Publications

• All Publications, A-Z
• Books and Booklets
• About the Fed
• Economic Research and Data
• Community Development
• Banking
• Education
• Consumer Information

publications

The Regional Economist

April 2013

Banks and Credit Unions: Competition Not Going Away

Has the competitive balance tilted away from banks and toward credit unions, given the latter’s tax exemption and more-recent ability to draw members from wider pools? Whether it has or not, both industries have seen similar trend growth over the past 15 years—and, in fact, have come to resemble each other in many ways

A View from the Fiscal Cliff

January’s deal on the so-called fiscal cliff only raised projected revenue moderately and continued to push the spending issue forward unresolved. The economy may have been slowed down by such a drawn-out process, as well as by the uncertainty on the future size of government and on the distribution of the tax burden.

Who Is Concealing Earnings and Still Collecting Unemployment Benefits?

Concealed earnings represent the largest source of fraud in the U.S. unemployment insurance system. Individuals with relatively low earnings constitute a larger fraction of those committing such fraud. High-earnings individuals, however, account for larger dollar amounts of this fraud.

President's Message: A Quarterly Monetary Policy Report Would Improve Fed Communications

Low Interest Rates Have Yet To Spur Job Growth

Community Profile: Area Plays Up Quality-of-Life Issues As Another Economic Development Tool

National Overview: Signs Point to Stronger Growth in GDP This Year

District Overview: Population and Migration Trends in the District Differ from Nation's

Reader Exchange: Ask an Economist and Letters to the Editor

The Regional Economist Online-only Content

Uncertainty and the Economy

Rising levels of economic uncertainty, which are common following a recession, are reportedly hindering firms from investing and expanding. Monetary policymakers, likewise, are not immune to the challenges economic uncertainty poses.