Monthly archives: January, 2016

New Survey of U.S. Bilateral Repo Market: A Snapshot of Broker-Dealer Activity

Federal Reserve Bank of New York – A New Survey of the U.S. Bilateral Repo Market: A Snapshot of Broker-Dealer Activity. Viktoria Baklanova, Cecilia Caglio, Marco Cipriani, and Adam Copeland. January 2016. Number 758. “We provide aggregate statistics on U.S. dealers’ bilateral repurchase agreements and economically equivalent securities lending activities. The data were collected from …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

GAO Reports – Federal Real Property, Iranian Commercial Activities, IRS Return Selection

Federal Real Property: GSA Could Decrease Leasing Costs by Encouraging Competition and Reducing Unneeded Fees, GAO-16-188: Published: Jan 13, 2016. Publicly Released: Jan 13, 2016. Iranian Commercial Activities: Update on Foreign Firms Reported to Have Engaged in Iran’s Energy or Communications Sectors, GAO-16-247R: Published: Jan 13, 2016. Publicly Released: Jan 13, 2016. IRS Return Selection: …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

Redefining Reasonable Seizures

Gouldin, Lauryn P., Redefining Reasonable Seizures (January 11, 2016). Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2713931 “The government’s power to seize individuals who are suspected of crimes — by arresting, stopping, or otherwise detaining them — has expanded significantly in the twenty-first century. The Supreme Court’s gradual redefinition of what constitutes a reasonable Fourth Amendment seizure …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Legal Research, Privacy

U.S. Conference of Mayors Releases 22-City Survey on Hunger and Homelessness

U.S. Conference of Mayors Releases 2015 Hunger and Homelessness Survey: Press Release | Download the Report | “Sixty-six percent of the survey cities reported that the number of requests for emergency food assistance increased over the past year. Among people requesting emergency food assistance, 67 percent were persons in families, 42 percent were employed, 23 …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Food and Nutrition, Government Documents, Housing, Poverty

Ultimate Ownership and Bank Competition

Azar, José and Raina, Sahil and Schmalz, Martin C., Ultimate Ownership and Bank Competition (January 8, 2016). Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2710252 “We document a secular increase of deposit account maintenance fees and fee thresholds with a new branch-level dataset, as well as substantial cross-sectional variation in these prices and in deposit rate spreads. …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research

SEC publishes 2016 priorities for Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations

“This document identifies selected 2016 examination priorities of the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (“OCIE,” “we,” or “our”) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC” or “Commission”). In general, th priorities reflect certain practices and products that OCIE perceives to present potentially heightened risk to investors and/or the integrity of the U.S. capital markets. …

Subjects: Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, ID Theft, Legal Research, Securities Law

National Taxpayer Advocate Releases 2015 Annual Report to Congress

“The 2015 Annual Report to Congress analyzes the most serious problems facing taxpayers, recommends tax law changes to Congress, and presents original research studies into issues affecting taxpayers.” For the IRS to do its job well, it must start from the perspective of what government is about – namely, it is of the people, by …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research

Owner of Philadelphia Media Network transfers newspapers and website to nonprofit

Via Philly.com – “On Tuesday, in a meeting with employees and then at a news conference at the Constitution Center, H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest [sole owner of Inquirer and the Daily News]  formally announced the details of a complicated transaction designed to ensure that quality journalism endures in Philadelphia for generations. The move places the region’s …

Subjects: E-Commerce, Economy, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

GAO Reports – Defense Infrastructure, National Security Cutter, Veterans Benefits Management System

Defense Infrastructure: DOD Efforts Regarding Net Zero Goals, GAO-16-153R: Published: Jan 12, 2016. Publicly Released: Jan 12, 2016. National Security Cutter: Enhanced Oversight Needed to Ensure Problems Discovered during Testing and Operations Are Addressed, GAO-16-148: Published: Jan 12, 2016. Publicly Released: Jan 12, 2016. Veterans Benefits Management System: Ongoing Efforts Can Be Improved; Goals Are …

Subjects: Defense, Government Documents, Health Care, Knowledge Management

Class action against Pacer claims inflated fees

Via Top Class Actions: “A class action lawsuit has been filed accusing the Public Access to Courts Electronic Records system (PACER)—the online database created and run by the U.S. government to allow access to federal court records—of systematically overcharging its customers. The PACER system normally charges 10 cents ($0.10) per page to view a document, …

Subjects: Courts, E-Government, Internet, Legal Research