Final answer:
The slope of the equation is -323, which means the number of federally insured banks decreases by 323 every year.
Step-by-step explanation:
The equation given for the number of federally insured banks from 1982 to 2006 is:
B(t) = -323t + 13762
The slope of this equation represents the rate at which the number of federally insured banks is changing over time. In this case, the slope is -323, which means that for every one year that passes, the number of federally insured banks decreases by 323. So the correct answer is A. -323.