Appraisal Institute - Southern Arizona Chapter

	Southern Arizona Chapter Our chapter news covers the latest programs and developments at the Appraisal Institute and around the industry.





Stress Tests Show Banks in Good Shape...Mostly Most of the nation's largest banks passed federal regulators' latest round of stress tests, which means that investors will now be able to receive tens of billions of dollars in increased dividends, as well as stock buybacks, The Wall Street Journal reported March 14. The latest round of stress tests is the third conducted by the Federal Reserve since 2009. The tests are designed to determine if banks have enough capital on hand to continue lending in the event of a major economic crisis.

Treasury Earns $25 Billion on Mortgage Debt The U.S. Department of the Treasury earned $25 billion from the sale of mortgage-backed securities it purchased during 2008 and 2009 as part of the government's response to the financial crisis, The Wall Street Journal reported March 19. The Treasury purchased $225 billion in mortgage-backed securities and started selling them a year ago. The profits generated from the sale are the largest for any program tied to the financial crisis and collapsing housing market.