Federal Reserve System
NY Fed hires Bear Stearns' risk-management head
The chief risk officer at Bear Stearns, the now-defunct investment bank, has joined the New York Federal Reserve to advise on bank supervision.
Obama win promises to lift some of the gloom
Barack Obama's clear victory in the US presidential election opens a new chapter in America's history. The positive impact of this powerful signal of change on the economy and on central banking should not be underestimated, says Marco Annunziata, the…
Family size related to wealth: St Louis Fed
Richer people tend to have more children, new research from the St Louis Federal Reserve finds.
Policymakers added to volatility: Fed's Lacker
Shifts in expectations regarding the chances of official intervention may have made financial markets more volatile, said Jeffrey Lacker, the president of the Richmond Federal Reserve.
Inflation targets flexible and resilient
Inflation targeting has proved fairly flexible and resilient, research from the Boston Federal Reserve states.
US banks clamp down on loan standards
American businesses are facing ever-more stringent loan conditions from most US lenders tightening standards on the back of the poor economic outlook, Federal Reserve data indicates.
Bernanke: we must support mortgage securitisation
The government has a role in supporting mortgage securitisation during periods of high financial stress, said Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve.
US: debit cards and electronic payments rising
Electronic methods of cheque clearing are rapidly replacing traditional paper methods, reports a new paper from the Federal Reserve Board.
Fed hikes cheque processing costs by 41%
In a bid to encourage the move to electronic processing of cheques, the Federal Reserve will increase its charges for the processing of paper by 41% in 2009.
Fed extends swaps to emerging markets, cuts to 1%
The Brazilian, Mexican, Korean and Singapore central banks on Wednesday became the latest to set up swap arrangements with the Federal Reserve to counter dollar liquidity fears.
Fed rate cut of little consequence?
The Federal Reserve's half-point cut to its key rate - the federal funds target - may have triggered a surge in Asian and European stock prices on Thursday. But the policy change may have little bearing on the cost of borrowing it is meant to influence…
Fed examines poverty
The Federal Reserve Board and the 12 regional banks have collaborated on a study looking at high-poverty neighbourhoods in the US and the challenges these communities face.
House-price fall precipitated subprime collapse
The reason for the raft of subprime defaults was a sudden fall in house prices, which made prepayment of loans a less attractive option, finds research from the St Louis Federal Reserve.
Fed $2.7bn down on Bear, GSE sell-off continues
The value of the assets held on the Federal Reserve's books as collateral for its $29 billion loan to failed investment bank Bear Stearns fell by 9.2% over the third quarter, it emerged Thursday. Data also showed foreign central banks flight from Fannie…
We were powerless to save Lehman, says Paulson
The US Treasury and the Federal Reserve had to let Lehman Brothers fail because the now-defunct investment bank did not have enough good collateral on its books to guarantee a Fed loan, Hank Paulson, the US treasury secretary, has said.
Greenspan backs bailout, more regulation
Alan Greenspan, a former chairman of the Federal Reserve seen as a fierce advocate of free markets, on Thursday said he supported both the US Treasury's $700 billion bailout plan and greater regulation of the financial system.
Minneapolis Fed sheds light on crisis myths
Four widely-held beliefs about the financial crisis of 2008 are false, research from the Minneapolis Federal Reserve finds.
Obama turning to ex-Fed's Volcker on economy
Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate for the United States presidency, is increasingly relying on Paul Volcker, a former chairman at the Federal Reserve, for advice on the economy, reports suggest.
Fed buys commercial paper from money-market funds
The Federal Reserve announced on Tuesday that it will start buying commercial paper from money-market mutual funds.
Chicago Fed looks at private equity trends
The latest Chicago Fed Letter contains a summary of a recent conference organised by the central bank on the current trends in the private equity industry.
Ex-Fed's Poole: Treasury coercion may hinder plan
The US Treasury's decision to force some banks to participate in its plan to recapitalise America's banks could prove its undoing, warned Bill Poole, a former president of the St Louis Federal Reserve.
Fed's Beige Book a glum read
The latest edition of the Federal Reserve's Beige Book, a guide to business conditions in the 12 districts overseen by the regional Feds, indicates that economic activity weakened in September across the US.
Bernanke, Kohn grim on outlook
Ben Bernanke and Don Kohn, the two top officials at the Federal Reserve, have forecast a gloomy outlook for the American economy.
Trichet: joint action sets precedent
Monday's decision to provide broad access to liquidity and unlimited dollar funding marked a "world premiere" in exceptionally-confident cooperation between central banks, Jean-Claude Trichet, the president of the European Central Bank (ECB), has noted.