The Federal Reserve is facing a difficult decision as it meets to decide whether to keep raising interest rates or declare a pause. The decision is complicated by the jitters roiling the financial industry, the practice of regional banks in the Federal Reserve system inviting executives of the institutions they regulate to sit on their boards, and the hazier economic picture clouded by turmoil in the banking industry and still-high inflation. The outcome of the Fed's decision could have far-reaching implications for the banking industry and the economy as a whole.