Pieces of Eight: News Bulletins from the Eighth Federal Reserve District

Economic Information at Your Fingertips

Finding out about the workings of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) or the average life of a dollar bill will no longer require a field trip to Washington, D.C., or even your local library, thanks to the St. Louis Fed's new economic education web site.

Launched in late spring, the web site is designed to educate the public on the Federal Reserve System and support teachers in their instruction of money and banking. Along these lines, the site supplies a variety of information, services and products under four major areas: conferences, videos, tours and frequently asked questions. Also included is an electronic version of Inside the Vault—the St. Louis Fed's quarterly newsletter for economic educators—and a quiz so that surfers can test their knowledge of facts such as which president appears on which denomination of currency.

To access these resources [ed: now housed on the Bank's main site], go to the St. Louis Fed's Education Resources page at www.stlouisfed.org/education_resources.

Community Profiles Highlight Investment Opportunities, Resources

The St. Louis Fed's Community Affairs Department has produced a number of community profiles for selected metropolitan and rural regions throughout the Eighth Federal Reserve District. The profiles focus on the lending, investment and service opportunities in the following areas:

Arkansas: Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Little Rock
Indiana: Evansville
Kentucky: Louisville, Owensboro
Missouri: Columbia, St. Louis, Springfield
Tennessee: Jackson, Memphis
Plus: Eight rural areas in the Lower Mississippi Delta Region covering parts of Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee

The profiles go beyond local demographics and lending statistics to include firsthand reports of reinvestment opportunities and regional economic conditions. By combining specifics from these reports with analysis of the latest census and lending data, the profiles give financial institutions and local governments the information they need to identify the community's housing and small business needs. In addition, the profiles detail many of the local, state and national organizations that are active in community development, as well as opportunities for creating partnerships between financial institutions and these organizations. For a copy of a community profile, contact Judy Armstrong of the St. Louis Fed's Community Affairs Department at (314) 444-8646.

On the Road Again ... and Again