Economics – Wayne Marr

Entries tagged as ‘Fed of New York’

TALF: 04-27-09 New Terms & FAQ

April 27, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility
The Federal Reserve created the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF), to help market participants meet the credit needs of households and small businesses by supporting the issuance of asset-backed securities (ABS) collateralized by student loans, auto loans, credit card loans, and loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA).

Announcements
Federal Reserve announces two new interest rates applicable to loans extended under TALF
April 21, 2009
New York Fed announces May 5 TALF operation
April 21, 2009
SIGTARP Quarterly Report to Congress:
Letter from Thomas C. Baxter, Jr., General Counsel pdf
SIGTARP quarterly report to Congresspdf offsite
April 21, 2009
Joint response to the Congressional Oversight Panel’s inquiry into the TALF:
Letter from Chairman Bernanke and President Dudley pdf
Responses to March 20 Inquiry pdf
April 7, 2009
New York Fed announces $1.7 billion in TALF loans requested at April 7 facility
April 7, 2009
New York Fed issues revised TALF documents:
Terms and Conditions
FAQs
Documents and Forms
April 3, 2009
New York Fed releases initial results of first round of TALF loan requests
March 19, 2009
Board announces set of eligible collateral for loans extended by TALF is expanded to include four additional categories of asset-backed securities offsite
March 19, 2009
New York Fed posts loan rates for March 17-19 TALF operation
March 19, 2009
New York Fed releases revised TALF FAQS
March 17, 2009
New York Fed extends first TALF subscription
March 13, 2009
New York Fed releases revised TALF FAQs and related documents
March 11, 2009
New York Fed releases revised TALF Master Loan and Security Agreement and appendices
March 3, 2009
New York Fed Announces March 17 TALF Operation
March 3, 2009
Treasury and Federal Reserve announce launch of Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility offsite
March 3, 2009
TALF Auditor Attestation Form pdf
February 20, 2009
Form of Certification as to TALF Eligibility pdf
February 19, 2009
TALF Master Loan and Security Agreement pdf
February 18, 2009
Federal Reserve is prepared to expand Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility offsite
February 10, 2009
Federal Reserve releases additional terms and conditions of the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility offsite
February 6, 2009
Federal Reserve releases revised information detailing operational aspects of Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF) offsite
December 19, 2008
Federal Reserve announces the creation of the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF) offsite

Questions and comments regarding the TALF can be sent to talf@ny.frb.org

Categories: Banking
Tagged: ,

TALF: 04-07-09 Updates

April 8, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility
The Federal Reserve created the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF), to help market participants meet the credit needs of households and small businesses by supporting the issuance of asset-backed securities (ABS) collateralized by student loans, auto loans, credit card loans, and loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA).

Announcements
Joint response to the Congressional Oversight Panel’s inquiry into the TALF:
Letter from Chairman Bernanke and President Dudley pdf
Responses to March 20 Inquiry pdf
April 7, 2009
New York Fed announces $1.7 billion in TALF loans requested at April 7 facility
April 7, 2009
New York Fed issues revised TALF documents:
Terms and Conditions
FAQs
Documents and Forms
April 3, 2009
New York Fed releases initial results of first round of TALF loan requests
March 19, 2009
Board announces set of eligible collateral for loans extended by TALF is expanded to include four additional categories of asset-backed securities offsite
March 19, 2009
New York Fed posts loan rates for March 17-19 TALF operation
March 19, 2009
New York Fed releases revised TALF FAQS
March 17, 2009
New York Fed extends first TALF subscription
March 13, 2009
New York Fed releases revised TALF FAQs and related documents
March 11, 2009
New York Fed releases revised TALF Master Loan and Security Agreement and appendices
March 3, 2009
New York Fed Announces March 17 TALF Operation
March 3, 2009
Treasury and Federal Reserve announce launch of Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility offsite
March 3, 2009
TALF Auditor Attestation Form pdf
February 20, 2009
Form of Certification as to TALF Eligibility pdf
February 19, 2009
TALF Master Loan and Security Agreement pdf
February 18, 2009
Federal Reserve is prepared to expand Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility offsite
February 10, 2009
Federal Reserve releases additional terms and conditions of the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility offsite
February 6, 2009
Federal Reserve releases revised information detailing operational aspects of Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF) offsite
December 19, 2008
Federal Reserve announces the creation of the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF) offsite

Questions and comments regarding the TALF can be sent to talf@ny.frb.org
December 1, 2008

Categories: Economics · Financial Crisis
Tagged: ,

TALF: 04-07-09 $1.7 billion in TALF loans requested at April 7 facility

April 8, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility
The Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF) is designed to help market participants meet the credit needs of households and small businesses by supporting the issuance of asset-backed securities (ABS) collateralized by student loans, auto loans, credit card loans and loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA). Eligible borrowers must use a primary dealer, which will act as agent for the borrower, to access the TALF and must deliver eligible collateral to the New York Fed’s custodian bank.
Operation Announcement
Operation Date: April 7, 2009
Settlement Date: April 14, 2009
Maturity Date: April 16, 2012
Facility Open: April 7, 2009 1:00 p.m. ET
Facility Closed: April 7, 2009 3:00 p.m. ET
Administrative Fee: 5.00 basis points
Eligible Collateral: ABS1
Term: 3 years
Rates for April 7, 2009 Facility:

Sector

Subsector

Fixed

Floating

Auto

2.8725

1.46938

Credit Card

2.8725

1.46938

Equipment

2.8725

1.46938

Floorplan

2.8725

1.46938

Servicing Advances

Residential mortgages

2.8725

1.46938

Small Business

SBA loans 7(a) loans

NA

1.000

Small Business

SBA loans 504 loans

2.3725

NA

Student Loan

Private

NA

1.46938

Student Loan

Gov’t guaranteed

NA

0.96938

Amount of TALF loans requested at April 7, 2009 Facility:

Sector

Amount

Auto

$811,023,487.61

Credit Card

$896,780,798.84

Student Loan

-

Small Business

-

Equipment

-

Floorplan

-

Servicing Advances

-

Total

$1,707,804,286.45
1As defined in the terms & conditions
Recent Operations ››

Categories: Economics
Tagged: ,

TALF: 03-15-09 Updated Dcouments & Forms

March 14, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility: Documents and Forms

Date
Title
Mar 11, 2009
TALF Master Loan and Security Agreement (revised)
Mar 11, 2009
Guidance for Accounting Firms in Determining TALF Collateral Eligibility
Mar 11, 2009
Form of Certification as to TALF Eligibility (revised)
form (revised) pdf<!–
–>
Mar 11, 2009
Form of Undertaking in Connection with SBA ABS
Mar 11, 2009
TALF Auditor Attestation Form (revised)
Mar 11, 2009
Conflicts of Interest Guidance for Primary Dealers Participating in TALF
Mar 11, 2009
TALF Borrower Eligibility and New York Fed Due Diligence Policy
Mar 3, 2009
TALF Master Loan and Security Agreement (revised)
see March 11 form
Feb 20, 2009
TALF Auditor Attestation Form
see March 11 form
Feb 19, 2009
Form of Certification as to TALF Eligibility
see March 11 form
Feb 18, 2009
TALF Master Loan and Security Agreement
see March 3 form

Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: ,

Fed of New York: 03-15-09 Extends First TALF Subscription

March 14, 2009 · Leave a Comment

New York—The Federal Reserve Bank of New York today announced that it will extend the window for the first subscriptions for funding from the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF) by two days. The extension was requested by market participants in order to allow more time for borrowers to complete the documentation associated with the initiation of the program. The New York Fed will begin accepting loan requests starting at 10 a.m. ET on March 17, 2009, as originally published. The window for receipt of TALF loans has been extended through 5 p.m. ET on March 19, 2009. Lending rates on TALF loans will be set on March 19, 2009 at 8 a.m. ET. The settlement date will remain March 25, 2009 and the dates for the April subscription and settlement remain unchanged.

The TALF is designed to help market participants meet the credit needs of households and small businesses by supporting the issuance of asset-backed securities collateralized by student loans, auto loans, credit card loans, and loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration. Eligible borrowers must use a primary dealer, which will act as agent for the borrower, to access the TALF and must deliver eligible collateral to the New York Fed’s custodian bank.

Contact:
Deborah Kilroe
(212) 720-6143
(646) 720-6143
deborah.kilroe@ny.frb.org

Categories: Banking · Economics
Tagged: ,

Fed of New York: 03-03-09 Credit Default Swap Management Activities

March 9, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Senior financial supervisors from seven countries (collectively, the Senior Supervisors Group) today issued a report that assesses how firms manage their credit default swap activities related to the settlement of credit derivatives transactions terminated by the occurrence of a credit event.

This report, Observations on Management of Recent Credit Default Swap Credit Events pdf, summarizes a review that the Senior Supervisors Group initiated in December 2008. The observations in the report are based on discussions with senior members of selected institutions, comprising major dealers, buy-side firms, service providers and an industry association.

Surveyed participants reported that recent credit events were managed in an orderly manner, with high participation rates and no major operational disruptions or liquidity problems.

This review was conducted to support the priorities established by the Financial Stability Forum, including enhancing the infrastructure for over-the-counter derivatives markets and encouraging market participants to act promptly to ensure that the settlement, legal and operational infrastructure underlying these markets is sound.

The key observations are summarized in the report that is attached below.

Observations on Management of Recent Credit Default Swap Credit Events pdf

Related document:
Report of the Financial Stability Forum on Enhancing Market and Institutional Resilience offsite pdf
Contact:
Deborah Kilroe
(212) 720-6143
(646) 720-6143
deborah.kilroe@ny.frb.org

Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: , , , ,

William Dudley: 03-06-09 Remarks Before the Council on Foreign Relations

March 6, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Remarks at the Council on Foreign Relations Corporate Conference 2009, New York City

Thank you for having me here today. It is a pleasure being back to speak at the Council. In the past, my Federal Reserve colleague, Governor Daniel Tarullo, gathered panels of Wall Street economists here at the Council to talk about economic issues. When he invited me to participate, it was challenging work because Dan always asked us about our economic forecasts! And he remembered and recounted our past mistakes (and our much rarer, more prescient forecasts)!

Before I begin, let me emphasize that my comments represent my own views and opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Open Market Committee or of the Federal Reserve System.

What has happened to the global financial system is momentous. We have seen—despite extraordinary actions by central banks and governments around the world—a severe impairment of the intermediation process between borrowers and savers. We have seen a massive deleveraging of the non-bank financial sector. We have seen a tightening in financial market conditions even as the Federal Reserve has pushed the federal funds rate down close to zero. The result has been a severe loss of confidence among consumers and business and a global recession.

Today I would like to talk a bit about what went wrong, where we are today, some new initiatives that are underway, what lessons we should take from the crisis and some steps we need to take so this doesn’t happen again.

It is well-recognized that one important catalyst for this financial crisis was the easy credit and loose underwriting practices that fueled the boom in the U.S. housing sector. The ability of virtually anyone to get a loan to buy a house pushed up home prices significantly faster than incomes. To keep the boom going, underwriting standards were progressively relaxed, but even with that support to demand, inevitably the boom proved unsustainable.

As the boom reversed and housing prices began to fall, the bad underwriting practices and the mispricing of risk became readily apparent. When prices are rising no one needs to default, they always have the option of refinancing or selling the house at the now higher price. But when prices are dropping, there is no easy way out. The result has been a sharp rise in delinquencies and foreclosures as the bust has played out.

The fact that these poorly underwritten loans were used in the construction of very complex collateralized debt obligations or CDOs, with risks that were not well understood and grossly mispriced—made a bad situation even worse. Investors who thought they had purchased safe AAA-rated assets found that these assets were very vulnerable to a housing bust and that the ratings were unreliable predictors of the risk of loss.

The poor performance of these securities, in turn, made investors much less willing to invest in structured-finance products more generally. Secondary market liquidity evaporated, which exacerbated the difficulty in valuing the securities. This made the market even less attractive, causing risk premia to widen further, which only worsened the valuation problems.

As this process unfolded, the result was a virtual shutdown of the securitization market for residential mortgage assets not backed by the federal government directly (Ginnie Mae) or implicitly (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac). The subprime and the Alt-A mortgage markets, which relied heavily on the securitization process dried up. Of course, this just reinforced the downward pressure on housing prices, which, in turn, led to increased delinquencies and foreclosures. This deterioration undermined the value of the securities further. It was a vicious feedback loop in action. The poor performance of highly-rated mortgage securities caused investors to begin to shun securitizations more generally.

The shutdown of the securitization markets led to significant pressure on bank balance sheets. Banks could no longer securitize non-conforming mortgages or the collateralized loan obligations associated with leveraged buyouts and other private equity activity that they had financed. Moreover, bank backstop liquidity lines were triggered as SIVs and conduits could no longer issue  asset-backed commercial paper. Finally, banks took large  mark-to-market losses on their trading books and had to increase their loan loss provisions.

As the crisis continued into 2008, the squeeze on bank balance sheets intensified. This was driven by several important developments. First, the demise of Bear Stearns increased the pressure on the other broker dealers to deleverage. They did this, of course, by becoming less willing to lend funds to their counterparties, such as hedge funds, and by shrinking their trading books. In the week leading up to Bear’s demise a nasty feedback loop ensued: forced asset sales increased price volatility. This led to higher haircuts by dealers on their counterparties, which led to more forced asset sales and still higher volatility.

Second, the failure of Lehman in September accelerated the pace of this deleveraging process. Major bank intermediaries were frightened by what had happened and were unwilling to engage with each other. Prime money market mutual funds suffered large outflows. Investors fled as the news came out that the Reserve Fund had “broken the buck” because of large losses generated by its holdings of Lehman paper.

By late September we were in a very bad spot. Banks weren’t willing to lend to each other even at very short term maturities. LIBOR—the London Interbank Offered Rate, which is the rate that banks offer to lend to each other—soared even as the Federal Reserve continued to lower its federal funds rate target and injected extra reserves into the banking system. Merrill Lynch agreed to merge with Bank of America. The equity prices of the two remaining independent investment banks—Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley—weakened, their credit default swap spreads widened and this began to undermine their ability to obtain funding. In response, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley jumped over the regulatory wall and became bank holding companies.

Hedge funds were forced to liquidate assets as financing terms tightened. As a group, their performance deteriorated sharply beginning in late summer. This provoked investor redemptions—further accelerating the speed and scope of the deleveraging cycle.

Although housing and housing finance may have been at the epicenter of the crisis, it is important, however, to recognize that the crisis goes much deeper. In part, it was rooted in the overconfidence of investors and borrowers that paid little attention to liquidity and rollover risk and seemed blind to the risk of a global downturn. It was also rooted in the gaps in supervision and regulation that allowed a whole range of financial intermediaries and businesses to become more leveraged, in many cases funding long-term illiquid assets with short-term borrowing.

To some extent, what has happened can be tied to changes in the nature of the business cycle and how those changes influenced expectations. Put simply, when business cycles become more damped and recessions less frequent and less severe, this will cause financial market participants to take on more risk. This will not appear to be problematic during the expansion stage. But it will make the financial system much more vulnerable when the bust does occur. Occurring with less frequency, the bust will be a bigger surprise to market participants. They will be less well-prepared with the capital buffers and liquidity cushions needed to traverse an adverse economic environment.

The complete breakdown in trust across markets has been remarkable. Essentially, it has gone like this: Even if I think you are a good credit, I am not going to lend to you, because others may not share the same opinion. The problem is if no one else thinks you are good, I may not be able to get my money back if I need it. Conversely, others are not willing to lend to you, even though they think you are a good credit, because they are not convinced that I will do so. The result is that no one lends, financial conditions tighten and this exacerbates the downward pressure on the economy. As economic conditions deteriorate, this undermines the financial strength of the major financial institutions, further reinforcing the downward spiral in confidence.

Another bad dynamic that exacerbated the crisis has been the reluctance of some banks to raise the additional capital they might need should the economic outlook deteriorate sharply. Repeatedly over the past 18 months we have heard—from the GSEs, from the investment banks, from the commercial banks—now is not a good time to raise capital. This desire to postpone capital raising stems, in part, to the fact that bank executives often do not want to dilute the existing shareholders (which, of course, include themselves).

I believe that the management calculus has often gone like this: In good states of the world, I have enough capital. In bad states of the world, perhaps I don’t. But to raise enough capital to guarantee I can endure all the potential bad states of the world, I will have to massively dilute my existing shareholders now. So the
self-interested thing to do is to avoid the dilution and hope for a good state of the world.

This does not always work well in practice. Once capital preservation becomes paramount, deleveraging intensifies and counterparties grow more wary about engaging. This dynamic, in turn, makes a bad state of the world more likely. What may be sensible for each institution individually, may collectively be a bad idea. That is because each firm does not internalize the cost that their decision not to raise capital has on the overall financial system.

A healthy banking system is always essential. But never has that been more true right now given what has happened to the securitization markets and the broad “shadow” banking system.

So where are we now?

In my view, the deleveraging process is still far from complete. Hedge fund redemptions have soared. It would not be surprising that when we’re done, hedge fund assets (before leverage) will have fallen in half or more from their peak of about $2 trillion. Of course, the Madoff scandal and other episodes of misappropriated funds have further undermined confidence, reinforcing the redemption pressure.

Most importantly, the pressure on the financial system has been exacerbated by the deterioration in the economic outlook following the Lehman failure. Before last fall, the causality ran mostly from the turmoil in the financial system to the real economy. Since then, the real economy has contracted sharply and this has reinforced the balance sheet pressure on banks and the forced deleveraging process.

So where do we go from here?

Well fortunately, it is not all bad news—there are a number of programs that have been enacted that have already made a difference. And several new initiatives are being enacted now that should help to support and bolster the financial system.

Those areas where the Federal Reserve and the Federal government have responded in force are doing somewhat better. Banks and dealers have plenty of access to liquidity. The Term Auction Facility or TAF—in which funds are auctioned off to banks—and the Term Securities Lending Facility or TSLF—in which auctions are held to borrow Treasuries from the Federal Reserve—have recently been undersubscribed, indicating that the facilities have been sufficiently sized to meet the demand for liquidity. The FDIC has also guaranteed bank and bank holding company funding through its Temporary Guarantee Liquidity Program. As a result, bank term funding spreads have narrowed a bit this quarter.

However, while the Federal Reserve can provide liquidity to the banks and dealers and the FDIC can reduce counterparty concerns via its guarantee program, these steps cannot force banks and dealers to on lend these funds to their customers.

This is where several new initiatives may show the way forward.

First, the Federal Reserve has begun to bypass the banks and dealers, which are balance sheet constrained, and instead has begun to provide liquidity directly to borrowers. One of these programs, the Commercial Paper Funding Facility or CPFF has been up and running since late October.

Under the terms of the CPFF, the Federal Reserve offered to purchase A1-P1 rated commercial paper at 84-day maturity from issuers. Although A1-P1 rated paper is the highest quality stuff, it makes up almost all of the CP market. The only catch is that the CPFF will only buy at rates that are quite high compared to the rates one would expect in the market during normal times. The Fed has to charge a high rate and up-front fees to provide some equity in the fund to offset potential credit losses.

This facility has worked extremely well in restoring market function in the commercial paper market. Initially, there was a surge of issuance into the facility. Commercial paper rates in the market were high and the issuers wanted to extend the maturity of their obligations. But since that time, purchases have slowed sharply. Following the introduction of the CPFF, commercial paper rates in the marketplace dropped below the rates charged by the CPFF. As a result, issuance into the program has collapsed because many issuers can now raise funds more cheaply in the private market. About half of the maturing paper in the CPFF has not been rolled over. As a result, the amount of CPFF holdings, which peaked at around $350 billion in mid-January, has fallen by over $100 billion, to below $250 billion. To date at least, the CPFF has worked as planned and has been very successful in rehabilitating the commercial paper market.

Second, the Term Asset-Backed Security Loan Facility or TALF will provide balance sheet capacity directly to investors beyond the banking and dealer community. This program is designed to restart the securitization markets.

The TALF is being rolled out in two stages. In the first stage, which I’ll call TALF Version 1.0, the Federal Reserve will provide non-recourse loans to investors against AAA-rated consumer asset-backed securities collateral. Primary dealers will serve as the contact point with these investors to make it easier for the Fed to interface with potentially hundreds of investors.

The AAA-rated securities eligible as collateral for this non-recourse lending program are used to fund a wide variety of consumer and business loans, including student , credit card, auto and small business administration loans. The market for these securities had dried up because the traditional investors in these securities—SIVs, bank-related conduits and securities lenders—have either disappeared or are balance sheet constrained. This has reduced the availability of credit for consumers and led to higher borrowing costs.

The first subscriptions for financing under TALF Version 1.0 will occur on March 17. The first batch of new securitizations will be funded on March 25.

TALF Version 2.0 will follow. This will broaden the TALF into new asset classes such as Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities. Development of this phase is still in its early days. But it anticipated that the size and scope of TALF will expand sharply in the months ahead.

So how will the TALF restart securitization activity and provide balance sheet capacity to the private sector? By providing leverage and 3-year term, non-recourse financing to investors, the TALF should increase the demand for AAA-rated securitizations. Yields of LIBOR + 400 basis points may not be sufficiently attractive on an unleveraged basis, but at 10 times leverage the returns become very attractive.

The non-recourse nature of the loans is also important. If the price of the security falls considerably, the investor just loses an amount equal to size of the haircut. For example, if the haircut was 10% and the value of the security was $100, the most the investor could lose would be $10. Thus, the facility eliminates much of the downside risk that would arise from a very deep recession or the fire sales of assets that could cause prices to drop sharply temporarily.

This is a very exciting program because it provides balance sheet capacity to risk capital that cannot currently get leverage. It goes beyond current programs. Just as important, once it is up and running it can be scaled up and out in many different dimensions. In principle, it could be applied to other distressed asset classes, it could move down the credit spectrum to lower-rated tranches, and it could be used to fund older vintage assets.

Two other important initiatives are also in train that deserve note.

Last week the Treasury and the major banking supervisors announced the details of a capital stress assessment process for all bank holding companies with assets in excess of $100 billion. This process is designed to ensure that the banking system has sufficient, high-quality capital to be able to absorb the losses that would likely be generated by an economic scenario considerably worse than generally expected. The stress assessment assumes an adverse economic environment. For example, under this scenario, the unemployment rate is anticipated to average more than 10% in 2010, considerably higher than the consensus economic forecast.

The stress assessment will unfold in three steps. First, each bank holding company will be asked to evaluate the credit losses that are likely to occur under an adverse economic environment. These losses would then be evaluated relative to the bank holding company’s ability to absorb those losses.

Second, if this analysis indicated that the banking organization was likely to fall short of well-capitalized in the stress environment, the bank holding company would be able to obtain additional capital via mandatory convertible preferred stock purchased by the Treasury.

Third, if the stress scenario were actually to occur, generating losses that depleted common equity capital below what is deemed adequate, then the mandatory convertible preferred would be available to be converted into common equity. The government’s mandatory convertible preferred investment is, in some sense, contingent capital that is available to be converted into common equity only as needed.

I believe this program is very important if we are to break the adverse dynamic that I outlined early. As I mentioned earlier, many bank holding companies don’t have an incentive to raise sufficient capital to ensure that they can handle a very bad outcome. That is because such capital-raising would severely dilute existing shareholders. This implies that, left to their own devices, banks might end up being undercapitalized in a stress environment. The risk of this outcome makes these banks (and their counterparties) very cautious in terms of their behavior. This cautiousness, which is rational for each bank and counterparty individually, is bad for the system because it constrains the supply of credit and results in tighter financial conditions. This, in turn, makes the bad economic outcome more likely.

The stress assessment regime that is being implemented should help to break this dynamic. Banking institutions will end up with sufficient capital to withstand even an adverse environment. This should reassure banks and investors that the banking system will remain resilient. With more capital in place, more lending should take place. This, in turn, should reduce the likelihood that the bad economic scenario will, in fact, be realized. The result: a virtuous rather than a vicious circle!

The point of the stress assessment is not to pick winners or losers, but instead to ensure that the banking system and all the major banks have sufficient capital to withstand a very adverse environment. Following the conclusion of the stress assessment process, the government is committed to supplying whatever amount of capital is needed to ensure that all the major banks will remain viable.

The second major initiative that deserves mention is the PPIF or Public-Private Investment Fund. This facility, which would be underpinned by TARP capital and private capital, would purchase illiquid, legacy assets. Although the terms and conditions of the PPIF have not yet been announced, this facility should help put a floor under the prices of lower-quality assets and provide a means for banks to shed such assets from their balance sheets.

Despite all these efforts, I don’t want to give you the impression that all will be well soon—that seems unlikely. It will take time for the deleveraging process to come to an end and, as the recent employment data have underscored, the economy has considerable momentum to the downside. But the Federal Reserve is prepared to do whatever it takes, within the bounds of its legal authority, to keep markets working and credit available and affordable.

Finally, what are the lessons to be learned from this crisis? What do we need to fix in order to make our financial system more robust and our economy less vulnerable? Let me offer up a short list of seven areas that we might focus on—recognizing that this list is by no means complete or exhaustive.

  • We need more transparency and homogeneity in securities. The difficulty in valuing opaque and heterogeneous securities has led to greater illiquidity, price volatility and market risk, bigger haircuts and more forced deleveraging. Opacity has also led to an undue reliance on credit ratings.
  • We need central counterparties or CCPs for over-the-counter derivatives in order to reduce settlement risk. To do this properly, we will have to work with international supervisors, regulators, and governments to achieve global solutions. On this score, lots of progress has been made in the credit default swap space—with several new CCPs likely to be up and running in months, if not weeks. But we can do much more in this area.
  • We need an accounting and disclosure regime that allows investors to meaningfully ascertain the risks they are taking. For example, the same assets are often carried on different bank books at different prices. If you can’t trust the valuation marks on the assets, how robust can confidence be in the ability of the financial system to withstand stormy weather?
  • We need a resolution mechanism for bank holding companies and non-bank financial institutions—legislation is needed here. Judging from the actions of the past year, there are indeed institutions that are “too big to fail”, at least in certain circumstances. Let’s set up a resolution framework that is robust and transparent so everyone understands the rules of the road and likely outcomes beforehand. An ad hoc approach increases uncertainty and reduces policymaker credibility.
  • If large systemically important institutions are indeed too big to fail, then there needs to be an explicit quid pro quo for this. Otherwise, this implicit support will create moral hazard and discriminate against smaller institutions. In particular, important institutions cannot be allowed to stay outside in the sun during good times, but allowed to come inside the regulatory net when it is raining.
  • We need a more robust capital regime for banks. Measures of regulatory capital lag far behind the real-time market-based measures of capital and risk. Moreover, the capital regime is procyclical. Banks are constrained in the amount of reserves they can build in good times as a buffer against cyclical downturns. Finally, banks balk at cutting dividends to conserve capital or replenishing the capital they sorely need in the middle of crisis. These incentives reinforce the downward pressure on the financial system during times of stress.
  • We need a more effective regulatory system. We need a systemic risk authority that has both the responsibility and the powers to look across the entire financial system—both depository institutions and the capital markets. Our regulatory regime is incredibly balkanized, which makes coordination difficult and means that important information can fall between the cracks. It also leads to less accountability for supervisory shortcomings and failures, which is another area where we have to do better.

This list is just a hint of the agenda that lies ahead. We need to put our financial system into the repair shop for intensive reconstruction. We need to do this in order to rebuild confidence and to ensure that we do not repeat the type of financial boom and bust that has characterized this cycle.

Thank you very much for your kind attention, I would be happy to take questions.

Categories: Economics
Tagged: , , , ,

TALF: 03-04-09 Additional Information from New York Fed – March 17 Start

March 4, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility
The Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF) is designed to help market participants meet the credit needs of households and small businesses by supporting the issuance of asset-backed securities (ABS) collateralized by student loans, auto loans, credit card loans and loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA). Eligible borrowers must use a primary dealer, which will act as agent for the borrower, to access the TALF and must deliver eligible collateral to the New York Fed’s custodian bank.
Operation Announcement
Operation Date: March 17, 2009
Settlement Date: March 25, 2009
Maturity Date: March 26, 2012
Facility Open: 10:00 a.m. ET
Facility Closed: 12:00 p.m. ET
Administrative Fee: 5.00 basis points
Eligible Collateral: ABS1
Term: 3 years
Haircuts:

ABS Expected Life (years)

Sector

Subsector

0-1

>1-2

>2-3

>3-4

>4-5

>5-6

>6-7

Auto

Prime retail lease

10%

11%

12%

13%

14%

Auto

Prime retail loan

6%

7%

8%

9%

10%

Auto

Subprime retail loan

9%

10%

11%

12%

13%

Auto

Floorplan

12%

13%

14%

15%

16%

Auto

RV/motorcycle

7%

8%

9%

10%

11%

Credit Card

Prime

5%

5%

6%

7%

8%

Credit Card

Subprime

6%

7%

8%

9%

10%

Student Loan

Private

8%

9%

10%

11%

12%

13%

14%

Student Loan

Gov’t guaranteed

5%

5%

5%

5%

5%

6%

6%

Small Business

SBA loans

5%

5%

5%

5%

5%

6%

6%

For ABS benefitting from a substantial government guarantee with average lives beyond five years, haircuts will increase by one percentage point for every two additional years of average life beyond five years. For all other ABS with average lives beyond five years, haircuts will increase by one percentage point for each additional year of average life beyond five years.
Rates:

Sector

Subsector

Fixed

Floating

Auto

3-year LIBOR swap rate + 100 bps

1-month LIBOR + 100 bps

Bank/Retail Card

3-year LIBOR swap rate + 100 bps

1-month LIBOR + 100 bps

Student Loan

Private

NA

1-month LIBOR + 100 bps

Student Loan

Gov’t guaranteed

NA

1-month LIBOR + 50 bps

Small Business

SBA loans 7(a)

NA

Fed Funds Target + 75 bps

Small Business

SBA loans 504

3-year LIBOR swap rate + 50 bps

NA


1
As defined in the terms & conditions

Categories: Banking · Economics · Financial Economics
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Treasury: 03-04-09 Launch of TALF, White Paper, T&C, FAQ

March 4, 2009 · Leave a Comment

U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve Board Announce Launch of Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF)

To view the White Paper, Terms and Conditions, and Frequently Asked Questions, visit www.FinancialStability.gov.

In carrying out the Financial Stability Plan, the Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve Board are announcing the launch of the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF), a component of the Consumer and Business Lending Initiative (CBLI). The TALF has the potential to generate up to $1 trillion of lending for businesses and households.

The TALF is designed to catalyze the securitization markets by providing financing to investors to support their purchases of certain AAA-rated asset-backed securities (ABS). These markets have historically been a critical component of lending in our financial system, but they have been virtually shuttered since the worsening of the financial crisis in October. By reopening these markets, the TALF will assist lenders in meeting the borrowing needs of consumers and small businesses, helping to stimulate the broader economy.

Under today’s announcement, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York will lend up to $200 billion to eligible owners of certain AAA-rated ABS backed by newly and recently originated auto loans, credit card loans, student loans, and SBA-guaranteed small business loans. Issuers and investors in the private sector are expected to begin arranging and marketing new securitizations of recently generated loans, and subscriptions for funding in March will be accepted on March 17, 2009. On March 25, 2009, those new securitizations will be funded by the program, creating new lending capacity for additional future loans.

The program will hold monthly fundings through December 2009 or longer if the Federal Reserve Board chooses to extend the facility.

Today the Board also released revised terms and conditions for the facility and a revised set of frequently asked questions. The revisions include a reduction in the interest rates and collateral haircuts for loans secured by asset-backed securities guaranteed by the Small Business Administration or backed by government-guaranteed student loans. The modifications are warranted by the minimal credit risk on these assets owing to the government guarantees, and, by making the terms of the TALF loans more attractive, they should encourage greater flows of credit to small businesses and students.

Additional details of the TALF and the CBLI can be found at www.FinancialStability.gov. Further information on the Federal Reserve’s credit and liquidity programs is available at www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/bst.htm. The Treasury Department also released a new white paper outlining efforts to unlock credit markets.
On February 10, 2009, the Board and Treasury announced an expansion of TALF to include new asset categories that could generate up to $1 trillion in new lending. Teams from the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve are analyzing the appropriate terms and conditions for accepting commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) and are evaluating a number of other types of AAA-rated newly issued ABS for possible acceptance under the expanded program. The expanded program will remain focused on securities that will have the greatest macroeconomic impact and can most efficiently be added to the TALF at a low and manageable risk to the government.

The Federal Reserve and Treasury currently anticipate that ABS backed by rental, commercial, and government vehicle fleet leases, and ABS backed by small ticket equipment, heavy equipment, and agricultural equipment loans and leases will be eligible for the April funding of the TALF. Other types of securities under consideration include private-label residential mortgage-backed securities, collateralized loan and debt obligations, and other ABS not included in the initial rollout such as ABS backed by non-auto floorplan loans and ABS backed by mortgage-servicer advances. As is the case for the current categories of newly originated loans, the TALF will combine public financing with private capital to encourage the private securitization of loans in the asset classes eligible in the expanded program.

Increased TALF lending and other actions to stabilize the financial system have the potential to greatly expand the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet. In order for the Federal Reserve to conduct monetary policy over time in a way consistent with maximum sustainable employment and price stability, it must be able to manage its balance sheet, and in particular, to control the amount of reserves that the Federal Reserve provides to the banking system. The amount of reserves is the key determinant of the interest rate that the Federal Reserve uses to pursue its monetary policy objectives. Treasury and the Federal Reserve will seek legislation to give the Federal Reserve the additional tools it will need to enable it to manage the level of reserves while providing the funding necessary for the TALF and for other key credit-easing programs.

Key Dates for the TALF
Schedule for First Funding with Initial Eligible Assets

Date Announcement/Event
March 3, 2009 Launch of the TALF. Publication of the details for the first funding
March 3-17, 2009 Marketing first funding to investors
March 17, 2009 Subscriptions for first funding for TALF recorded
March 25, 2009 First funds from the TALF disbursed

Schedule for Second Funding

Date Announcement/Event
March 24, 2009 Announcement of details of second funding
March 24-April 7, 2009 Marketing second funding to investors
April 7, 2009 Subscriptions for second funding for TALF recorded
April 14, 2009 Second funds from the TALF disbursed

###

REPORTS

Categories: Banking · Financial Crisis
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Student Internships: 02-22-09 Federal Reserve Bank of New York

February 22, 2009 · Leave a Comment

—>Search Current Openings

Applicants should submit their resumes electronically.

Summer Internship Program – Overview

Undergraduates have the opportunity to gain valuable business experience while learning about the Federal Reserve Bank of New York through our paid summer internship program.

Program Structure

Summer internships are typically available in Bank Supervision and Regulation, Domestic and International Research, Financial Services, Information Technology and Markets. Interns are assigned to one department for the summer, but have frequent opportunities to collaborate with other interns and employees around the Bank. Past assignments have included participating in bank risk examinations, developing reports and databases, and conducting economic research with senior level economists. Interns are given the opportunity to write, think critically, give formal presentations and contribute to computer-based projects.

In addition to day-to-day responsibilities, interns attend weekly seminars hosted by the Bank’s senior management team, including the President and First Vice President. The seminars provide an overview of the Bank’s responsibilities and operations, and offer a unique opportunity to learn about full-time career options upon graduation.

Qualifications

Applicants are required to complete their junior year of college by the beginning of the internship–late May/early June. They must also be authorized to work in the U.S. on a multi-year basis for other than practical training purposes. (Authorization under a student visa to engage in practical training does not satisfy this requirement.)

The program is competitive and size is limited. Successful applicants have a strong academic record as well as a demonstrated interest in accounting, banking, business, economics, finance, information technology or public policy. Excellent interpersonal, written communication and PC skills are essential. Applicants must be available for interviews at the New York Fed in early spring (usually March/April).

Please note that housing is not provided.

Categories: Teaching
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