This Day in Wall Street History 1913 : Federal Reserve Act is approved

President Woodrow Wilson's first few years in office were marked by the passage of an array of fiscal reforms and initiatives. December 23, 1913, saw Congress give the nod to one of Wilson's economic initiatives: the Federal Reserve Act, which promised to change the nation's banking system. The act paved the way for the Federal Banking System, a network of twelve regional banks. To help forward this plan, the act also called for all national banks to join the federal system via hefty one-time deposits into a pooled account. In turn, the Federal Reserve banks were charged with serving as resources to aid and stabilize the nation's other banks. The resulting network of banks was tied together by the Federal Reserve Board, as well as the newly minted Federal Reserve note.  source: www.history.com