Fed to reopen penny deposits after industry outcry

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• Key Insight: The central bank will accept pennies from banks and credit unions at all commercial distribution centers after ceasing to accept them at some sites beginning last fall.
• Expert Quote: “This important step directly addresses the concerns we previously raised and will help ensure banks are able to accept and process pennies during the transition away from new penny production.” — Rob Nichols, president and CEO of the ABA.
• What’s at stake: The penny shortage has complicated routine tasks for retailers and consumers such as cashing checks and providing exact change.

The Federal Reserve will restart penny circulation for commercial use at all coin distribution locations after pushback from the banking industry when some commercial coin distribution locations stopped accepting penny deposits late last year.
In mid-January, the central bank will resume accepting penny deposits from banks and credit unions, according to an announcement Thursday from Federal Reserve Financial Services, the Fed’s payment and settlement arm.

“Beginning Jan. 14, the Federal Reserve will resume accepting pennies from banks and credit unions at commercial coin distribution locations providing services under arrangements with the Federal Reserve that were previously suspended,” the agency said in a statement.

Federal Reserve Financial Services said it continues to support penny deposits, but local inventory constraints had limited activity at some coin distribution locations.

“Our monitoring of the flow of penny deposits from financial institutions as these changes take effect will determine whether some subsequent expansion of ordering options for pennies is feasible, given that penny production has ended,” the agency said.

Rob Nichols, president and CEO of the American Bankers Association, applauded the decision, saying it would “strengthen coin circulation nationwide.”

“This important step directly addresses the concerns we previously raised and will help ensure banks are able to accept and process pennies during the transition away from new penny production,” Nichols said in a statement. “By reopening these channels, the Fed is taking practical action that supports consumers, retailers and financial institutions alike.”

The Trump administration announced plans to end penny production in February 2025, and the Treasury Department placed a final order for blank pennies in May.

Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve also stopped redistributing existing pennies at coin terminals, creating logistical challenges for banks and retailers.

In early October, 41 of the Fed’s 165 coin terminals had stopped handling pennies. By Nov. 20, more than 100 terminals had suspended penny services,  including in major cities like New York, Chicago, St. Louis, Dallas and San Francisco.

“Banks can’t get pennies, and that means they can’t supply them to their customers — the retailers — and that puts the retailers in a jam,” Steve Kenneally, senior vice president of the American Bankers Association, said in a November interview.

Banks and retailers say large-scale minting of pennies ended sometime between June and August. Since then, penny circulation has slowed sharply, complicating routine tasks such as cashing checks and providing exact change. Neither the Treasury Department nor other federal agencies have issued guidance on how to manage the shortage.

In an Oct. 17 letter, the ABA argued that the Fed’s policy of refusing banks’ excess penny deposits at coin terminals had blocked circulation. The ABA has urged the federal government to fully reopen all coin terminals, provide clear guidance on rounding transactions and educate the public about the situation.

“We understand that locations without pennies will be unable to fulfill orders for the coin,” the trade group wrote late last year. “But if they do not accept penny deposits, they preclude the opportunity to ever have enough pennies for distribution.”

Following industry outcry, congressional Democrats sent a letter in December calling on the Treasury Department and the Fed to provide guidance.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., cited concerns about a lack of communication with consumers, businesses and lenders regarding the supply of one-cent coins.

“Despite the public’s repeated calls for clarity, the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve … have yet to provide any guidance or formulate a plan to manage penny circulation to meet current and future demand,”