Economic Research and Data

Financial Accounts Guide

Consumer's Guide: Credit Reports and Credit Scores

Answers basic questions about your credit report, how your credit score is calculated, and how to fix errors found in your credit report.

Credit Card Repayment Calculator 

Estimate how long it will take you to pay off your credit card balance if you make only the minimum payment on time each month. 

Federal Reserve Consumer Help 
If you have a problem with a bank or other financial institution, contact the Federal Reserve for help.

Federal Reserve Act

"The Federal Reserve Act of 1913 established the Federal Reserve System as the central bank of the United States to provide the nation with a safer, more flexible, and more stable monetary and financial system. The law sets out the purposes, structure, and functions of the System as well as outlines aspects of its operations and accountability. Congress has the power to amend the Federal Reserve Act, which it has done several times over the years. The complete act, as amended, is provided here by section."

The Federal Reserve System: Purposes and Functions

The 10th edition of The Federal Reserve System Purposes & Functions details the structure, responsibilities, and aims of the U.S. central banking system. The Federal Reserve System performs five functions to promote the effective operation of the U.S. economy and, more generally, to serve the public interest. It includes three key entities: the Board of Governors, 12 Federal Reserve Banks, and the Federal Open Market Committee.

"The Federal Reserve System is the central bank of the United States. It was founded by Congress in 1913 to provide the nation with a safer, more flexible, and more stable monetary and financial system. 

Today, the Federal Reserve's duties fall into four general areas:

• conducting the nation's monetary policy by influencing the monetary and credit conditions in the economy in pursuit of maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates
• supervising and regulating banking institutions to ensure the safety and soundness of the nation's banking and financial system and to protect the credit rights of consumers
• maintaining the stability of the financial system and containing systemic risk that may arise in financial markets
• providing financial services to depository institutions, the U.S. government, and foreign official institutions, including playing a major role in operating the nation's payments system"

%  Keep track of various interest rates, posted daily, M-F at 4:15 PM.   %

     Annual Report

     Report on operations of the Board during the year. This report covers the calendar-year operations and activities carried out by the Board in its five key functional areas: (1) monetary policy, (2) financial stability, (3) supervision and regulation, (4) payment system and Reserve Bank oversight, and (5) consumer and community affairs.

     Annual Budget Review

     Starting with the 100th Annual Report (published May 21, 2014) the Annual Report Budget Review now appears as Section 12 of the Annual Report. The link above will take you to see the annual Budget Reports from 1994 to 2013, for all others see the Annual Report.

     The 2009 HMDA Data: The Mortgage Market in a Time of Low Interest Rates and Economic Distress
     The data that mortgage lending institutions reported for 2009 under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975 (HMDA) reflect the ongoing difficulties in the housing and mortgage markets. This article presents a number of key findings from a review of the 2009 HMDA data

     International Journal of Central Banking
     The International Journal of Central Banking (IJCB) is an initiative of the central banking community.  Published quarterly, the journal features articles on central bank theory and practice, with a special emphasis on research relating to monetary and financial stability.

The Economic Report of the President is an annual report written by the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers.

Issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) the Budget of the United States contains the Budget Message of the President, information on the President’s priorities, budget overviews organized by agency, and summary tables.

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