Minneapolis Fed Chief Defends Dissent on Rate Hike – NMP Skip to main content

Minneapolis Fed Chief Defends Dissent on Rate Hike

Mar 20, 2017
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President and CEO Neel Kashkari defended his status as the lone member of the central bank’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) to vote against an interest rate hike in a 13-page essay

Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President and CEO Neel Kashkari defended his status as the lone member of the central bank’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) to vote against an interest rate hike in a 13-page essayFederal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President and CEO Neel Kashkari defended his status as the lone member of the central bank’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) to vote against an interest rate hike in a 13-page essay that challenged the Fed’s policymaking process.
 
According to a Bloomberg report, Kashkari—whose dissent came in his debut as a voter on the FOMC—argued that the Fed’s actions were pre-emptive rather than reactive, adding that the central bank was opaque in explain its actions.
 
“I dissented because the key data I look at to assess how close we are to meeting our dual mandate goals haven’t changed much at all since our prior meeting,” said Kashkari. “We are still coming up short on our inflation target, and the job market continues to strengthen, suggesting that slack remains.”
 
Kashakari also questioned Fed’s excessive bond-buying efforts, which are now up to $4.5 trillion in holdings, as a policy tool, adding that the Fed needs to explain its plans for unwinding the holdings “once data support tightening monetary policy.”
 
“It is imperative that we give the markets time to understand the details of the plan before it is implemented,” he continued. “And while it is likely the announcement of that plan will not trigger much of a market response, we don’t know that for certain. The announcement of our balance sheet plan could trigger somewhat tighter monetary conditions.”
About the author
Published
Mar 20, 2017
MISMO Introduces New Loan Boarding Standard

Wrapper Files support standardized data transfers between origination and servicing systems, with potential savings of $60 to $160 per loan

The GLBA Compliance Gap Your AI Deployment Just Opened

Old statutes, new models, and the vendor contract you signed before machine learning became operational

FHA Keeps Tri-Merge Credit Reports While Expanding Approved Scoring Models

HUD says FHA lenders will continue using three-bureau credit reports even as the agency adopts newer scoring models aimed at increasing competition and modernizing mortgage underwriting

House Passes Amended 21st Century Road To Housing Act

The House version softens a controversial provision aimed at large institutional investors

New York Cash-Home Tax Proposal Could Push Wealthy Buyers Back Into Mortgages

As all-cash deals surge nationwide, a proposed 1% levy on $1M+ purchases in NY may reshape jumbo lending, borrower strategy, and origination opportunities

The Mortgage Industry Needs Practical AI Governance, Not Just AI Ambition

MISMO’s new FRAME initiative aims to help mortgage lenders operationalize responsible AI governance across the loan lifecycle