Congressional Research Service Reports - 35 Matching Results

Search Results

Results: 1 - 24 next
open access

Islamic Finance: Overview and Policy Concerns

Description: This report discusses Islamic finance, which is based on principles of shariah, or "Islamic law." Major financial principles of shariah are a ban on interest, a ban on contractual uncertainty, adherence to risk-sharing and profit-sharing, promotion of ethical investments that enhance society, and asset-backing. While the Islamic finance industry represents a fraction of the global finance market, it has grown at double-digit rates in recent years.
Date: November 30, 2010
Creator: Ilias, Shayerah
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Preserving Homeownership: Foreclosure Prevention Initiatives

Description: This report describes the consequences of foreclosure on homeowners, outlines recent foreclosure prevention plans implemented by the government and private organizations, and discusses the challenges associated with foreclosure prevention.
Date: November 20, 2013
Creator: Jones, Katie
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Regulation of Debit Interchange Fees

Description: This report provides a description of the debit payments process and network pricing, as well as an overview of the effects of the Durbin Amendement implemented by the Federal Reserve which includes a cap on the interchange fee for large issuers. In particular, the Durbin Amendment is discussed in light of comments by Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke.
Date: November 1, 2016
Creator: Getter, Darryl E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Multilateral Development Banks: U.S. Contributions FY2000-FY2015

Description: This report shows in tabular form how much the Administration requested and how much Congress appropriated for U.S. payments to the multilateral development banks (MDBs) since 2000. It also provides a brief description of the MDBs and the ways they fund their operations.
Date: November 3, 2015
Creator: Nelson, Rebecca M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and Its Role in U.S. Trade Policy

Description: This report discusses the role of Trade Adjustment Assistant (TAA) in U.S. trade policy, from its inception as a legislative option in the early 1950s, to its core role as a cornerstone of modern trade policy that many argue has served to promote the long-term U.S. trade liberalization agenda.
Date: November 2, 2011
Creator: Hornbeck, J. F. & Rover, Laine Elise
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act: Title VII, Derivatives

Description: This report describes some of the requirements placed on the derivatives market by the Dodd-Frank Act, which provides exceptions to the clearing and trading requirements for commercial end-users, or firms that use derivatives to hedge the risks of their nonfinancial business operations.
Date: November 6, 2012
Creator: Miller, Rena S. & Ruane, Kathleen Ann
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

"Robo-Signing" and Other Alleged Documentation Problems in Judicial and Nonjudicial Foreclosure Processes

Description: Recent depositions involving major servicers, including GMAC Mortgage, J.P. Morgan Chase, and Wells Fargo, have raised concerns about "robo-signing" -- the practice of having a small number of individuals sign a large number of affidavits and other legal documents submitted to courts and other public authorities by mortgage companies to execute foreclosure. This report explores concerns related to these issues by explaining the mortgage market process, procedural problems that have surfaced dur… more
Date: November 15, 2010
Creator: Carpenter, David H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Structure and Functions of the Federal Reserve System

Description: This report examines the structure and operations of the major components of the Federal Reserve System and provides an overview of congressional oversight activities. The report identifies the provisions of P.L. 111-203 (the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act) that affect the structure and operations of the system.
Date: November 10, 2010
Creator: Smale, Pauline
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Shutdown of the Federal Government: Causes, Processes, and Effects

Description: This report is intended to address questions that arise frequently related to the topic of government shutdowns. It discusses the causes of funding gaps and shutdowns of the federal government, processes that are associated with shutdowns, and how agency operations may be affected by shutdowns. The report concludes with a discussion of potential issues for Congress.
Date: November 30, 2017
Creator: Brass, Clinton T.; Brudnick, Ida A.; Keegan, Natalie; McMillion, Barry J.; Rollins, John W. & Yeh, Brian T.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Public Financing of Presidential Campaigns: Overview and Analysis

Description: This report discusses current controversies and arguments for and against public financing of presidential campaigns; legislative history; elements of the program; taxpayer and candidate participation; financial status of the program; recent legislation; and analysis of various policy proposals. If Congress chooses to alter the program, consensus will be necessary in what has historically been a particularly complex and contentious area of campaign finance policy.
Date: November 28, 2011
Creator: Garrett, R. Sam
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Independent Payment Advisory Board

Description: This report which provides an overview of the Board, begins with a discussion of the rationale behind the creation of an independent Medicare board and briefly reviews prior proposals for similar boards and commissions.
Date: November 30, 2010
Creator: Newman, David & Davis, Christopher M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Export-Import Bank Reauthorization: Frequently Asked Questions

Description: This report addresses frequently asked questions about Ex-Im Bank, grouped in the following categories: congressional interest and the Ex-Im Bank reauthorization debate; market context; international context; organizational structure and management; programs; statutory requirements and policies; risk management; budget and appropriations; implications of a sunset in authority; and historical and current approaches to reauthorization.
Date: November 26, 2014
Creator: Akhtar, Shayerah Ilias; Carpenter, David H.; Levit, Mindy R. & Taylor, Julia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

International Financing of Responses to Climate Change

Description: This report describes many of the questions that are debate n international climate change fora. It aims to inform Congressional decision-making on the magnitude and mechanisms of financial assistance that the United States may provide to low-income countries to address climate change.
Date: November 23, 2010
Creator: Leggett, Jane A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Campaign Finance: Potential Legislative and Policy Issues for the 111th Congress

Description: This report provides an overview of selected campaign finance policy issues that have received recent legislative attention, or have otherwise been prominent, and which could receive attention during the 111th Congress.
Date: November 3, 2010
Creator: Garrett, R. S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Funding and Financing Highways and Public Transportation

Description: This report begins with a discussion of the problems associated with the trust fund financing system (which supports both federal highway and public transportation programs) and then explores possible options for financing surface transportation infrastructure.
Date: November 1, 2016
Creator: Kirk, Robert S. & Mallett, William J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Finance and the Economy: Occupy Wall Street in Historical Perspective

Description: This report presents examples of political statements about the fundamental costs and benefits of finance and recent economic research that points to aspects of financial activity that may not be advantageous to the real economy. The report does not attempt a comprehensive survey of either literature, but provides a reminder of the breadth of the historical debates that have shaped congressional oversight of financial institutions and markets.
Date: November 14, 2011
Creator: Jickling, Mark & Hoskins, Sean M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Small Business: Access to Capital and Job Creation

Description: This report discusses the role of small business in job creation and retention, then provides an assessment of the supply and demand for small business loans and recently enacted laws designed to enhance small business access to capital. It also examines recent actions concerning the SBA's budget and concludes with a brief overview of legislative options available to address small business access to capital issues during the 114th Congress.
Date: November 25, 2015
Creator: Dilger, Robert J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The EMV Chip Card Transition: Background, Status, and Issues for Congress

Description: This report describes the financial harm caused by data breaches and explains how those breaches are carried out, and discusses resolved and remaining impediments to completing the EMV transition in the United States and identifies areas of potential congressional interest.
Date: November 27, 2015
Creator: Moloney Figliola, Patricia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Social Security Reform: Current Issues and Legislation

Description: Report that looks at the Social Security debate, Social Security future projections, and public opinion on Social Security reform. It also looks at past reform measures, from the 109th-112th Congress, none of which received congressional action.
Date: November 28, 2012
Creator: Nuschler, Dawn
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Multilateral Development Banks: Overview and Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides an overview of Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) and highlights major issues for Congress. The first section discusses how the MDBs operate, including the history of the MDBs, their operations and organizational structure, and the effectiveness of MDB financial assistance. The second section discusses the role of Congress in the MDBs, including congressional legislation authorizing and appropriating U.S. contributions to the MDBs; congressional oversight; and U.S. comme… more
Date: November 8, 2013
Creator: Nelson, Rebecca M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Two-Sided Credit Card Markets: The Supreme Court Takes Up Novel Antitrust Issue

Description: This report discusses the case of "Ohio v. American Express" which the Supreme Court has accepted for hearing which poses the question of how federal antitrust law should treat two-sided markets which are platforms in which two distinct user groups operate in an interdependent way. The case challenges anti-steering clauses in American Express contract agreements with merchants that prevent the merchants from promoting the use of other credit cards. The case has the potential to change the way v… more
Date: November 13, 2017
Creator: Smith, Austin D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Deficits and Debt: Economic Effects and Other Issues

Description: This report explores distinctions in the concept and composition of deficits and debt and explains how those two measures interact with each other and the general economy.
Date: November 21, 2017
Creator: Driessen, Grant A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Legislation Eliminating the Federal Reserve's Surplus

Description: The Fed retains some of its profits in a surplus account, which currently has a balance of $29.3 billion. This report discusses H.Amdt. 824 to the highway bill (H.R. 22) and H.R. 3189, which would permanently eliminate the surplus.
Date: November 20, 2015
Creator: Labonte, Marc
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
Back to Top of Screen