A A A

Banking

Vol. 22, No. 2,
Second Quarter 2009

Articles

Atlanta Fed Publishes 2008 Annual Report

Atlanta Fed Explores State of Region's Banks

Federal Reserve Actions Roundup for June

Fed Gov. Tarullo Discusses Banking Industry

Atlanta Fed Economist Examines Housing GSEs

Federal Reserve Actions Roundup for May

Atlanta Fed Conference Explores Financial Markets

Rule Changes to Credit Card Accounts Proposed

Fed Chair Discusses Tests of Banks' Health

Federal Reserve Actions Roundup for April

Atlanta Fed Chief Speaks About Future Oversight

Fed. Governor Addresses Banks' Lending Trends

Atlanta Fed Hosts Access to Banking Conference

Fed's ACH Settlement to Speed Check Payments

New Blog Focuses on Payments System Risk

Departments

Financial Update Focus

Editor's Note: This publication is posted on a rolling schedule and content will be added throughout the quarter.

Updated June 30, 2009

Atlanta Fed's Annual Report Examines the Region's Tough Year
6/30/2009 - The Atlanta Fed's 2008 annual report looks at aspects of the economic downturn that have weighed heavily on the Southeast, including: real estate and foreclosures, unemployment, strains on the banking system, and diminished consumer spending.

Atlanta Fed Magazine Examines State of Southeast's Banks
6/30/2009 - A new article in an Atlanta Fed magazine explores the reasons the region's banks fell into distress, why emerging from the turmoil is proving challenging, and what has to happen for a reemergence to financial health.

Updates on Liquidity Programs, Proposed Revisions to CRA Among Recent Federal Reserve Actions
6/30/2009 - The Fed recently introduced a monthly report about the Fed's credit and liquidity programs, proposed revisions to the Community Reinvestment Act, and extended and modified some liquidity programs.

Fed Gov. Tarullo: Small Banks Must Focus on Loan Quality
6/30/2009 - Federal Reserve Gov. Daniel Tarullo recently discussed changes in the banking industry, noting that community banks are unlikely to see the significant supervisory changes proposed for very large banks but adding that small banks must also respond to a changing industry.

Atlanta Fed Economist Examines Intervention Into Housing GSEs
6/17/2009 - An Atlanta Fed economist has examined the events culminating in the U.S. government's placing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into conservatorship. He also explores the effectiveness of the action and what it means for the mortgage market.

Podcast with Scott Frame (MP3 6:35)

Recent Federal Reserve Actions Include Expansion of Loan Program, Release of Banks' "Stress Test" Results
5/28/2009 - The Fed recently broadened a program intended to stimulate bank lending and released the results of recent tests of the financial conditions of the 19 largest U.S. bank holding companies.

Atlanta Fed Conference Takes Multifaceted Look at Crisis
5/26/2009 - The Atlanta Fed's 2009 Financial Markets Conference recently assembled policymakers, academics, and practitioners to consider how financial markets might evolve and the ways policy might contribute to that evolution.

Fed Proposes Clarifications to Rules About Credit Card Accounts
5/19/2009 - Banking and credit agencies have proposed clarifications to some recently enacted rules. The clarifications would prohibit certain credit card practices and improve the disclosures consumers receive about credit card accounts and other revolving credit card plans.

Fed Chair Bernanke on the Lessons of SCAP "Stress Tests"
5/13/2009 - At the Atlanta Fed's Financial Markets Conference, Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke detailed how the federal banking supervisory agencies assessed the health of the nation's 19 largest banking companies.

photo of Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart

Federal Reserve Actions Include Changes to Loan Program, Currency Swap Arrangements
4/30/2009 - The Fed recently published information regarding an assessment of banks' capital positions, changed an existing loan facility's interest rates, created currency swap arrangements with other central banks, and published Reserve Banks' financial statements.

Atlanta Fed President Calls for "Agile Oversight" of Financial Institutions
4/29/2009 - Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart recently cited some encouraging signs in the economic outlook and said that now is the time to think about what financial oversight will look like after the current crisis passes.

Fed Gov. Duke: Economy’s Effects on Banks Vary
4/27/2009 - Federal Reserve Gov. Elizabeth Duke recently said that financial turbulence is affecting banks in various ways, noting that while the nation's largest banks have reduced lending, smaller banks as a group have expanded their loan portfolios.

Atlanta Fed Hosts Conference on Access to Banking in the Americas
4/27/2009 - The Americas Center of the Atlanta Fed recently held a conference in Miami to spur dialogue and collaboration among institutions and nonprofit groups that want to bring more people into the mainstream banking system.

FedACH Unveils Same-Day Service for Debit Transactions
4/21/2009 - A recently announced program from the Fed's automated clearinghouse will speed the clearing of some check transactions, helping financial institutions identify potentially fraudulent transactions and take corrective action sooner.

photo of Jennifer Grier of Atlanta Fed's Retail Payments Risk Forum

Payments Risk Forum Launches Blog
4/21/2009 - The Atlanta Fed's Retail Payments Risk Forum's blog, Portals and Rails, focuses specifically on retail payments risk. The blog's readers are encouraged to discuss issues related to payments fraud, payments risk management, operational risks, and other concerns.