by Calculated Risk on 11/21/2009 09:02:00 AM

From Tim Duy: The Fed in a Corner

Over the years, I have warned a seemingly countless number of undergraduates that Fed's hold on monetary independence was tenuous at best. Independence is not guaranteed by the Constitution. Congress made the Fed, and Congress can unmake the Fed. The Fed could only maintain the privilege of independence if policymakers pursued policy paths that fostered maximum, sustainable growth. Deviating from such paths would have consequences.

The Fed is quickly learning the extent of those consequences, as Congress launches an assault on the Fed's independence.
...
The Fed earns accolades from academics for its handling of the crisis, in particular since the Lehman failure. Fair enough; I have few quibbles with policy since last fall. But what about the years before Lehman, when the crisis was building? Where was the Fed then? Did they abdicate regulatory responsibility? How did banks develop such incredible exposure to off-balance sheet SIV's? How could the Fed ignore increasingly predatory lending in the mortgage market? What exactly was Timothy Geithner, then president of the all important New York Fed, regulating and supervising? Clearly not Citibank.

There is much more in the piece.

Clearly the Fed (and other regulators) failed to properly supervise financial firms. We need to understand how and why this happened. (See The Failure of Regulatory Oversight)