The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (the “Bank”) is one of 1211 Federal Home Loan Banks (each individually a “FHLBank” and collectively the “FHLBanks,” and, together with the Office of Finance, a joint office of the FHLBanks, the “FHLBank System,” or the “System”) that. The FHLBanks were created by the Federal Home Loan Bank Act of 1932, as amended (the “FHLB Act”). Each of the 1211 FHLBanks is a member-owned cooperative that operates as a separate federally chartered corporation with its own management, employees and board of directors. Each FHLBank helps finance housing, community lending, and community development needs in the specified states in its respective district. Federally insured commercial banks, savings banks, savings and loan associations, and credit unions, as well as insurance companies and Community Development Financial Institutions that are certified under the Community Development Banking and Financial Institutions Act of 1994, are all eligible for membership in the FHLBank of the district in which the institution’s principal place of business is located. Housing associates, including state and local housing authorities, that meet certain statutory and regulatory criteria may also borrow from the FHLBanks.

The public purpose of the Bank is to promote housing, jobs and general prosperity through products and services that assist its members in providing affordable credit in their communities. The Bank’s primary business is to serve as a financial intermediary between the capital markets and its members. In its most basic form, this intermediation process involves raising funds by issuing debt in the capital markets and lending the proceeds to member institutions (in the form of loans known as advances) at rates that are slightly higher than the cost of the debt. The interest spread between the cost of the Bank’s liabilities and the yield on its assets, combined with the earnings on its invested capital, are the Bank’s primary sources of earnings. The Bank endeavors to manage its assets and liabilities in such a way that its net interest spread is consistent across a wide range of interest rate environments. The intermediation of its members’ credit needs with the investment requirements of the Bank’s creditors is made possible by the extensive use of interest rate exchange agreements. These agreements, commonly referred to as derivatives or derivative instruments, are discussed below in the section entitled “Use of Interest Rate Exchange Agreements.”

The Bank’s principal source of funds is debt issued in the capital markets. All 1211 FHLBanks issue debt in the form of consolidated obligations through the Office of Finance as their agent, and each FHLBank uses these funds to make loans to its members, invest in debt securities, or for other business purposes. Generally, consolidated obligations are traded in the over-the-counter market. All 1211 FHLBanks are jointly and severally liable for the repayment of all consolidated obligations. Although consolidated obligations are not obligations of or guaranteed by the U.S. government, FHLBanks are considered to be government-sponsored enterprises (“GSEs”) and thus have historically been able to borrow at the more favorable rates generally available to GSEs. Consolidated obligations are currently rated Aaa/P-1 by Moody’s Investors Service (“Moody’s”) and AA+/A-1+ by Standard & Poor’s (“S&P”). In the application of S&P's Government Related Entities criteria, the ratings of the FHLBanks are constrained by the long-term sovereign credit rating of the United States. These ratings indicate that Moody’s and S&P haveeach of these nationally recognized statistical rating organizations ("NRSROs") has concluded that the FHLBanks have a very strong capacity to meet their financial commitments on consolidated obligations. The ratings also reflect the FHLBank System’s status as a GSE. EachHistorically, the FHLBanks' GSE status and very high credit ratings on consolidated obligations have provided the FHLBanks with excellent capital markets access. Deposits, other borrowings and the proceeds from the issuance of these nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (“NRSROs”) has assigned a negative outlookcapital stock to its long-term rating onmembers are also sources of funds for the consolidated obligations.Bank.

Current and prospective shareholders and debtholders should understand that these credit ratings are not a recommendation to buy, sellhold or holdsell securities and they may be revised or withdrawn at any time by the NRSRO. The ratings from each of the NRSROs should be evaluated independently.

All members of the Bank are required to purchase capital stock in the Bank as a condition of membership and in proportion to their asset size and borrowing activity with the Bank. The Bank’s capital stock is not publicly traded and all stock is owned by members of the Bank, by non-member institutions that acquire stock by virtue of acquiring member institutions, by a federal or state agency or insurer acting as a receiver of a closed institution, or by former members of the Bank that retain capital stock to support advances or other activityobligations that remainsremain outstanding or until any applicable stock redemption or withdrawal notice period expires.

Prior to the enactment of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (the “HER Act”) on July 30, 2008, the Federal Housing Finance Board (“Finance Board”) was responsible for the supervision and regulation of the FHLBanks and the Office of Finance. Effective with the enactment of the HER Act, theThe Federal Housing Finance Agency (“Finance Agency”), an independent agency in the executive branch of the U.S. government, is responsible for supervising and regulating the FHLBanks and the Office of Finance. The Finance Agency’s

independent agency in the executive branch of the U.S. government, assumed that responsibility. The Finance Agency’s stated mission is to ensure that the housing GSEs, including the FHLBanks, operate in a safe and sound manner so that they serve as a reliable source of liquidity and funding for housing finance and community investment. Consistent with this mission, the Finance Agency establishes policies and regulations covering the operations of the FHLBanks. The HER Act provides that all regulations, orders, directives and determinations issued by the Finance Board prior to enactment of the HER Act immediately transferred to the Finance Agency and remain in force unless modified, terminated, or set aside by the Director of the Finance Agency.

The Bank’s debt and equity securities are exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933 and are “exempted securities” under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”). On June 23, 2004, the Finance Agency's predecessor, the Federal Housing Finance Board, adopted a rule requiring each FHLBank to voluntarily register a class of its equity securities with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) under Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act and the HERHousing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (the “HER Act”) subsequently codified this requirement. The Bank’s registration with the SEC became effective on April 17, 2006. As a registrant, the Bank is subject to the periodic reporting and disclosure regime as administered and interpreted by the SEC. Materials that the Bank files with the SEC may be read and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549. You may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC also maintains an Internet site (http://www.sec.gov) that contains reports and other information filed with the SEC. Reports and other information that the Bank files with the SEC are also available free of charge through the Bank’s website at www.fhlb.com. To access these reports and other information through the Bank’s website, click on “About FHLB Dallas,“News,” then “Financial Reports”“Investor Relations,” and then “SEC“SEC” under the heading SEC Filings.” The information on the Bank's website is not, and shall not be deemed to be, a part hereof or incorporated into this or any of the Bank's other filings with the SEC.

The Bank’s membership currently includes the majority of commercial bank and thrift institutions in its district that are eligible to become members. Eligible non-members are primarily smaller commercial banks,insurance companies, credit unions and insurance companiessmaller commercial banks that have thus far elected not to join the Bank. While the Bank anticipates that some number of these eligible non-member institutions will apply for membership each year, the Bank also anticipates that some number of its existing members will be acquired or merge with other institutions and it does not currently anticipate a substantial increase in the number of member institutions.

As a cooperative, the Bank is managed with the primary objectives of enhancing the value of membership for member institutions and fulfilling its public purpose. The value of membership includes access to readily available credit and other services from the Bank, the value of the cost differential between Bank advances and other potential sources of funds, and the dividends paid on members’ investmentinvestments in the Bank’s capital stock.

The Bank manages its operations as one business segment. Management and the Bank’s Board of Directors review enterprise-wide financial information in order to make operating decisions and assess performance. All of the Bank’s revenues are derived from U.S. operations.

Substantially all of the Bank’s interest income from advances is derived from financial institutions domiciled in the Bank’s five-state district.

Members are required by statute and regulation to use the proceeds of advances with an original term to maturity of greater than five years to purchase or fund new or existing residential housing finance assets which, for CFIs, are defined by statute and regulation to include small business, small farm and small agribusiness loans, loans for community development activities (subject to the Finance Agency’s requirements as described below) and securities representing a whole interest in such loans. Community Investment Cash Advances (described below) are exempt from these requirements.

The Bank prices its credit products with the objective of providing benefits of membership that are greatest for those members that use the Bank’s products most actively, while maintaining sufficient profitability to pay dividends at a rate that makes members financially indifferent to holding the Bank’s capital stock and that will allow the Bank to increase its retained earnings over time. Generally, that set of objectives results in small mark-ups over the Bank’s cost of funds for its advances and dividends on capital stock at rates that have for the last several years been at or slightly above either the periodic average effective federal funds rate or the upper end of the Federal Reserve’s

target for the federal funds rate. In keeping with its cooperative philosophy, the Bank provides equal pricing for advances to all members regardless of asset or transaction size, charter type, or geographic location.

The Bank is required by the FHLB Act to obtain collateral that is sufficient, in the judgment of the Bank, to fully secure advances and other extensions of credit to members/borrowers. The Bank has not suffered any credit losses on advances in its 80-year83-year history. In accordance with the Bank’s capital plan,Capital Plan, members and former members must hold Class BB-2 capital stock in proportion to their outstanding advances. In addition, members must hold Class B-1 capital stock to meet their membership investment requirement. Pursuant to the FHLB Act, the Bank has a lien upon and holds the Bank’s Class BB-1 and Class B-2 capital stock owned by each of its shareholders as additional collateral for all of the respective shareholder’s obligations to the Bank.

In order to comply with the requirement to fully secure advances and other extensions of credit, the Bank and each of its members/borrowers execute a written security agreement that establishes the Bank’s security interest in a variety of the members’/borrowers’ assets. The Bank, pursuant to the FHLB Act and Finance Agency regulations, originates, renews, or extends advances only if it has obtained and is maintaining a security interest in sufficient eligible collateral at the time such advance is made, renewed, or extended. Eligible collateral includes whole first mortgages on improved residential real property or securities representing a wholean undivided interest in such mortgages; securities issued, insured, or guaranteed by the U.S. government or any of its agencies, including mortgage-backed and other debt securities issued or guaranteed by the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”), the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”), or the Government National Mortgage Association; term deposits in the Bank; and other real estate-related collateral acceptable to the Bank, provided that such collateral has a readily ascertainable value and the Bank can perfect a security interest in such property.assets.

The HER Act added secured loans for community development activities as a new type of eligible collateral for CFIs. To the extent secured loans for community development activities represent a new class of collateral that the Bank has not previously accepted, the Bank would be required to seek the Finance Agency’s approval prior to accepting that collateral. At December 31, 2012 and 2011, total CFI obligationsTo date, the Bank has not been requested to accept secured by these types of collateral, including commercial real estate, totaled approximately $1.3 billion and $1.9 billion, respectively, which represented approximately 6.3 percent and 8.9 percent, respectively, of the total advances and letters of credit outstandingloans for community development activities as of those dates.collateral.

Except as set forth in the next sentence, the FHLB Act affords any security interest granted to the Bank by any member/borrower of the Bank, or any affiliate of any such member/borrower, priority over the claims and rights of any party, including any receiver, conservator, trustee, or similar party having rights of a lien creditor. The Bank’s security interest is not entitled to priority over the claims and rights of a party that (i) would be entitled to priority under otherwise applicable law and (ii) is an actual bona fide purchaser for value or is a secured party who has a perfected security interest in such collateral in accordance with applicable law (e.g., a prior perfected security interest under the Uniform Commercial Code or other applicable law). For example, as discussed further below, the Bank usually perfects its security interest in collateral by filing a Uniform Commercial

From time to time, the Bank agrees to subordinate its security interest in certain assets or categories of assets granted by a member/borrower of the Bank to the security interest of another creditor (typically, a Federal Reserve Bank or another FHLBank). If the Bank agrees to subordinate its security interest in certain assets or categories of assets granted by a member/borrower of the Bank to the security interest of another creditor, the Bank will not extend credit against those assets or categories of assets.

As stated above, each member/borrower of the Bank executes a security agreement pursuant to which such member/borrower grants a security interest in favor of the Bank in certain assets of such member/borrower. The assets in which a member grants a security interest fall into one of two general structures. In the first structure, the member grants a security interest in all of its assets that are included in the eligible collateral categories, as described above, which the Bank refers to as a “blanket lien.” A member may request that its blanket lien be modified, such that the member grants in favor of the Bank a security interest limited to certain of the eligible collateral categories (i.e., whole first residential mortgages, securities, term deposits in the Bank and other real estate-related collateral). In the second structure, the member grants a security interest in specifically identified assets rather than in the broad categories of eligible collateral covered by the blanket lien and the Bank identifies those members as being on “specific collateral only status.”

The basis upon which the Bank will lend to a member that has granted the Bank a blanket lien depends on numerous factors, including, among others, that member’s financial condition and general creditworthiness. Generally, and subject to certain limitations, a member that has granted the Bank a blanket lien may borrow up to a specified percentage of the value of eligible collateral categories, as determined from that member’s financial reports filed with its federal regulator, without specifically identifying each item of collateral or delivering the collateral to the Bank. Under certain circumstances, including, among others, a deterioration of a member’s financial condition or general creditworthiness, the amount a member may borrow is determined on the basis of only that portion of the collateral subject to the blanket lien that such member delivers to the Bank. Under these circumstances, the Bank places the member on “custody status.” In addition, members on blanket lien status may choose to deliver some or all of the collateral to the Bank.

The members/borrowers that are granted specific collateral only status by the Bank are generally either insurance companies or members/borrowers with an investment grade credit rating from an NRSRO that have requested this type of structure. Insurance companies are permitted to borrow only against the eligible collateral that is delivered to the Bank, and insurance companies generally grant a security interest only in collateral they have delivered. Members/borrowers with an investment grade credit rating from an NRSRO may grant a security interest in, and would be permitted to borrow only against, delivered eligible securities and specifically identified, eligible first-lien mortgage loans. Such loans must be delivered to the Bank or a third-party custodian approved by the Bank, or the Bank and suchthe member/borrower must otherwise take actions that ensure the priority of the Bank’s security interest in suchthe loans. Investment grade rated members/borrowers that choose this option are subject to fewer provisions that allow the Bank to demand additional collateral or exercise other remedies based on the Bank’s discretion.

The Bank perfects its security interestsinterest in member/members'/borrowers’ collateral in a number of ways. The Bank usually perfects its security interest in collateral by filing a Uniform Commercial Code financing statement against the relevant assets of the member/borrower. In the case of certain borrowers, the Bank perfects its security interest by taking possession or control of the collateral, which may be in addition to the filing of a financing statement. In these cases, the Bank also generally takes assignments of most of the mortgages and deeds of trust that are designated as collateral. Instead of requiring delivery of the collateral to the Bank, the Bank may allow certain borrowers to deliver specific collateral to a third-party custodian approved by the Bank or otherwise take actions that ensure the priority of the Bank’s security interest in such collateral.

The Bank’s non-agency residential MBS (“RMBS”) are collateralized by whole mortgage loans that generally do not conform to GSE pooling requirements. The Bank’s non-agency RMBS investments are all self-insured by a senior/subordinate structure in which the subordinate classes of securities provide credit support for the most senior class of securities, an interest in which is owned by the Bank. Losses in the underlying loan pool would generally have to exceed the credit support provided by the subordinate classes of securities before the most senior class of securities would experience any credit losses. If the Bank’s cash flow analyses indicate that it is likely to incur a credit loss on a security, the Bank records an other-than-temporary impairment loss in the period in which the expected credit loss is identified. For discussion of the accounting for other-than-temporary impairments of debt securities, see Note 1 to the Bank’s audited financial statements included in this report.

In addition to purchasing securities that were structured to provide the type of credit enhancement discussed above, the Bank further attempted to reduce the credit risk of its non-agency RMBS by purchasing securities with other risk-reducing attributes.

For instance, the Bank purchased RMBS backed by loan pools that featured a high percentage of relatively small loans, a high percentage of owner-occupied properties, and relatively low loan-to-value ratios. None of the Bank’s investments in RMBS are insured by third partythird-party bond insurers. The risk of future credit losses is also mitigated to some extent by the seasoning of the loans underlying the Bank’s non-agency RMBS. Except for a single security issued in 2006, all of the Bank’s RMBS were issued in 2005 or before. Despite the deterioration in the residential real estate markets that occurred primarily during the period from 2007 through 2011, these risk mitigation strategies helped to limit the amount of credit losses associated with the Bank’s non-agency RMBS holdings. For further discussion and analysis of the Bank’s non-agency RMBS, see Item 7 — Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Financial Condition — Long-Term Investments.

On July 23, 2010, the Bank’s Board of Directors approved an amendment to the Bank’s Risk Management Policy that removed the Bank’s authority to purchase non-agency MBS. The Bank has not acquired any non-agency MBS since 2006.2006 and it is currently prohibited by its Enterprise Credit Risk Management Policy from doing so in the future.

The Bank has historically attempted to maintain its investments in MBS close to the regulatory dollar limit. While the Finance Agency has established limits with respect to the types and structural characteristics of the FHLBanks’ MBS investments, the Bank has generally adhered to a more conservative set of guidelines. The Bank uses interest rate derivatives to manage the risks associated with the options embedded in the MBS that it acquires.

As more fully discussed in the section entitled Business Strategy and Outlook on page 20, the Bank's advances have declined significantly from their peak at the beginning of the fourth quarter of 2008. During the second half of 2011 and the first seven months of 2012, to further supplement its net interest income while advances volumes are reduced, the Bank purchased other permissible long-term investments which consisted primarily of GSE debentures. The Bank is permitted to invest in the non-MBS debt obligations of any GSE provided such investments in any single GSE do not exceed the lesser of the Bank’s total regulatory capital or that GSE's total capital (taking into account the financial support provided by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, if applicable) at the time new investments are made. The Bank's investments in the non-MBS debt obligations of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Farm Credit System are each currently limited to an amount equal to 100 percent of the Bank's total regulatory capital.

In accordance with Finance Agency policy and regulations, total capital for purposes of determining the Bank’s MBS and non-MBS investment limitations excludes accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) and includes all amounts paid in for the Bank’s capital stock regardless of accounting classification (see Item 7 — Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations). The Bank is not required to sell or otherwise reduce any investments that exceed these regulatory limits due to reductions in capital or changes in value after the investments are made, but it is precluded from making additional investments that exceed these limits.

Finance Agency regulations include a variety of restrictions and limitations on the FHLBanks’ investment activities, including limits on the types, amounts, and maturities of unsecured investments in private issuers. Finance Agency rules and regulations also prohibit the Bank from investing in certain types of securities, including:

During the period from 1998 to mid-2003, the Bank invested in government-guaranteed/insured mortgage loans (i.e., those insured or guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration or the Department of Veterans Affairs) and conventional residential mortgage loans originated by its PFIs through the MPF program. Under its then existing arrangement with the FHLBank of Chicago, the Bank retained title to the fixed-rate, conforming mortgage loans, subject to any participation interest in such loans that was sold to the FHLBank of Chicago; the interest in the loans retained by the Bank ranged from 1 percent to

49 percent. Additionally, during the period from 1998 to 2000, the Bank also acquired from the FHLBank of Chicago a percentage interest (ranging up to 75 percent) in certain MPF loans originated by PFIs of other FHLBanks. The Bank manages the liquidity, interest rate and prepayment risk of these loans, while the PFIs retain the servicing activities. The Bank and the PFIs share in the credit risk of the retained portion of the loans with the Bank assuming the first loss obligation limited by the First Loss Account (“FLA”), and the PFIs assuming credit losses in excess of the FLA, up to the amount of the credit enhancement obligation as specified in the master agreement (“Second Loss Credit Enhancement”). The Bank assumes all losses in excess of the Second Loss Credit Enhancement. As further described below, the PFIs are paid a fee by the Bank for assuming a portion of the credit risk of the loans.

The PFI’s credit enhancement obligation (“CE Amount”) arises under its PFI Agreement while the amount and nature of the obligation are determined with respect to each master commitment. Under the Finance Agency’s Acquired Member Asset regulation (12 C.F.R. part 955) (“AMA Regulation”), the PFI must “bear the economic consequences” of certain credit losses with respect to a master commitment based upon the MPF product and other criteria. Under the MPF program, the PFI’s credit enhancement protection may take the form of the CE Amount, which represents the direct liability to pay credit losses incurred with respect to that master commitment, or may require the PFI to obtain and pay for a supplemental mortgage insurance (“SMI”) policy insuring the Bank for a portion of the credit losses arising from the master commitment, and/or the PFI may contract for a contingent performance-based credit enhancement fee whereby such fees are reduced by losses up to a certain amount arising under the master commitment. Under the AMA Regulation, any portion of the CE Amount that is a PFI’s direct liability must be collateralized by the PFI in the same way that advances are collateralized. The PFI Agreement provides that the PFI’s obligations under the PFI Agreement are secured along with other obligations of the PFI under its regular advances agreement with the Bank and, further, that the Bank may request additional collateral to secure the PFI’s obligations. PFIs are paid a credit enhancement fee (“CE fee”) as an incentive to minimize credit losses, to share in the risk of loss on MPF loans and to pay for SMI, rather than paying a guaranty fee to other secondary market purchasers. CE fees are paid monthly and are determined based on the remaining unpaid principal balance of the MPF loans. The required CE Amount may vary depending on the MPF product alternatives selected. The Bank also pays performance-based CE fees that are based on the actual performance of the pool of MPF loans under each individual master commitment. To the extent that losses in the current month

The Bank determines its participation in the issuance of consolidated obligations based upon, among other things, its own funding and operating requirements and the amounts, maturities, rates of interest and other terms available in the marketplace. The issuance terms for consolidated obligations are established by the Office of Finance, subject to policies established by its board of directors and the regulations of the Finance Agency. In addition, the Government Corporation Control Act provides that, before a government corporation issues and offers obligations to the public, the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury shall prescribe the form, denomination, maturity, interest rate, and conditions of the obligations, the way and time issued, and the selling price.

Consolidated obligation bonds generally satisfy long-term funding needs. Typically, the maturities of these securities range from 1 to 20 years, but their maturities are not subject to any statutory or regulatory limit. Consolidated obligation bonds can be fixed-rate or variable-rate and may be callable or non-callable.

Consolidated obligation bonds are issued and distributed through negotiated or competitively bid transactions with underwriters or sellingbidding group members. The Bank receives 100 percent of the proceeds of bonds issued through direct negotiation with underwriters of System debt when it is the sole primary obligor on consolidated obligation bonds. When the Bank and one or more other FHLBanks jointly agree to the issuance of bonds directly negotiated with underwriters, the Bank receives the portion of the proceeds of the bonds agreed upon with the other FHLBanks; in those cases, the Bank is the primary obligor for a pro rata portion of the bonds based on the proceeds it receives. In these cases, the Bank records on its balance sheet only that portion of the bonds for which it is the primary obligor. The majority of the Bank’s consolidated obligation bond issuance has been conducted through direct negotiation with underwriters of System debt, and a majority of that issuance has been without participation by the other FHLBanks.

The Bank may also request that specific amounts of specific bonds be offered by the Office of Finance for sale through competitive auction conducted with underwriters in a bond selling group.that are bidding group members. One or more other FHLBanks may also request that amounts of these same bonds be offered for sale for their benefit through the same auction. The Bank may receive from zero to 100 percent of the proceeds of the bonds issued through competitive auction depending on the amounts and costs for the bonds bid by underwriters, the maximum costs the Bank or other FHLBanks, if any, participating in the same issue are willing to pay for the bonds, and Office of Finance guidelines for allocation of bond proceeds among multiple participating FHLBanks.

Consolidated obligation discount notes are a significant funding source for money market instruments and for advances with short-term maturities or repricing frequencies of less than one year. Discount notes are generally sold at a discount and mature at par, and are offered daily through a consolidated obligation discount notes selling group and through other authorized securities dealers.

On a daily basis, the Bank may request that specific amounts of consolidated obligation discount notes with specific maturity dates be offered by the Office of Finance at a specific cost for sale to securities dealers in the discount note selling group. One or more other FHLBanks may also request that amounts of discount notes with the same maturities be offered for sale for their benefit on the same day. The Office of Finance commits to issue discount notes on behalf of the participating FHLBanks when securities dealers in the selling group submit orders for the specific discount notes offered for sale. The Bank may receive from zero to 100 percent of the proceeds of the discount notes issued through this sales process depending on the maximum costs the Bank or other FHLBanks, if any, participating in the same discount notes are willing to pay for the discount notes, the amounts of orders for the discount notes submitted by securities dealers, and Office of Finance guidelines for allocation of discount notes proceeds among multiple participating FHLBanks. Under the Office of Finance guidelines, FHLBanks generally receive funding on a first-come-first-served basis subject to threshold limits within each category of discount notes. For overnight discount notes, sales are allocated to the FHLBanks in lots of $250 million. For all other discount note maturities, sales are allocated in lots of $50 million. Within each category of discount notes, the allocation process is repeated until all orders are filled or canceled.

Twice weekly, the Bank may also request that specific amounts of consolidated obligation discount notes with fixed maturity dates ranging from 4 to 26 weeks be offered by the Office of Finance through competitive auctions conducted through securities dealers in the discount note selling group. One or more other FHLBanks may also request that amounts of those same discount notes be offered for sale for their benefit through the same auction. The discount notes offered for sale through competitive auction are not subject to a limit on the maximum costs the FHLBanks are willing to pay. ThePrior to July 14, 2015, the FHLBanks receivereceived funding based on their requests at a weighted average rate of the winning bids from the dealers. On and after July 14, 2015, the FHLBanks receive funding at a single price based on a Dutch auction format. If the bids submitted are less than the total of the FHLBanks’ requests, the Bank receives funding based on the ratio of the Bank’s regulatory capital (defined on page 3332 of this report) relative to the regulatory capital of the other FHLBanks offering discount notes. The majority of the Bank’s discount note issuance in maturities of four weeks or longer is conducted through the auction process. Regardless of the method of issuance, as with consolidated obligation bonds, the Bank is the primary obligor for the portion of discount notes issued for which it has received the proceeds.

On occasion, and as an alternative to issuing new debt, the Bank may assume the outstanding consolidated obligations for which other FHLBanks are the original primary obligors. This occurs in cases where the original primary obligor may have participated in a large consolidated obligation issue to an extent that exceeded its immediate funding needs in order to facilitate better market execution for the issue. The original primary obligor might then warehouse the funds until they were needed, or make the funds available to other FHLBanks. Transfers may also occur when the original primary obligor’s funding needs change, and that FHLBank offers to transfer debt that is no longer needed to other FHLBanks. Transferred debt is typically fixed-rate, fixed-term, non-callable debt, and may be in the form of discount notes or bonds. In connection with these transactions, the Bank becomes the primary obligor for the transferred debt.

To facilitate the timely funding of principal and interest payments on FHLBank System consolidated obligations in the event that a FHLBank is not able to meet its funding obligations in a timely manner, the FHLBanks and the Office of Finance entered into the Federal Home Loan Banks P&I Funding and Contingency Plan Agreement on June 23, 2006. For additional information regarding this agreement, see Item 7 — Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Liquidity and Capital Resources.

A FHLBank must file a consolidated obligation payment plan for the Finance Agency’s approval if (i) the FHLBank becomes a non-complying FHLBank as a result of failing to provide the required certification, (ii) the FHLBank becomes a non-complyingnon-

complying FHLBank as a result of being required to provide the notice described above to the Finance Agency, except in the case of a failure to make a payment on a consolidated obligation caused solely by an external event such as a power failure, or (iii) the Finance Agency determines that the FHLBank will cease to be in compliance with its liquidity requirements or will lack the capacity to meet all of its current obligations due during the quarter.

A non-complying FHLBank is permitted to continue to incur and pay normal operating expenses in the regular course of business, but may not incur or pay any extraordinary expenses, or declare or pay dividends, or redeem any capital stock, until such time as the Finance Agency has approved the FHLBank’s consolidated obligation payment plan or inter-FHLBank assistance agreement, or ordered another remedy, and all of the non-complying FHLBank’s direct obligations have been paid.

One of the responsibilities of the board of directors of the OF is to establish policies regarding consolidated obligations to ensure that, among other things, such obligations are issued efficiently and at the lowest all-in funding costs for the FHLBanks over time consistent with prudent risk management practices and other market and regulatory factors.

The Finance Agency has regulatory oversight and enforcement authority over the OF and its directors and officers generally to the same extent as it has such authority over a FHLBank and its respective directors and officers. The FHLBanks are responsible for jointly funding the expenses of the OF. Prior to January 1, 2011, these expenses were shared on a pro rata basis with one-third based on each FHLBank’s total outstanding capital stock (as of the prior month-end, excluding those amounts classified as mandatorily redeemable), one-third based on each FHLBank’s total debt issuance (during the current month), and one-third based on each FHLBank’s total consolidated obligations outstanding (as of the current month-end). Beginning January 1, 2011, the expenses of the OF, which are shared on a pro rata basis with two-thirds based on each FHLBank’s total consolidated obligations outstanding (as of each month end) and one-third divided equally among all of the 12 FHLBanks.

Finance Agency regulations authorize and establish general guidelines for the FHLBanks’ use of derivative instruments, and the Bank’s Enterprise Market Risk Management Policy establishes specific guidelines for their use. The Bank can use interest rate swaps, swaptions, cap and floor agreements, calls, puts, and futures and forward contracts as part of its interest rate risk management and funding strategies. Regulations prohibit derivative instruments that do not qualify as hedging instruments pursuant to generally accepted accounting principles unless a non-speculative use is documented.

In general,Historically, the Bank useshas used interest rate exchange agreements primarily in two ways: either by designating them as a fair value hedge of an underlying financial instrument or by designating them as a hedge of some defined risk in the course of its balance sheet management. For example, the Bank uses interest rate exchange agreements in its overall interest rate risk management activities to adjust the interest rate sensitivity of consolidated obligations to approximate more closely the interest rate sensitivity of its assets, including advances and investments, and/or to adjust the interest rate sensitivity of advances and investments to approximate more closely the interest rate sensitivity of its liabilities. In addition to using interest rate exchange agreements to manage mismatches between the coupon features of its assets and liabilities, the Bank uses interest rate exchange agreements to manage embedded options in assets and liabilities, to preserve the market value of existing assets and liabilities and to reduce funding costs.

The Bank frequently enters into interest rate exchange agreements concurrently with the issuance of consolidated obligations.obligation bonds and it simultaneously designates the agreement as a fair value hedge. This strategy of issuing bonds while simultaneously entering into interest rate exchange agreements enables the Bank to offer a wider range of attractively priced advances to its members. The attractiveness of such debt generally depends on yield relationships between the consolidated

obligation bond and interest rate exchange markets. As conditions in these markets change, the Bank may alter the types or terms of the bondsconsolidated obligations that it issues.

In addition, as discussed in the section above entitled “Products and Services,” the Bank offers interest rate swaps, caps and floors to its member institutions. In these transactions, the Bank acts as an intermediary for its members by entering into an interest rate exchange agreement with a member and then entering into an offsetting interest rate exchange agreement with one of the Bank’s approved derivative counterparties.

For further discussion of interest rate exchange agreements, see Item 7 — Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Financial Condition — Derivatives and Hedging Activities and the audited financial statements accompanying this report.

Demand for the Bank’s advances is affected by, among other things, the cost of other available sources of funds for its members, including deposits. The Bank competes with other suppliers of wholesale funding, both secured and unsecured, including investment banking concerns, commercial banks and, in certain circumstances, other FHLBanks. Historically, sources of wholesale funds for its members have included unsecured long-term debt, unsecured short-term debt such as federal funds, repurchase agreements and deposits issued into the brokered certificate of deposit market. The availability of funds through these wholesale funding sources can vary from time to time as a result of a variety of factors including, among others, market conditions, members’ creditworthiness and availability of collateral. The availability of these alternative private funding sources could significantly influence the demand for the Bank’s advances. More recently, the Bank’s members also had access to an expanded range of liquidity facilities initiated by the Federal Reserve Board, the U.S. Department of the Treasury (the “Treasury”) and the FDIC as part of their efforts to support the financial markets during the credit crisis. These liquidity

As a debt issuer, the Bank competes with Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and other GSEs, as well as corporate, sovereign and supranational entities for funds raised in the national and global debt markets. Increases in the supply of competing debt products could, in the absence of increases in demand, result in higher debt costs for the FHLBanks. Although investor demand for FHLBank debt has historically been sufficient to meet the Bank’s funding needs, there can be no assurance that this will always be the case.

The Bank’s capital consists of capital stock owned by its members (and, in some cases, non-member borrowers or former members as described below), plus retained earnings and accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). Consistent with the FHLB Act and the Finance Agency's regulations, the Bank’s capital plan requires each member to own Class B stock (redeemable with five years’ written notice subject to certain restrictions) in an amount equal to the sum of a membership stock requirement and an activity-based stock requirement. Specifically, the Bank’s capital plan requires members to hold capital stock in proportion to their total asset size and borrowing activity with the Bank.

The Bank’s capital stock is not publicly traded and it may be issued, repurchased, redeemed and, with the prior approval of the Bank, transferred only at its par value. In addition, the Bank’s capital stock may only be held by members of the Bank, by non-member institutions that acquire stock by virtue of acquiring member institutions, by a federal or state agency or insurer acting as a receiver of a closed institution, or by former members of the Bank that retain capital stock to support advances or other activityobligations that remainsremain outstanding or until any applicable stock redemption or withdrawal notice period expires. For more information about

On December 3, 2014, the Bank's Board of Directors adopted several amendments to the Bank’s Capital Plan, subject to approval by the Finance Agency and certain notification requirements. The Finance Agency approved the amendments to the Bank’s Capital Plan on June 1, 2015. Among other things, the Bank’s Capital Plan was amended to allow for the creation of two sub-classes of the Bank’s Class B Stock (Class B-1 Stock and Class B-2 Stock). On August 31, 2015, the Bank gave notice to its shareholders that the amended Capital Plan would be implemented and the two sub-classes of capital stock see Item 11 - Descriptionwould be created on October 1, 2015.

On October 1, 2015, the Bank exchanged all shares of Registrant’s Securities to be Registeredoutstanding Class B Stock at the open of business on that date for an equal number of shares of capital stock consisting of shares of Class B-1 Stock and Class B-2 Stock allocated as described in the Bank’s Amended Registration Statement on Form 10 filed withnext sentence. For each shareholder, (i) a number of shares of existing Class B Stock in an amount sufficient to meet such shareholder's activity-based investment requirement were exchanged for an equal number of shares of Class B-2 Stock and (ii) all other outstanding shares of existing Class B Stock held by such shareholder were exchanged for an equal number of shares of Class B-1 Stock. Immediately following these exchanges, all shares of previously outstanding Class B Stock were retired.

For more information about the Bank’s minimum capital requirements, see Item 7 — Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Risk-Based Capital Rules and Other Capital Requirements.

On February 28, 2011, the Bank entered into a Joint Capital Enhancement Agreement (the “JCE Agreement”) with the other 11 FHLBanks. Effective August 5, 2011, the FHLBanks amended the JCE Agreement (the "Amended JCE Agreement"), and the Finance Agency approved an amendment to the Bank's capital planCapital Plan to incorporate its provisions on that same date. The Amended JCE Agreement provides that upon satisfaction of the FHLBanks’ obligations to the Resolution Funding Corporation (“REFCORP”), as further described below in the section entitled “REFCORP and AHP Assessments,” the Bank (and each of the other FHLBanks) will, on a quarterly basis, allocate at least 20 percent of its net income to a separate restricted retained earnings account (“RRE Account”). On August 5, 2011, the Finance Agency certified that the FHLBanks had fully satisfied their obligations to REFCORP with their July 2011 payments to REFCORP, which were derived from the FHLBanks' second quarter 2011 earnings. Accordingly, under the terms of the Amended JCE Agreement, the allocations to the Bank's RRE Account commenced in the third quarter of 2011. Pursuant to the provisions of the Amended JCE Agreement, the Bank is required to build its RRE Account to an amount equal to one percent of its total outstanding consolidated obligations, which for this purpose is based on the most recent quarter’s average carrying value of all consolidated obligations, excluding hedging adjustments (“Total Consolidated Obligations”).

The Amended JCE Agreement provides that any quarterly net losses incurred by the Bank may be netted against its net income, if any, for other quarters during the same calendar year to determine the minimum required year-to-date or annual allocation to its RRE Account. In the event the Bank incurs a net loss for a cumulative year-to-date or annual period, the Bank may decrease the amount of its RRE Account such that the cumulative year-to-date or annual addition to its RRE Account is zero and the Bank shall apply any remaining portion of the net loss first to reduce retained earnings that are not restricted retained earnings until such retained earnings are reduced to zero, and thereafter may apply any remaining portion of the net loss to reduce its

The Amended JCE Agreement provides that if the Bank’s RRE Account exceeds 1.5 percent of its Total Consolidated Obligations, the Bank may transfer amounts from its RRE Account to its unrestricted retained earnings account, but only to the extent that the balance of its RRE Account remains at least equal to 1.5 percent of the Bank’s Total Consolidated Obligations immediately following such transfer.

The Amended JCE Agreement further provides that the Bank may not pay dividends out of its RRE Account, nor may it reallocate or transfer amounts out of its RRE Account except as described above. In addition, during periods in which the Bank’s RRE Account is less than one percent of its Total Consolidated Obligations, the Bank may not pay dividends out of the amount of its quarterly net income that is required to be allocated to its RRE Account.

thereof as authorizeddetermined by the Bank’s Board of Directors,Directors. The dividend rates on Class B-1 Stock and Class B-2 Stock are paid at the same rate on all shares of the Bank’s capital stockClass B-1 Stock and Class B-2 Stock, respectively, regardless of their classification for accounting purposes. As the Bank's shares of Class B-1 Stock and Class B-2 Stock were not issued until October 1, 2015, and dividends for any given quarter are based upon average capital stock outstanding during the previous quarter, the Bank's fourth quarter 2015 dividend, which was paid on December 31, 2015, was based upon average outstanding Class B Stock that was held during the third quarter of 2015 and, consequently, paid at a single rate. The Bank is permitted by statute and regulation to pay dividends only from previously retained earnings or current net earnings, and the payment of dividends is also subject to the terms of the Amended JCE Agreement.

The Bank defines “adjusted earnings” as net earnings exclusive of: (1) gains or losses on the sales of investment securities, if any; (2) gains or losses on the retirement or transfer of debt, if any; (3) prepayment fees on advances; (4) fair value adjustments (except for net interest payments) associated with derivatives and hedging activities and assets and liabilities carried at fair value; and (5) realized gains and losses associated with early terminations of derivative transactions. Because the Bank’s returns from adjusted earningsnet interest income (excluding net prepayment fees on advances) generally track short-term interest rates, the Bank has had a long-standing practice of

The Bank generally pays dividends in the form of capital stock. When dividends are paid, capital stock is issued in full shares and any fractional shares are paid in cash. For a more detailed discussion of the Bank’s dividend policy and the restrictions relating to its payment of dividends, see Item 5 — Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

We are subject to significant risks from changes in interest rates because most of our assets and liabilities are financial instruments. Our profitability depends significantly on our net interest income and is impacted by changes in the fair value of interest rate derivatives and any associated hedged items. Changes in interest rates can impact our net interest income as well as the values of our derivatives and certain other assets and liabilities. Changes in overall market interest rates, changes in the relationships between short-term and long-term market interest rates, changes in the relationship between different interest rate indices, or differences in the timing of rate resets for assets and liabilities or related interest rate derivatives with interest rates tied to those indices, can affect the interest rates received from our interest-earning assets differently than those paid on our interest-bearing liabilities. This difference could result in an increase in interest expense relative to interest income, which would result in a decrease in our net interest spread, or a net decrease in earnings related to the relationship between changes in the valuation of our derivatives and any associated hedged items.

Like most financial institutions, our results of operations are significantly affected by our ability to manage interest rate risk. We use a number of tools to monitor and manage interest rate risk, including income simulations and duration/market value sensitivity analyses. Given the unpredictability of the financial markets, capturing all potential outcomes in these analyses is extremely difficult. Key assumptions used in our market value sensitivity analyses include interest rate volatility, mortgage prepayment projections and the future direction of interest rates, among other factors. Key assumptions used in our income simulations include projections of advances volumes and pricing, MPF volumes and pricing, market conditions for our debt, prepayment speeds and cash flows on mortgage-related assets, and other factors. These assumptions are inherently uncertain and, as a result, the measures cannot precisely estimate net interest income or the market value of our equity nor can they precisely predict the effect of higher or lower interest rates or changes in other market factors on net interest income or the market value of our equity. Actual results will most likely differ from simulated results due to the timing, magnitude, and frequency of interest rate changes and changes in market conditions and management strategies, among other factors. Our ability to maintain a positive spread between the interest earned on our earning assets and the interest paid on our interest-bearing liabilities may be affected by the unpredictability of changes in interest rates.

We are subject to credit risk from advances and other extensions of credit to members, non-member borrowers and housing associates (collectively, our customers). Other extensions of credit include letters of credit issued or confirmed on behalf of customers, customers’ credit enhancement obligations associated with MPF loans held in portfolio, and interest rate exchange agreements we enter into with our customers.

One or more members or borrowers could withdraw their membership or decrease their business levels as a result of a merger with an institution that is not one of our members, or for other reasons, which could lead to a significant decrease in our total assets and capital.

As the financial services industry has consolidated, acquisitions involving some of our members have resulted in membership withdrawals or business level decreases. Additional acquisitions that lead to similar results are possible, including acquisitions in which the acquired institutions are merged into institutions located outside our district with which we cannot do business. We could also be adversely impacted by the reduction in business volume that would arise from the failure of one or more of our members.

The loss of one or more borrowers that represent a significant proportion of our business, or a significant reduction in the borrowing levels of one or more of these borrowers, could, depending on the magnitude of the impact, cause us to lower dividend rates, raise advances rates, attempt to reduce operating expenses (which could cause a reduction in service levels), or undertake some combination of these actions. The magnitude of the impact would depend, in part, on our size and profitability at the time such institution repays its advances to us.

Our primary business is making advances to our members. We compete with other suppliers of wholesale funding, both secured and unsecured, including investment banks, commercial banks and, in certain circumstances, other FHLBanks. Our members have access to alternative funding sources, which may provide more favorable terms than we do on our advances, including more flexible credit or collateral standards.

The availability to our members of alternative funding sources that are more attractive than the funding products offered by us may significantly decrease the demand for our advances. Any change made by us in the pricing of our advances in an effort to compete more effectively with these competitive funding sources may decrease the profitability on advances. A decrease in the demand for advances or a decrease in our profitability on advances would negatively affect our financial condition and results of operations.

We, and ten of the other ten FHLBanks, currently have the highest credit rating from Moody’s and are rated AA+/A-1+ by S&P. The FHLBank of Seattle also has the highest credit rating from Moody's and is rated AA/A-1+ by S&P. The consolidated obligations issued by the FHLBanks are rated Aaa/P-1 by Moody’s and AA+/A-1+ by S&P. Each of these nationally recognized statistical rating organizations has assigned a negativestable outlook to its long-term credit rating on the FHLBank System's consolidated obligations and to its long-term rating of each of the FHLBanks.

On July 13, 2011, Moody’s placedPursuant to criteria used by S&P and Moody's, the Aaa long-term government bondFHLBank System's debt rating ofand the United States, and consequently the long-termcredit ratings of the government-sponsored enterprises, including those of theindividual FHLBanks on review for possible downgrade. This review was prompted by the risk that the U.S. statutory debt limit might not be raised in time to prevent a default on the U.S. government’s debt obligations. Following the increase in the statutory debt limit on August 2, 2011, Moody’s confirmed the Aaa long-term government bond rating of the United States and also, consequently, the Aaa long-term ratings of the government-sponsored enterprises, including those of the FHLBanks. Concurrently, Moody’s assigned a negative outlookare linked closely to the U.S. government’s long-term bond rating and the long-term ratings of the government-sponsored enterprises, including the FHLBanks. In assigning a negative outlook to the U.S. government’s long-term bond rating, Moody’s indicated that there would be a risk of downgrade if: (1) there is a weakening in fiscal discipline in the coming year; (2) further fiscal consolidation measures are not adopted in 2013; (3) the economic outlook deteriorates significantly; or (4) there is an appreciable rise in the U.S. government’s funding costs over and above what is currently expected.