This week, the Federal Reserve indicated that interest rates will be raised next year. In a statement issued from the policy meeting, the Federal Reserve said monetary policy will be "normalized." Since 2008, rates have hovered near zero, with the Federal Reserve offering consistent assurances that...
Recent data suggests that significant roadblocks could arise in the near future that would challenge those wishing to become homeowners. The data collected was made public under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA). From this information, we can gather that African American homebuyers represent 4.8%...
Obviously, no bank could stay in business for very long if it lost money on every loan it made. Yet, new accounting rules set by the International Standards Accounting Board would force banks to post losses every time they grant someone a loan on the...
Manufacturing is an important facet of the U.S. economy, despite the increase in imported goods steady elimination of factory jobs here in the states. With private sector manufacturing jobs representing only 10% of the workforce now versus 25% during the 1980s, it would seem the...
As banking continues to go through changes and services become more electronic-based, bank branches are slowly falling off the map. Just under 2,600 bank branches have closed in 2014, while a mere 1,137 have opened. SNL Financial reported that 2013 saw a net loss of...
Here Comes the Surcharge: Big Banks Dealt another Regulatory Blow by the Feds In another effort to reduce the risk of "too big to fail" banks and financial institutions, the Federal Reserve plans to hit the largest of U.S. banks with an expensive new regulation. Accordingly,...
In a recent move by Washington to stunt economic growth, Washington agreed to a two-step strategy. The first step involves Fannie Mae bringing back low and no money down mortgages. The second step would be to discourage business loans. A few weeks ago, Mel Watts, the...
