First Public Hearing of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission Day 2, January 14, 2010. Panel 1: Current Investigations into the Financial Crisis Federal Officials. Panel 2: Current Investigations into the Financial Crisis State and Local Officials. Related postings on financial system New York Times: “The need for tighter federal regulation was the dominant… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: January 2010
CBO's Budgetary Treatment of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
CBO’s Budgetary Treatment of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, January 2010 – Background Paper “After the U.S. government assumed control in 2008 of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mactwo federally chartered institutions that provide credit guarantees for almost half of the outstanding residential mortgages in the United Statesthe Congressional Budget Office (CBO) concluded that the institutions… Continue Reading
Report: Riding Public Transit Saves Individuals $9,242 Annually
News release: “Individuals who ride public transportation can save on average $9,242 annually based on the January 11, 2010 national average gas price and the national unreserved monthly parking rate. Compared to last year at this time, the average cost per gallon of gas was $1.79 which is nearly $1 less than the current price… Continue Reading
Federal Reserve approves final rules to protect credit card users from a number of costly practices
News release: “The Federal Reserve Board on Tuesday approved a final rule amending Regulation Z (Truth in Lending) to protect consumers who use credit cards from a number of costly practices. Credit card issuers must comply with most aspects of the rule beginning on February 22. “This rule marks an important milestone in the Federal… Continue Reading
Justice Department Reaches Three Settlements Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Regarding the Use of Electronic Book Readers
News release: ” The Justice Department today announced separate agreements under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Pace University in New York City and Reed College in Portland, Ore., regarding the use in a classroom setting of the electronic book reader, the Kindle DX, a hand-held technological device… Continue Reading
Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission Report – Selected Financial Market & Economic Data
“In the wake of the most significant financial crisis since the Great Depression, the President signed into law on May 20, 2009, the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009, creating the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission. The Commission was established to “examine the causes, domestic and global, of the current financial and economic crisis in… Continue Reading
CFR in XML Now Available on FDsys
“GPO is pleased to announce that the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) has been converted into XML (extensible markup language) and is now available via GPO’s Federal Digital System (FDsys). Currently, the CFR is available from 2007 to present, and volumes dating back to 2000 will be added over the next few months. The CFR… Continue Reading
Economic Impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Second Quarterly Report
Executive Office of the President, Council of Economic Advisors: Economic Impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Second Quarterly Report, January 13, 2010 “Evaluating the impact of countercyclical macroeconomic policy is inherently difficult because we do not observe what would have happened to the economy in the absence of policy. And the… Continue Reading
FTC Assesses Impact of 6 Years of Pay-for-Delay Drug Settlements
News release: “Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz and key members of Congress, including Representative Chris Van Hollen, Chairman Bobby Rush, and Representative Mary Jo Kilroy, today renewed their call for legislation that would put an end to anticompetitive patent settlements, which drug manufacturers have been using to keep less-expensive medicines off the market and… Continue Reading
Administration Completes Implementation of Initiative To Support State and Local Housing Finance Agencies
News release: “The U.S. Department of the Treasury, together with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today announced the completion of all transactions under the recently-introduced state and local Housing Finance Agency (HFA) Initiative, a key element of the Obama Administration’s Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan.… Continue Reading
Pew: Four in ten seniors go online
Four in ten seniors go online, by Susannah Fox, Jan 13, 2010: “As of December 2009, 38% of U.S. adults age 65 and older go online, a significantly lower rate of internet adoption than the general population (74%) and even the next-oldest group (70% of adults age 50-64 years old go online). In addition, just… Continue Reading
Federal Reserve Beige Book, January 13, 2009
Full Report – Beige Book, February 13, 2010 – Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions by Federal Reserve District, and link to reports by Districts. “Reports from the twelve Federal Reserve Districts indicated that while economic activity remains at a low level, conditions have improved modestly further, and those improvements are broader geographically than… Continue Reading
