Summary - After pausing last month in its ongoing series of rate increases, the Federal Reserve Board today bumped up its benchmark interest rate, the fed funds rate, by .25% to a range of 5.25% to 5.50%—a 22-year high....more
Stubborn inflation, ongoing interest rate hikes and the banking crisis in the US and Europe have slowed activity across global loan markets at the start of the year, but there are signs that loan issuance may start rebounding...more
The Federal Reserve is expected to hike interest rates at its upcoming policy meeting. What do you envision will be the impact of that decision?...more
Despite mixed messages over the past few weeks, it sounds as if the Bank of England is considering taking UK base rate interest below 0% in order to give itself and the Chancellor more headroom for measures intended to...more
Facebook has agreed to pay $550 million to resolve a class-action lawsuit claiming that Zuck & Co.’s use of facial recognition technology violated Illinois’ biometric privacy law. Though the settlement is little more than “a...more
Hackers who targeted airport currency exchange mainstay Travelex in a ransomware attack on New Year’s Eve have alerted British media that they possess 5 GB of sensitive customer data from the company “since gaining access to...more
Oil jumped for a second straight day, with futures near $70/barrel as fallout from the U.S.’s drone-strike assassination of Iran’s Qassem Soleimani continues to raise “the prospect of disruptions in the world’s most important...more
Fed Chair Powell was far from the main attraction on the Hill yesterday, but hey, let’s keep it on topic here and note his belief that the U.S. economy is performing well even as certain risks—including “sluggish growth...more
Shared office-space company WeWork, which had committed to moving forward with its planned IPO this week despite recent turmoil, appears likely to postpone the offering until at least October in an effort to shore up its...more
The White House is reportedly nearing a nationwide ban on most flavored e-cigarettes, a direct response to the recent spate of vaping-related illnesses that have affected hundreds across the country....more
Volatility, geopolitical instability, trade wars and inverted yield curve were terms that peppered the financial news in 2018. Notwithstanding the uncertainties surrounding these developments, in December, the Federal...more
On March 21, 2018 the Federal Reserve lifted its federal funds rate by a quarter percentage point to a range of 1.5% to 1.75%, the highest level since 2008. ...more
A review of the Fed minutes released yesterday shows the willingness of some Fed Governors to start rate raising again sooner rather than later....more
Snap Inc. filed its first public prospectus yesterday in advance of its fast-approaching offering date, playing up the strength of its ad revenue in just two short years as part of its pitch for big-time value....more
Our good friends at HJ Sims Investments recently published their “Market Outlook” for 2017, which features some interesting speculation on where interest rates will go under a Trump Administration....more
Testifying before the Senate Banking Committee yesterday, Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf admitted that the illegal sham-account-creation activity at the heart of its recent SEC fine may have begun earlier than first reported....more
The 7520 rate for July 2016 has remained at 1.8%. The July 2016 Applicable Federal Interest Rates can be found below. Section 1274.--Determination of Issue Price in the Case of Certain Debt Instruments Issued for...more
As expected, the Fed announced yesterday that it was holding current interest rates steady and would be slow to push rates up while the economy tiptoes toward stability. Much more from Chair Yellen and economists’ reaction...more
Section 1274.--Determination of Issue Price in the Case of Certain Debt Instruments Issued for Property - (Also Sections 42, 280G, 382, 412, 467, 468, 482, 483, 642, 807, 846, 1288, 7520, 7872.) Rev. Rul. 2016-09 - ...more
The 7520 rate for January 2016 will increase to 2.2%. The January 2016 Applicable Federal Interest Rates can be found... Section 1274.-- Determination of Issue Price in the Case of Certain Debt Instruments Issued...more
On May 8, 2014, HUD issued a Proposed Rule meant to align HUD rules governing FHA-insured ARMs with the recent CFPB rules regarding ARM interest rate adjustment and disclosures under Regulation Z (ARM Rules). Comments on the...more
The FDIC’s Division of Risk Management Supervision’s Winter 2013 issue of Supervisory Insights includes an article (the “Article”) that discusses how the banking industry’s asset mix and funding profile have shifted during...more