Bert Ely is a consultant specializing in banking issues. He writes ABA's Farm Credit Watch.
While the funds the FCS borrows in the capital markets through the Federal Farm Credit Banks Funding Corporation are protected from any loss by the Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation, that insurance protection does not extend to deposits held by FCS institutions.
This edition of Farm Credit Watch highlights the potential risks of having lame-duck members of the Farm Credit Administration’s current board, the continued consolidation of the Farm Credit System and recent moves by lawmakers to curtail FCS from financing foreign purchases of U.S. farmland.
Bert Ely outlines five critical items that are key provisions Congress should include in the upcoming Farm Bill.
Logan is the FCA’s first Native American board member.
FCA should slow down mergers of large and midsize associations until it can assess FCSIC capacity to resolve a large, troubled association.
Is history about to repeat itself? In rural America it just might as the Federal Reserve moves too aggressively to push up interest rates to deflate the inflation that has erupted in recent months.
Bert Ely examines multiple issues, including government sponsored enterprises spending big money on marketing and branding, the accuracy of bank ranking definitions and levels of Farm Credit System lending.
This edition of Farm Credit Watch examines multiple issues, including the Farm Credit Service’s debt rating, possible Senate and House and banking and financial services committee oversight of FCA’s capital rules, and how FCA’s board should consider issuing written reports as well as releasing video recordings following its monthly meetings.
The Farm Credit Administration has proposed a potentially dangerous relaxation of its regulation governing the appraisal procedures FCS institutions rely on in making lending decisions.
In the latest Farm Credit Watch, Bert Ely highlights the notable lack of transparency around Farm Credit Administration board meetings. While government agencies are required to be open and accessible to the public except under certain circumstances, Ely raised concerns that FCA has been requiring attendees to its public virtual meetings to pre-register, which he said “represents a deliberate attempt by the regulatory body to discourage the monitoring of its actions.”