WASHINGTON — Seeking to mollify critics in Congress, Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke on Wednesday said the central bank would issue rules this year to curb abusive lending.
Mr. Bernanke's semiannual monetary policy report deviated from the normal script, moving beyond inflation and economic growth to include the subprime market's woes and broader consumer issues. He spent seven minutes of his 19-minute opening statement addressing consumer issues and told the House Financial Services Committee that the Fed is ready to act.
"We plan to exercise our authority under the Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act to address specific practices that are unfair or deceptive," he said. "Based on the information we are gathering, I expect that the board will propose additional rules under HOEPA later this year."
Though providing no specifics on what such rules would do, Mr. Bernanke seemed to satisfy lawmakers who have criticized the Fed's response to the subprime market.
"I want to express my appreciation for the part of the statement that deals with consumer problems," committee Chairman Barney Frank said. Referring to Mr. Bernanke's predecessor, Alan Greenspan, the Massachusetts Democrat said the testimony made "clear to me that this is not Uncle Alan's semiannual report."
Most lawmakers on the House panel asked at least one question about where the subprime market is headed, and Mr. Bernanke predicted that its troubles are far from over.
"Rising delinquencies and foreclosures are creating personal, economic, and social distress for many homeowners and communities — problems that likely will get worse before they get better," he said.
Most of the subprime abuses have occurred outside the regulated banking industry, he said, urging Congress to tighten supervision of mortgage brokers.
"I do think there is an issue about brokers who lost their licenses, perform badly in one area, and basically move to another state," Mr. Bernanke said. "We should certainly consider some federal licensing or at least some kind of federal database that will allow states to know if a new broker is coming into the state and had some kind of previous problems."
As Congress considers regulating hedge funds, several lawmakers questioned Mr. Bernanke on the industry's ability to survive a fund's failure. He acknowledged that hedge funds pose risks but assured the lawmakers that their overall impact is positive.
"They raise many issues of financial stability … but they certainly are a benefit to the economy," he said.
Mr. Bernanke is scheduled to deliver similar testimony today to the Senate Banking Committee. Its chairman, Chris Dodd of Connecticut, has been particularly critical of the Fed for not using its authority to intervene in the housing market but said he was "encouraged" by Mr. Bernanke's House testimony.
