Indicator · updated with every release
Bank reserves today
The cash that banks hold in their accounts at the Federal Reserve. It is the most direct measure of how much central bank money is in the US banking system.
The full Bank reserves chart is in Pro, with its whole history, ranges, overlays and alerts, next to 111 other charts.
What it is
Reserve balances (FRED WRESBAL) are the deposits banks keep at the Fed, as a weekly average. They rise when the Fed buys assets or when cash leaves the Treasury General Account and the reverse repo facility, and they fall when those accounts fill up or when the Fed shrinks its balance sheet.
Reserves peaked at about US$4.28 trillion in December 2021. In September 2019 they fell to about US$1.39 trillion, and overnight repo rates spiked, which is why the Fed now aims to keep reserves “ample”.
Why it matters for liquidity
Banks use reserves to settle payments and to lend in money markets. When reserves get scarce, short-term funding rates jump and liquidity drains out of riskier markets, as in September 2019. Watching reserves next to SOFR and the Standing Repo Facility shows how close the system is to that point.
Questions
How much do banks hold in reserves now?
As of 28 October 2026, reserves are US$2.89 trillion: down US$69 billion (−2.3%) on the week and down US$39 billion (−1.3%) on a year earlier.
What happened when reserves got too low?
In September 2019 reserves fell to about US$1.39 trillion, overnight repo rates spiked (SOFR hit 5.25% on 17 September) and the Fed restarted repo operations.
What makes reserves go up or down?
Fed asset purchases and runoff, and movements in the Treasury General Account and the reverse repo facility: money moving into those accounts leaves the banking system.
Related
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Start free trialGeneral information only, not financial advice. Data can be delayed, revised or wrong. Sources and credits.