Regulators have expressed concern about the growth of a category of real estate investment trusts (REITs) that today invest primarily in mortgage-backed securities (MBS). These companies, known as mortgage REITs, or mREITs, have increased both in number and in asset size since the financial...

The Dodd-Frank Act, in addressing systemic risks to the financial system, requires federal regulators to extend a variety of requirements to nonbank financial institutions that are deemed "systemically important." But how can regulators, and the institutions themselves, best determine whether an...

In response to the financial crisis of 2007–09, Congress created the Orderly Liquidation Authority (OLA), a new regime for winding down systemically important financial institutions (SIFIs) that become troubled. The OLA provisions address two conflicting goals: mitigating threats to the...

In October 2008 the Federal Reserve began paying banks interest on the reserves they hold. This action was intended to remove the implicit, distortionary tax that reserve requirements impose on banks, as well as help the Fed maintain the fed funds rate at its target. Going forward, interest on...

Recent credit market problems and federal legislation lowering lender revenues have diminished the availability of some types of student loans. Nevertheless, new sources of funding have become available, changing the structure of the market while helping to meet the demand for student loans