Tag Archives: Ben S. Bernanke

"GSE reform," according to White House propaganda, will end "an era of housing bubble and taxpayer bailouts." Obama's about the bubbles and bailouts, but wrong to blame Fannie and Freddie.

Despite concerns about rising mortgage rates and low inflation, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) voted Wednesday to continue its policy of near-zero interest rates and its $85-billion-per-month bond-buying program. In a subtle change of language, the committee "reaffirmed its view that a highly accommodative stance of monetary policy will remain appropriate for a considerable time after the asset purchase program ends."

Citing improvements in manufacturing, tourism, commercial and residential real estate and in the financial sector, the Federal Reserve said the nation's economy continued to increase at a modest to moderate pace from late May through early July.

The number of job openings edged up in May, increasing for the for the first time since February as hirings continued to improve, on a pace to exceed 2012, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday in its monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey.

The Federal Reserve Board announced its approval of a final rule to implement the Basel III regulatory capital reforms and other changes required by the Dodd-Frank Act.

Mortgage rates shot up in the last week following remarks from the Federal Reserve that it may be tapering its bond purchases later this year. According to Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey, the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) rose to 4.46 percent (0.8 point) for the week ending June 27, an increase from only 3.93 percent last week and the highest figure since the week of July 28. The weekly increase is the largest since April 1987.

In a testimony last week, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke held his ground on the Fed's open-ended purchases program.

After some consideration, the board of American International Group (AIG) announced Wednesday the company will not be joining in a lawsuit brought by one of its former executives against the U.S. government. The New York Times first reported Monday that AIG's board was mulling over its options regarding a $25 billion lawsuit filed by Starr International Company on behalf of AIG shareholders and spearheaded by former AIG CEO Maurice "Hank" Greenberg (now the CEO of Starr).

Despite recent improvements in the unemployment rate and housing, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) voted Wednesday to continue its program of purchasing $40 million a month of mortgage backed securities and to maintain the target Fed Funds rate at 0 to 0.25 percent. The FOMC vote was 11-1 with only Richmond Fed President Jeffery M. Lacker dissenting.

In a speech at the Operation HOPE Global Financial Dignity Summit in Atlanta, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke spoke of the amplified effect the housing crisis has had on minorities and low-income families across the country. He pointed out that while homeownership has declined for the nation overall, the decline has been steepest among households with incomes of $20,000 or less. The homeownership decline among African Americans is also steeper than the national average, Bernanke said, referencing data from the Census Bureau.