Fed Commits $800 Billion More to Unfreeze Lending

Source: Bloomberg.com

The Federal Reserve took two new steps to unfreeze credit for homebuyers, consumers and small businesses, committing up to $800 billion.

The central bank will purchase as much as $600 billion in debt issued or backed by government-chartered housing-finance companies. It will also set up a $200 billion program to support consumer and small-business loans, the Fed said in statements today in Washington.

With today’s announcement, the central bank is starting to use some of the unorthodox policy tools that Chairman Ben S. Bernanke outlined as a Fed governor six years ago. Policy makers are aiming to prevent a financial collapse and stamp out the threat of deflation.

“They’re trying to put funds into the system, trying to unfreeze these markets,” said William Poole, the former St. Louis Fed president, in an interview with Bloomberg Television. “Clearly, the Fed and the Treasury are beginning to take a large amount of credit risk.”

The Fed will purchase up to $100 billion in direct debt of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Banks and up to $500 billion of mortgage-backed securities backed by Fannie, Freddie and Ginnie Mae, the statement said.

Full Story

Technorati Tags: Federal Reserve

Related posts

• US investment bank Bear Stearns offered emergency aid
• New York Fed in hiring spree: Staff needed to manage soaring assets
• New Gov’t Plan: Make credit more accessible to shaken consumers who aren’t sure they want more debt
• US stocks suffer worst year since Great Depression
• U.S. stock futures jump on Fannie, Freddie seizure