FEDERAL RESERVE

The Federal Reserve scored a victory and mortgage bankers suffered a defeat on Wednesday as the Senate took aim at bank supervision and housing finance in its sprawling Wall Street reform effort.

The Federal Reserve scored a victory and mortgage bankers suffered a defeat on Wednesday as the U.S. Senate took aim at bank supervision and housing finance in its sprawling Wall Street reform effort.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Tuesday described the Greek debt crisis to lawmakers as a European dilemma but one that could have hit U.S. banks if left unattended, senior senators said.

The Senate rejected an amendment on Tuesday that would have exposed the Federal Reserve to broader scrutiny by Congress, which critics said would extend to monetary policy decisions.

The Senate on Tuesday approved a proposal to examine the Federal Reserve's role in the Wall Street bailouts of 2008-2009 as part of a broad financial regulation reform bill.

U.S. policy-makers must not wait too long to raise interest rates with inflation unlikely to stay at low levels as the economic recovery picks up steam, a top Federal Reserve official said on Tuesday.

A top Federal Reserve official warned on Tuesday that economies around the world must further rebalance their inward and outward capital flows to prevent a repeat of the damaging crisis of 2007-2008.

The U.S. Federal Reserve reopened currency swap facilities with other major central banks on Sunday to help ease market strains in Europe.

Federal Reserve officials have agreed to sell some of the central bank's $1.1 trillion portfolio of mortgage-backed securities, but many are undecided on how soon or how aggressively to do so, the Wall Street Journal said, citing several people familiar with the matter.

The Federal Reserve is closely monitoring financial turbulence in Europe as it could have repercussions for the United States and its markets, policymakers at the central bank said on Thursday.

The Federal Reserve is closely watching for signs the European sovereign debt crisis could derail a fragile U.S. economic recovery, a top Fed official said on Thursday.

European sovereign debt woes are a risk to the improving U.S. economic outlook, St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank President James Bullard said on Thursday.

U.S. bank lending remains tight but there are reasons for optimism as economic activity has continued to strengthen and banks may be changing their attitudes toward lending, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Thursday.

The Federal Reserve is considering revealing more supervisory information, as public disclosure was an important part of the success of last year's bank stress tests, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Thursday.

The U.S. Federal Reserve took steps on Friday toward creating tools that could help it eventually withdraw the billions of dollars it pumped into the economy to support economic recovery.

The U.S. Federal Reserve on Friday authorized a new mechanism that it said can eventually be used to withdraw excess cash from the banking system.

Australia: It was another choppy session for the AUD overnight after the US central bank left its interest rates at historical lows and Standard and Poor lowered its long-term credit rating for Spain

The Federal Reserve offered a more upbeat view of the U.S. economy and employment prospects on Wednesday, even as it left interest rates on hold near zero and promised to keep them low for an extended period.

The Federal Reserve offered a more upbeat view of the U.S. economy and employment prospects on Wednesday, even as it left interest rates on hold near zero and promised to keep them low for an extended period.

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday resumed a two-day meeting where it is expected to repeat a vow to keep interest rates at rock bottom levels for an extended period while acknowledging the U.S. economic recovery is getting stronger.

The Federal Reserve is expected on Wednesday to repeat its vow to keep interest rates at rock bottom levels for an extended period while acknowledging that the U.S. economic recovery is getting stronger.