. The Federal Housing Finance Agency (Finance Agency) is the independent regulator of the FHLBanks. The mission of the Finance Agency is to provide effective supervision, regulation and housing mission oversight of the FHLBanks to promote their safety and soundness, support housing finance and affordable housing, and support a s