U.S. CMBS: January rise in delinquency rate is largest during downturn – “The delinquency rate on loans in U.S. CMBS conduit/fusion deals increased 52 basis points in January and now stands at 5.42%, as measured by the Moody’s Delinquency Tracker (DQT). This is the largest one-month increase in the history of the DQT. Loans backed… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: February 2010
Bloomberg News Surveys Economists: "U.S. Economy to Strengthen"
Bloomerberg News: “U.S. unemployment peaked in October and will retreat through 2011 as the economy strengthens, according to economists surveyed by Bloomberg News. The worlds largest economy will grow 3 percent this year and next, more than anticipated a month ago, according to the median estimate of 62 economists polled this month. The jobless rate,… Continue Reading
HHS OIG – Average Sales Prices: Manufacturer Reporting and CMS Oversight
Average Sales Prices: Manufacturer Reporting and CMS Oversight(OEI-03-08-00480), February 12, 2010 “When setting payment amounts for drugs covered under Medicare Part B, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) relies on average sales price (ASP) data reported by manufacturers. This report identifies several potential issues with the current ASP reporting process, including (1) the timeliness… Continue Reading
New Report: Largest Companies Fall Short in Managing, Disclosing Water Scarcity Risks
News release: “Despite growing water-scarcity risks in many parts of the world, the vast majority of leading companies in water-intensive industries have weak management and disclosure of water-related risks and opportunities, according to a first-ever report issued today by the Ceres investor coalition, the financial services firm UBS and financial data provider Bloomberg. The report… Continue Reading
CBO: Policies for Increasing Economic Growth and Employment in the Short Term
Statement of Douglas W. Elmendorf, Director – Policies for Increasing Economic Growth and Employment in the Short Term, prepared for the Joint Economic Committee, February 12, 2010 “The United States has just suffered through the most severe recession since the 1930s. The economys output is currently about 6 percent below CBOs estimate of potential gross… Continue Reading
NOAA Launches Landmark Climate.gov Portal
“NOAA unveil[ed]… a new Web site http://www.climate.gov that serves as a single point-of-entry for NOAAs extensive climate information, data, products and services. Known as the NOAA Climate Portal, the site addresses the needs of five broadly-defined user groups: decision makers and policy leaders, scientists and applications-oriented data users, educators, business users and the… Continue Reading
2010 Identity Fraud Survey Report: Identity Fraud Continues to Rise
2010 Identity Fraud Survey Report: Consumer Version “More than 11 million adult consumers became victims of identity fraud in 2009, up from nearly 10 million in 2008. The number of fraud victims rose for the second year in a row. On the other hand, victims out-of-pocket costs and the time required to resolve fraud have… Continue Reading
Commerce Department Proposes Establishment of NOAA Climate Service
New office would target nations fast-accelerating climate information needs “Individuals and decision-makers across widely diverse sectors from agriculture to energy to transportation increasingly are asking NOAA for information about climate change in order to make the best choices for their families, communities and businesses. To meet the rising tide of these requests, U.S.… Continue Reading
What Happened to Blue Collection Mailboxes Throughout America?
Mail collection boxes on street corners, and those located in shopping and business districts throughout our country have methodically, silently, vanished over the course of the past decade. The large blue, free standing mailboxes many of us grew up using regularly to assist in the delivery of written correspondence, and of course birthday cards, are… Continue Reading
Amazon Providing Free Gov Docs for Kindle
News release: “Amazon.com today announced that the Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2011, and Economic Report of the President, will both be available beginning tomorrow as free wireless downloads in Amazon’s Kindle Store…”Our customers have always been heavy readers of books about current events and economic issues,” said Russ Grandinetti, Vice President,… Continue Reading
FCC Releases New Census Tract-Level Data on High-Speed Internet Services
News release: “The Federal Communications Commission today released the first High-Speed Services for Internet Access report Report [see also the related Maps] to be based on the new census tract-based Form 477 data collection requirements. The FCC has collected information from facilities-based broadband service providers since 2000. In 2008, the FCC released orders implementing significant… Continue Reading
GAO Report: IRS implementation of Recovery Act tax provisions
Recovery Act: IRS Quickly Implemented Tax Provisions, but Reporting and Enforcement Improvements Are Needed, GAO-10-349, February 10, 2010 Continue Reading
