Interest rates

The Federal Reserve governor said inflation is too high but said she ultimately voted last week to hold interest rates steady to give recent economic trends more time to play out.

Bond yields rose after Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh's second press conference last week, and bankers may have to accept higher rates as the price of a more parsimonious Fed.

Bankers largely agree that there should be reforms, but don't agree on which ones; plus, our second batch of best-performing banks.

In a recent survey of community bank executives, 84% said they agreed with the Federal Reserve that changes are necessary, but the results show a wide range of views about what exactly those changes should be.

Federal Reserve Board Gov. Christopher Waller says he is OK with dialing down the amount of communication issued by the central bank's monetary policy committee, but doesn't want the central bank to throw out the baby with the bathwater.

The Federal Reserve weighs rising inflation and a growing economy against a truce in the Middle East and the rise of artificial intelligence in the first monetary policy meeting under new Chair Kevin Warsh.

In passing the Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act, Congress intended to create national rules that would guide lending across state borders. States can't simply opt out of them.

Lenders pulled back on commercial real estate loans in 2023, as high interest rates put pressure on property values. They're now returning to the sector, and the renewed competition is prompting a pricing war.

Banks' deposit costs fell as the Fed made borrowing cheaper. But signs of increased competition are already emerging, and analysts see a tougher road ahead.

The Federal Open Market Committee's April meeting — likely Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's last — is unanimously expected to keep interest rates steady, but questions about energy, inflation and the upcoming transition in leadership still loom.

Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf said bankers and economists are broadly against lowering interest rates now, given uncertainty from the Iran war.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank is cautiously monitoring consumer sentiment as tensions from the Iran war push energy prices higher, complicating efforts to bring inflation down to the Fed's target.

A database that holds the details about every attack on databases is itself at risk of being compromised, which would leave banks and other businesses on their own when it comes to network defense.

Federal Reserve Gov. Michael Barr said in a speech Tuesday afternoon that he wants to see a durable and reliable reduction in consumer price inflation before he considers cutting the central bank's interest rates.

Federal Reserve Gov. Stephen Miran said it is too early to judge how U.S. involvement in the war with Iran will affect inflation and monetary policy.

The Federal Open Market Committee is widely expected to keep interest rates steady when it concludes its regular meeting tomorrow, but rising uncertainty about inflation in the wake of the Iran war is clouding the monetary policy outlook.

Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook said AI could boost productivity, but warned the transition may raise unemployment and force difficult tradeoffs between inflation and jobs.

Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee said the central bank should focus on getting inflation to its 2% target before making any additional cuts to short-term interest rates.

Federal Reserve Gov. Christopher Waller said during an appearance Monday his decision on whether or not to support a cut to short-term interest rates depends on labor market indicators.

In a speech Tuesday, Federal Reserve Gov. Michael Barr said it was possible that artificial intelligence will boost productivity in an undisruptive way. But he said policymakers should also be wary of a financial crash if those gains are not realized or a rapid adoption that could lead to labor displacement.