Bank Regulators Testify on Wall Street Reform Act
On Thursday, Deputy Treasury Secretary Neal Wolin, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chair Sheila Bair testified before the Senate Banking Committee on implementation of the Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform Act. The most salient piece of testimony came from Fed Chairman Bernanke who said the central bank is set to finally publish this summer tighter rules for big financial firms that pose a risk to the economy. The new rules will likely include more stringent requirements for large banks and financial companies, including stricter standards on capital and leverage ratios.
Treasury Auctions Will Exceed Debt Limit Monday
This week, the Treasury Department auctioned $72 billion in three and ten-year notes. When the notes are formally settled Monday, this will cause the U.S. Government to officially exceed its federal borrowing ceiling. As of Tuesday, total debt subject to the limit was $14.274 trillion. The Obama administration has asked Congress to raise the limit, warning that failure to act could lead the government to default by August 2nd. The federal budget deficit widened in April, with the government spending $ 40.49 billion more than it collected.
Bipartisan Housing Reform Bill Introduced
On Thursday, two members of the House Financial Services Committee — Rep. John Campbell (R., Calif.) and Rep. Gary Peters (D., Mich) — introduced legislation to replace troubled government-seized housing giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and set up as many as fifteen or twenty private firms that would buy loans, then package and sell them with explicit government guarantees. The bill does not specify whether the new mortgage companies should hold a portfolio of mortgages the way Fannie and Freddie currently have on their books. It also seeks to limit taxpayer liability by creating a private sector financed reserve fund to cover any losses. The fund would be capitalized by assessing a special guarantee fee to buyers of the packaged mortgage securities. It also would seek to recoup any taxpayer funds spent to bail out the firms through a special assessment levied on the firms.
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April Unemployment Rises to 9%
On Friday, the Department of Labor announced that the United States economy added 244,000 jobs in April, but the unemployment rate rose to 9 percent from 8.8 percent in March. The jobs numbers beat forecasts estimates of an expected gain of 185,000 jobs.
Bank Regulators to Testify on Dodd-Frank in Senate
The Senate Banking Committee announced that next Thursday, May 12, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp Chairman Sheila Bair, Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Gary Gensler, Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Mary Schapiro, Acting Comptroller of the Currency John Walsh and Deputy Treasury Secretary Neal Wolin will testify on the implementation of the Dodd-Frank financial oversight law. The hearing is slated to focus on monitoring systemic risk and promoting financial stability and will likely include questions over a recent settlement bank regulators entered into last month with large banks over mortgage servicing abuses.
Roemer Is Newest Rumor to be Next Commerce Secretary
As current Commerce Secretary Gary Locke prepares to depart for his new assignment as Ambassador to China, former Representative and current Ambassador to India Timothy Roemer’s name has surfaced as Locke’s possible successor. Roemer was an early backer of President Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. Obama is also rumored to be considering current U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt for the position.
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Q1 GDP Slows to 1.8%
On Thursday, the Bureau of Economic Analysis announced that the U.S. GDP growth rate in the first quarter of 2011 slowed to an annual rate of 1.8 percent, compared to a rate of 3.1 percent in fourth quarter 2010 and 3.7 percent in first quarter 2010. The Bureau cited a combination of lower-than-expected economic data, global energy uncertainty, and concerns about the budget deficit as causes of the growth rate decelerating.
Bernanke Announces Rates to Stay at Near Zero, Ends Bond Buying Program
On Wednesday, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke held his first quarterly press conference in which he said that the economy and job market are improving moderately, but the housing market and other factors such as gas prices continue to be a drag on growth. He announced that the Fed plans to end the $600 billion treasury bond-buying program in June and will leave interest rates at their current levels. The event followed a two-day meeting of the Fed’s policymaking committee at which the central bank indicated continuity in its strategy. The Fed’s bond buying program known as the second round of quantitative easing, or “QE2,” will expire as scheduled at the end of June. The Fed also maintained its near-zero target for short-term interest rates, where it has been since December 2008, and indicated that it expects to keep rates “exceptionally low” for “an extended period.”
Debt Ceiling Vote
The vote to increase the U.S. government’s borrowing ceiling beyond the current limit of $14 trillion has become the hot topic in Congress. While the Treasury Department’s original estimate was that the ceiling would need to be raised by mid-May, the Department is now saying it could hold out till July but would need to take extraordinary measures. While the measure is expected to easily pass the Senate, the question remains whether the House can pass such a bill. House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said this week that he will not guarantee a vote on bill to raise the debt limit, much less passage of such a bill, without cuts in discretionary spending and alterations of entitlements such as Medicare and Medicaid. Congress returns next week from its two week recess, and House Republicans plan to hold a series of meetings to gather feedback from their Members about the debt ceiling.
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Government Shutdown Looms
With the current temporary funding resolution set to expire April 8, House and Senate Appropriations committees worked toward crafting a six-month compromise bill, setting annual spending at $1.055 trillion, $28 billion more than the House-passed level but still a $33 billion cut from the original spending measure. However, House Republicans remain splintered over whether a shutdown would be good politically, or whether they should compromise with Democrats in order to move on to larger future battles such as next year’s budget and the debt ceiling increase. Meanwhile, Democrats also remain divided over whether to allow a shutdown to happen or acquiesce to Republican cuts. Whether a compromise can be reached to avoid a shutdown will be known next week.
Unemployment Rate Drops to 8.8%
On Friday, the Department of Labor announced that the unemployment rate dipped to 8.8% in March from 8.9% in February. Nonfarm payrolls gained 216,000, with private-sector employment rising by 230,000. Payroll employment stood at 130.7 million in March. There were gains of 199,000 jobs in services and 17,000 jobs in manufacturing in March. Government employment fell by 14,000 and 9,000 jobs were lost in education. Nearly half of the unemployed have been out of work for 27 weeks or more. Private-sector wages fell 2 cents an hour to $19.30.
Ally Financial Files for IPO
On Thursday, Ally Financial, the former finance arm of General Motors, filed for an initial public offering that would allow the federal government to begin selling off its 73.8 percent stake. Ally said in its registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that it was seeking to raise $100 million. Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley are the lead underwriters. The company did not give an estimated date or share price for the offering. The Treasury Department, which invested more than $17 billion in Ally, did not say how much of its stake it intended to sell. In addition to common shares, the Treasury Department owns $5.9 billion in convertible preferred stock. Earlier this month, the Treasury Department began unwinding its holdings in Ally, selling $2.7 billion in trust preferred securities.
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Bernanke to Hold Regular Press Briefings
On Thursday, the Federal Reserve announced that Chairman Ben Bernanke will begin holding press briefings four times per year to present the Federal Open Market Committee’s current economic projections. In 2011, the Chairman’s briefings will be held on April 27, June 22 and November 2.
Fed Rejects Bank of America Dividend Increase
On Wednesday, Bank of America announced that the Federal Reserve had vetoed its plans for a dividend increase in the second half of 2011. Bank of America did not disclose the central bank’s reason for rejecting the dividend proposal, and the Fed declined to comment on how individual institutions fared in its latest round of examinations. The Bank said it had originally submitted its dividend proposal to the Fed in January, and it now intends to submit a revamped dividend proposal at a later date.
Treasury Department Opposes Tax Repatriation Holiday
On Wednesday, Michael Mundaca, the Assistant Treasury Secretary for Tax Policy, announced that he opposed proposals to give corporations a tax holiday on their overseas profits. Mundaca pointed to an earlier assessment from the Joint Committee on Taxation that estimated the tax holiday would cost billions, rather than raise revenue as proponents have argued. He added that a second holiday might even weigh even more heavily on revenue, by encouraging multinationals to shift even more profits overseas. The federal government currently taxes businesses up to 35 percent on overseas earnings. Win America, a coalition of multinational corporations including Apple, Google, Microsoft and Pfizer, argues that a temporary tax holiday would allow businesses to invest an estimated $1 trillion in America, creating jobs in the process.
Treasury Announces Mortgage-Backed Securities Sale
On Monday, the Treasury Department announced that it will begin to sell its portfolio of $142 billion in agency-guaranteed mortgage-backed securities (MBSs) amassed during the financial crisis. Starting this month, the department plans to sell up to $10 billion in MBSs per month subject to market conditions. The sales are expected to generate a profit for taxpayers of $15 billion to $20 billion. The Fed currently holds just under $945 billion of MBSs on its balance sheet.
More Information
If you have any questions regarding any of these issues, please contact:
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Administration Unveils Housing Reform Plan
On Friday, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner announced the Obama Administration’s recommendations to phase out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and to set minimum down-payments for buyers. The proposal includes a mandatory 10 percent down payment for home buyers and three options for Fannie and Freddie to be wound down but stopped short of recommending outright privatization or closure. However, critics were quick to point out that there are no specific timelines for action in the proposal, and regardless of Geithner’s recommendations, ultimately it will be up to Congress to enact legislation on the issue.
Kevin Warsh to Leave Fed
On Thursday, Federal Reserve Board Governor Kevin Warsh announced that he is stepping down from his position at the end of March. President Obama will now have the opportunity to replace Warsh, a Bush appointee, with his own nominee. President Obama currently has another nominee, Peter Diamond, pending before the Senate for confirmation. Once President Obama has filled these two vacant slots, he will have named six of the seven currently sitting Fed Governors.
Senate Banking Committee Sets First Dodd-Frank Hearing
On Friday, the Senate Banking Committee announced it will hold its first hearing of the 112th Congress on the Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform Act on February 17. The hearing will focus on the Administration’s progress report six-months after the bill’s passage. Witnesses will include Fed Chair Ben Bernanke, FDIC Chair Sheila Bair, SEC Chair Mary Schapiro, CFTC Chair Gary Gensler and Acting Comptroller John Walsh.
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Fourth Quarter GDP Released
On Friday, the Department of Commerce announced that the U.S. economy grew at a 3.2% rate in the fourth quarter, an improvement from the 2.6% pace in the prior period. For all of 2010, GDP grew by 2.9% after contracting by 2.6% in 2009. The report showed that fourth quarter numbers were boosted by strong personal spending, reflected in the best holiday retail sales since 2006. The report also showed U.S. exports accelerated while the rate of import growth slowed. Company investments also helped the economy, although business spending for equipment and software slowed.
IMF Report Criticizes US Debt
On Thursday, the International Monetary Fund issued a report criticizing the U.S. response to its rising public debt. The IMF report focused on criticism that the United States is falling behind on a promise it made to other top economic countries to halve its budget deficit by 2013. At a gathering of the world’s top economic leaders in Canada last summer, U.S. officials promised to reduce the deficit to roughly 6 percent of gross domestic product. However, according to data released this week by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), recent tax cuts and expected spending will keep the annual deficit this year at about 10 percent of GDP.
Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission Releases Final Report
On Tuesday, the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission (FCIC) releases its final majority and dissent reports. The majority report concluded that the 2008 financial crisis was caused by the Fed’s ” pivotal failure to stem the flow of toxic mortgages,” the SEC ” [not] requiring more capital and halted risky practices,” and banks ” recklessly taking on too much risk, with too little capital, and with too much dependence on short-term funding.” The dissent report signed by FCIC Vice Chair Bill Thomas and Commissioners Douglas Holtz-Eakin and Keith Hennessey criticized the majority’s report for being ” more an account of bad events than a focused explanation of what happened and why.” The dissent also focused it blame for the crisis on policymakers who “poorly designed government housing policies that distorted market outcomes and contributed to the creation of unsound mortgages.”
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December Unemployment 9.4%
On Friday, the Labor Department announced that the United States economy ended the year with 9.4% unemployment in December. The agency also revised estimates from October and November saying that 210,000 jobs were created in October instead of 172,000 and 71,000 in November, instead of 39,000.
Obama Appoints Daley, Sperling To Key Posts
On Thursday, President Obama announced that William Daley will serve as his new chief of staff. Daley is the former U.S. Secretary of Commerce in the Clinton Administration and brother of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley. Daley replaces interim chief of staff Pete Rouse, who will become a Counselor to the President. Rouse replaced Rahm Emanuel, who stepped down to make a run for mayor of Chicago. On Friday, President Barack Obama also announced that Gene Sperling will be the new Director of the National Economic Council replacing Larry Summers. Sperling had previously served as Counselor to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Deputy Director of the National Economic Council and National Economic Adviser for President Clinton.
Tax Reform Debate Gains Steam
On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced that the Senate Finance Committee would hold hearings on tax reform in the near future. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) followed Reid’s comment by saying that he also welcomed discussions about how to improve the country’s tax code. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) also said that tax reform was one issue that he believes could garner bipartisan support and hopes the President addresses it in the State of the Union at the end of the month. While tax reform was initially thought to be a second or third tier issue, it could now become the next big issue for Congress to tackle this year after the debate on raising the national debt ceiling.
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Cuomo Announces Settlement with Rattner
On Thursday, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced that Quadrangle Group principal Steven Rattner has agreed to pay $10 million and refrain from doing business with any New York pension funds for five years, however the settlement does not require Rattner to admit any wrongdoing. The settlement was in response to Cuomo’s investigation of Rattner’s alleged role in a scandal involving the state’s public employees’ pension fund. Rattner already agreed to pay $6.2 million to settle a separate Securities and Exchange Commission case related to its pay-to-play investigation. The SEC settlement also prevents Mr. Rattner from associating with any investment adviser or broker dealer for two years.
Treasury Announces Six More Banks Repaid TARP Loans
On Wednesday, the Treasury Department announced that six more banks had repaid the government loans received through the Troubled Assets Relief Program, or TARP. The Treasury also said that out of $389 billion disbursed through TARP, the government had received repayments of $235 billion plus dividends and other payments totaling $35 billion, for a grand total of $270 billion. Banks repaying the government on Wednesday included East West Bancorp of Pasadena, CA; Webster Financial of Waterbury, CT; 1st Source Corporation of South Bend, ID; Surrey Bancorp of Mount Airy, NC; Nationwide Bankshares of West Point, NE; Haviland Bancshares of Haviland, KS.
Christmas Week Jobless Claims Drop
On Thursday, the Labor Department announced that jobless claims for the week of Christmas dropped to a level that has not been seen since July 2008. The number of people filing for unemployment fell by 34,000 to a seasonally adjusted 388,000 the week ending December 25. The four-week moving average decreased by 12,500 to 414,000 from 426,500. New filings have been hovering below 450,000 a week since the beginning of November. The Labor Department reports next Friday on the number of jobs added and the unemployment rate in December which is based on a survey taken in mid-December.
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Irish Bailout Finalized Sunday
On Sunday, Ireland finalized plans for a bailout from the European Union (EU) and International Monetary Fund (IMF), after approval from EU finance ministers. European leaders hoped that such a measure would be a firewall against further bailouts in other Eurozone countries, but concern has grown over the past week that Portugal and Spain could also need such loans. The rescue package for Ireland is estimated to be worth tens of billions of dollars. Individual European nations have also announced their own loans to Ireland. Britain is putting together a $11.5 billion package and Sweden’s prime minister announced a $1.5 billion loan on Thursday. Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen last week announced a four-year “austerity plan” designed to cut spending and increase taxes. The plan would save $13.4 billion through welfare cuts and raise $6.7 billion through higher taxes. The plan’s spending cuts include reductions in the minimum wage and public-sector pay and fee increases in the VAT, utilities, education tuition, and income taxes.
Car Czar Announces Reduction in Government Oversight of GM
On Friday, the Obama administration’s “Car Czar” Ron Bloom said the government will reduce its oversight of General Motors (GM) as the government sells more of its GM stock. Since GM emerged from bankruptcy sixteen months ago, it has provided the Treasury with “regular, detailed” briefings on its financial condition. Bloom and other Administration officials took an active role during the run-up to GM’s initial public stock offering Thursday, helping to determine how much stock to sell and what price the underwriters should pay. Bloom and others will also attend GM’s first annual meeting as a public company and will vote the government’s shares on key issues. Bloom denied that the government exerted any pressure and pushed for an early IPO. However, Bloom noted that the size of the deal, the pricing and the fees to be paid to underwriters were in the government’s purview. The government ultimately sold more shares than it previously had planned — 358 million of its 912 million shares — at $33 a share. The government will need to sell its remaining shares at an average price of $52.80 to break even.
Geithner Opposes Reduction in Fed Mandate and Extension of Bush Tax Cuts
November’s election results have empowered Congressional Republicans to assert new found authority, leading Republicans to increase their criticisms of the Federal Reserve’s plan, known as “quantitative easing,” to buy $600 billion in assets, saying it would fuel inflation and asset bubbles. Republicans have cited the Fed’s dual mandate to pursue full employment as well as to promote price stability as the cause of the problem. On Tuesday, in reaction to Republican attacks, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said the Obama administration would oppose any effort to strip the Federal Reserve of its mandate to pursue full employment, saying such attacks by Republicans would politicize the central bank. While Geithner also declined to say what compromise the Obama administration would be willing to make on extending the Bush income tax cuts, he did say he opposed making permanent the tax reductions for those making more than $250,000.