“When you apply for a mortgage, it can sometimes be hard to understand how much of a monthly payment you can afford. That’s why the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau introduced the Ability-to-Repay rule, which requires lenders to ensure that you can pay back the loan (plus interest) over the long term.” Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: February 2013
PBS – Google Earth Keeps Watch on World's Nuclear Sites
PBS Newshour: “North Korea tested its third nuclear device Tuesday at its Punggye-Ri site, the same location of its first two tests in 2006 and 2009. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded an artificial, or manmade, 5.1 magnitude earthquake. The Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) predicted this nuclear test on Feb. 3, 2013, after… Continue Reading
New UN ESCAP-World Bank Database Shows Developing Countries Face Higher Trade Costs
News release: “Although the international economy has integrated considerably in recent decades, a new database developed jointly by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the World Bank reveals that trade costs fall disproportionately on developing countries. Although developing countries are becoming more integrated into the world trading… Continue Reading
All 12 Federal Reserve Bank Presidents Support Money Market Mutual Fund Reform in Joint Letter to Financial Stability Oversight Council
“The presidents of the twelve Federal Reserve Banks have submitted a joint letter responding to the Financial Stability Oversight Council’s proposal on money market mutual fund (MMF) reform. The twelve Reserve Bank presidents support the Council’s efforts to address the structural vulnerabilities of MMFs. They also agree with the Council’s determination that MMFs’ activities and… Continue Reading
Census -Employment History: 2004 and 2008
“These detailed tables and charts from the Survey of Income and Program Participation examine the relationship between years of work experience, job tenure (years at a particular job), work status (full or part-time), presence of gaps in employment of six months or more, age, sex, educational attainment and earnings. The findings show, for example, that… Continue Reading
EPIC Obtains New Documents About FBI Cellphone Tracking Technology
EPIC – “In the fifth interim release of documents in EPIC v. FBI, a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, the agency has turned over nearly 300 pages about the surveillance technique directed toward users of mobile phones. The documents obtained by EPIC reveal that agents have been using “cell site simulator” technologies, also known as… Continue Reading
Census – 2011 Annual Capital Expenditures
“These statistics, based on the 2007 North American Industry Classification System, estimate business spending in 2011 for new and used structures and equipment at the sector level, as well as three-digit and selected four-digit industries. The estimates provide the private sector, especially the business community, with a relevant, timely and accurate measure of current business… Continue Reading
GAO Report – Defense Business Transformation
Defense Business Transformation – Improvements Made but Additional Steps Needed to Strengthen Strategic Planning and Assess Progress, GAO-13-267, Feb 12, 2013 “DOD spends billions of dollars each year to maintain key business operations intended to support the warfighter. In 2005, GAO identified DOD’s approach to business transformation as high-risk because DOD had not established management… Continue Reading
A new training video on Advanced Searching of GPO's Federal Digital System (FDsys) is now available
“The video focuses on utilizing the FDsys Advanced Search function, using metadata to return precise results, and ways to further improve search results. The video is available on the beta Web site for FDLP.gov and on gpo.gov. Please note options for closed captioning, enlarging the video, and volume control from the menu in the bottom… Continue Reading
Metro Area Near New York City Has Highest Concentration of High-Income Households, Census Bureau Reports
“The Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Conn., metropolitan area, near New York City, had the highest percentage of households with high income in the nation at 17.9 percent, according to a report released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. At the other end of the spectrum are two metro areas named Danville — in Virginia and Illinois — each… Continue Reading
Pricing and Mitigation of Counterparty Credit Exposures
Pricing and Mitigation of Counterparty Credit Exposures, Agostino Capponi. Purdue University – School of Industrial Engineering. January 31, 2013. Handbook of Systemic Risk, edited by J.-P. Fouque and J.Langsam. Cambridge University Press, 2012 “We analyze the market price of counterparty risk and develop an arbitrage-free pricing valuation framework, inclusive of collateral mitigation. We show that… Continue Reading
Slower State Tax Revenue Growth Is the New Normal
News release: “States tax collections have been growing for nearly three years now, but the recovery in state tax revenues is much slower after the Great Recession than after previous recessions, according to the latest State Revenue Report from the Rockefeller Institute of Government. State tax revenues were up 2.7 percent for the third quarter… Continue Reading
