Fed's Bernanke predicts further mortgage turmoil

Business Law

More delinquencies and foreclosures can be expected in the subprime, adjustable-rate mortgage market as borrowers face interest-rate resets, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Thursday.

In testimony to the House Financial Services Committee, Bernanke also said the market for those mortgages has "adjusted sharply," and that markets "do tend to self-correct."

He outlined steps the Fed is taking to help reduce the risk of foreclosure and stressed the need to beef up underwriting practices.

Just two days after the Fed lowered the federal funds rate by 50 basis points, Bernanke also said the central bank stands ready to foster price stability and sustainable economic growth.

"Recent developments in financial markets have increased the uncertainty surrounding the economic outlook," Bernanke said. "The [Federal Open Market] Committee will continue to assess the effects of these and other developments on economic prospects and will act as needed to foster price stability and sustainable economic growth," he said.

Bernanke said the recent surprise half-percentage point rate cut was designed to forestall potential effects of tighter credit conditions on the broader economy.

"We took that action to try to get out ahead of the situation," Bernanke said.

Bernanke said the central bank's economists would constantly review their internal forecast.

"There is quite a bit of uncertainty, so we're going to have to continue to monitor how the financial markets evolve and how their effects on the economy evolve and try to keep reassessing our outlook and adjusting policy to meet" the Fed's twin goals of price stability and low unemployment.

Still, he said, the global financial system is "in a relatively strong position" to work through the recent credit and market turbulence.

Related listings

  • Investors await Fed decision on rate cut

    Investors await Fed decision on rate cut

    Business Law 09/18/2007

    Federal Reserve policymakers opened a long-awaited meeting on interest rates Tuesday amid expectations of a move to revive a sputtering economy, but with some arguing against a return to easy-money conditions blamed for the problems.The Federal Open ...

  • FCC Adopts Three-year “Dual Carriage” Requirement

    FCC Adopts Three-year “Dual Carriage” Requirement

    Business Law 09/17/2007

    The FCC last night, after a daylong struggle to reach consensus, took several actions of significance to cable operators and programmers.  First, the FCC adopted rules that it characterized as necessary to ensure that cable subscribers with anal...

  • EU court rejects Akzo confidentiality complaint

    EU court rejects Akzo confidentiality complaint

    Business Law 09/16/2007

    [##_1L|1072399082.jpg|width="130" height="132" alt=""|_##]The European Union's second highest court on Monday dismissed Akzo Nobel's complaint against the European Commission over seized documents the firm claimed were covered by lawyer-client confid...

Grounds for Divorce in Ohio - Sylkatis Law, LLC

A divorce in Ohio is filed when there is typically “fault” by one of the parties and party not at “fault” seeks to end the marriage. A court in Ohio may grant a divorce for the following reasons:
• Willful absence of the adverse party for one year
• Adultery
• Extreme cruelty
• Fraudulent contract
• Any gross neglect of duty
• Habitual drunkenness
• Imprisonment in a correctional institution at the time of filing the complaint
• Procurement of a divorce outside this state by the other party

Additionally, there are two “no-fault” basis for which a court may grant a divorce:
• When the parties have, without interruption for one year, lived separate and apart without cohabitation
• Incompatibility, unless denied by either party

However, whether or not the the court grants the divorce for “fault” or not, in Ohio the party not at “fault” will not get a bigger slice of the marital property.

Business News

St Peters, MO Professional License Attorney Attorney John Lynch has been the go-to choice for many professionals facing administrative sanction. >> read