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Daily Archives: July 26, 2011

New GAO Reports: Burma, Combating Nuclear Smuggling, Cybersecurity, Federal Workers' Compensation, Value-Added Taxes

  • Burma – UN and U.S. Agencies Assisted Cyclone Victims in Difficult Environment, but Improved U.S. Monitoring Needed, GAO-11-700, July 26, 2011
  • Combating Nuclear Smuggling – DHS has Developed a Strategic Plan for its Global Nuclear Detection Architecture, but Gaps Remain,
    GAO-11-869T, July 26, 2011

  • Cybersecurity – Continued Attention Needed to Protect Our Nation’s Critical Infrastructure, GAO-11-865T, July 26, 2011
  • Defense Management – Actions Needed to Improve Management of Air Force’s Food Transformation Initiative, GAO-11-676, July 26, 2011
  • Federal Workers’ Compensation – Questions to Consider in Changing Benefits for Older Beneficiaries, GAO-11-854T, July 26, 2011
  • Mutual Fund Advertising – Improving How Regulators Communicate New Rule Interpretations to Industry Would Further Protect Investors,
    GAO-11-697, July 26, 2011

  • Value-Added Taxes – Potential Lessons for the United States from Other Countries’ Experiences – GAO-11-867T, July 26, 2011

The Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on Microfinance and Policy Implications

The Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on Microfinance and Policy Implications. IMF Working Paper. Gabriel Di Bella, July 2011 “The global financial crisis affected microfinance institutions (MFIs) as lending growth was constrained by scarcer borrowing opportunities, while the economic slowdown negatively impacted asset quality and profitability. It also brought to the fore the relatively… Continue Reading

FTC Testifies on Consumer Protection and the Rent-to-Own Industry

News release: “The Federal Trade Commission testified today on consumer protection issues relating to the rent-to-own industry. The testimony described the agency’s role in enforcing laws relating to financial issues, provided background on the rent-to-own industry, and described key findings of a 2000 report published by the FTC’s Bureau of Economics on the rent-to-own industry.… Continue Reading

BIS: Preliminary international banking statistics at end-March 2011

Statistical commentary on preliminary locational and consolidated banking statistics at end-March 2011. Detailed tables at end-March 2011, preliminary data and CSV data files on locational and consolidated banking statistics. “Between end-December 2010 and end-March 2011, the cross-border claims of BIS reporting banks rebounded by 1.5% ($466 billion) after a drop of similar magnitude in the… Continue Reading

BLS: Employee Benefits in the United States March 2011

News release: “Paid leave benefits continued to be the most widely available benefit offered by employers, with paid vacations available to 91 percent of full-time workers in private industry in March 2011, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Access to these benefits, however, varied by employee and establishment characteristics. In private industry, paid vacation… Continue Reading

Democratic Accountability, Deficit Bias, and Independent Fiscal Agencies

Democratic Accountability, Deficit Bias, and Independent Fiscal Agencies, Xavier Debrun, July 2011. IMF Working Paper. “Despite growing interest among policymakers, there is no theory of independent fiscal institutions. The emerging literature on “fiscal councils” typically makes informal parallels with the theory of central bank independence, but a very simple formal example shows that such a… Continue Reading

NARA Guidance on Managing Mixed-Media Files

NARA Bulletin 2011-04, July 18, 2011. TO: Heads of Federal Agencies; SUBJECT: Guidance on Managing Mixed-Media Files; EXPIRATION DATE: July 31, 2014 “What is the purpose of this Bulletin? Agencies frequently manage files with records created or received in more than one type of medium. This Bulletin provides agencies with guidance about the records management… Continue Reading

The Post-Foreclosure Experience of U.S. Households

The Post-Foreclosure Experience of U.S. Households, Raven Molloy and Hui Shan, Federal Reserve Board of Governors [last update July 14, 2011] “Despite the recent flood of foreclosures on residential mortgages, little is known about what happens to borrowers and their households after their mortgage has been foreclosed. We study the post-foreclosure experience of U.S. households… Continue Reading