The Farm Credit System provides credit and financial services to rural communities and agricultural entities. The System originated with the Federal Farm Loan Act of 1916, which established a network of federal land banks that would evolve into the Farm Credit System as it operates today: a nationwide network of 70 customer-owned financial institutions. Across all 50 states and Puerto Rico, they provide loans and related financial services to U.S. farmers and ranchers, farmer-owned cooperatives and other agribusinesses, rural homebuyers and rural infrastructure providers. Learn more about their cooperative structure, their unique funding model, and see a list of institutions.

The Farm Credit System (FCS) is regulated by the Farm Credit Administration (FCA), an independent federal agency that regulates and examines the banks, associations, and related entities of the Farm Credit System (FCS), including the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer Mac). FCA’s mission is to ensure a safe, sound, and dependable source of credit and related services for all creditworthy and eligible persons in agriculture and rural America. They do this in two ways:

1. By creating regulations for FCS institutions to follow
2. By examining FCS institutions to ensure their compliance with the Farm Credit Act of 1971 (as amended), FCA regulations, and safe and sound banking practices

As a Farm Credit 4.25 Service Corporation, SunStream is also regulated and audited by FCA.