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Tag Archives: Federal Reserve

Bernanke Stresses Asset Purchases Not on Set Schedule

The Federal Reserve will continue its current policy of buying up $40 billion in agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and $45 billion in Treasuries per month as long as economic conditions warrant such measures, explained Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke during a testimony given Wednesday before the House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services. ""I emphasize that, because our asset purchases depend on economic and financial developments, they are by no means on a preset course,"" Bernanke said.

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Cashed Foreclosure Settlement Checks at 2.9M

Close to 2.9 million borrowers who received a payout under the foreclosure review settlement have cashed or deposited their check, the Office of the Comptroller (OCC) announced Friday. The cashed payments represent a value of $2.5 billion. So far, Rust Consulting, the paying agent, has sent out 3.9 million checks worth more than $3.4 billion to eligible borrowers.

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Report Suggests Relaxing HARP Rules to Help More Borrowers

If two tweaks were made to the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP), refinancing activity could increase substantially, according to a report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. One change would be to remove the cutoff date that limits eligibility to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans that were obtained by June 1, 2009. The second change would be to allow borrowers to refinance under the program more than once.

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Commentary: Fed Celebrates; Wall Street Parties

Ben Bernanke was up at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) to celebrate the Federal Reserve's 100th birthday. Despite being chairman of the Fed, instead of receiving a birthday gift, he gave a birthday gift--and Wall Street partied. Bernanke was generous in comments to the beleaguered housing sector when he listed his reasons for optimism about the economy. But Bernanke saved his biggest boost for stock investors when he made clear the Federal Reserve has no intention of abruptly raising interest rates or cutting back on its $85 billion a month bond purchase program.

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Underwater Homeowners More Likely to Relocate for Jobs

A report released Thursday by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland answers the question, ""Are underwater homeowners less likely to move for employment?"" The researchers find that mobility did decline during the housing crisis, particularly in states with high levels of underwater homeowners. However, high underwater rates occurring alongside declining mobility rates does not necessarily signify a cause and effect relationship. In fact, the opposite appears to be true. ""Our results show that individuals with low equity actually move more than those with high equity,"" the researchers said.

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Fixed Rates Surge on Strong Employment Report

According to Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.51 percent (0.8 point) for the week ending July 11, up from 4.29 percent last week and almost a full percentage point higher than the same week last year (3.56 percent). The 15-year FRM averaged 3.53 percent (0.8 point), up from 3.39 percent previously. Meanwhile, Bankrate.com's weekly national survey saw mortgage rates rising to their highest level in the last two years. The 30-year fixed averaged 4.66 percent this week.

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Rule Seeks Appraisal Requirement Exemptions for Higher-Priced Loans

Six financial regulatory agencies issued on Wednesday a proposed rule to exempt a subset of higher-priced mortgage loans from certain appraisal requirements. In a joint release, the agencies proposed to provide exemptions from Dodd-Frank appraisal requirements for loans of $25,000 or less, certain streamlined refinancings, and certain loans secured by manufactured housing.

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Regulators Propose Rule to Double Leverage Ratio for Biggest Banks

In separate statements Tuesday, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), FDIC, and the Federal Reserve Board (FRB) proposed a rule that would require insured depository institutions of certain banks to meet a 6 percent supplementary leverage ratio to be considered ""well capitalized."" The proposal would also require covered bank holding companies to maintain a tier 1 capital leverage buffer of at least 2 percent above the minimum supplementary leverage ratio requirement of 3 percent, for a total of 5 percent, the regulators stated.

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Job Openings Edge Up in May, Hiring Strong

The number of job openings edged up in May, increasing for the for the first time since February as hirings continued to improve, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported Tuesday in its monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). According to the JOLTS, report, the number of persons unemployed for each job opening in May remained at April's level of 3.07 but was down from 3.09 in February.

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