More evidence of the unintended consequences of the Dodd-Frank Act: "With passage of the Dodd-Frank law, the banking and financial services industries face uncertainty that has locked credit markets and access to capital. Many companies have viable, low-risk projects or contracts that simply need funding in order to begin work. However, overregulation in the banking sector has made qualified businesses with a great borrowing track record a risk banks aren't willing to take. "For the construction industry, unjustified regulations and unnecessary bureaucratic red tape translate to increased costs, which, if a project does get off the ground, are inevitably passed to the consumer and ultimately impact their ability to hire and expand." The following column appeared in the Aug. 24, 2012 edition of the Montgomery Advertiser : Taxes, regulations hurting businesses by Rep. Robert Aderholt and Jay Reed There is little question that our nation's economy continues to struggle. The question remains, why? Unemployment has been above 8 percent for 41 consecutive months, the longest stretch of high unemployment since the Great Depression. Since 2009, this administration has heaped on more bureaucratic red tape, more burdensome regulations, more complex and overreaching laws and provided more uncertainty regarding the tax code. Together these factors have created a perfect storm. A storm that's drowning job creators and keeping them from hiring at a time when we need jobs more than ever before. This economic downtown has hurt nearly every sector and industry doing business in the United States. However, few industries have felt the effects and few industries want to provide sustainable, well-paying jobs for American workers more than the trade construction contractors that build the American economy one job at a time. Today's economic storm continues to rain down on job creators. While these small businesses are eager to help America's economy grow...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve has room to deliver additional monetary stimulus to boost the U.S. economy, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke told a Congressional oversight panel in a letter.

Fannie Mae's Still No Ginnie After Bailout Fix: Credit Markets Businessweek Fannie Mae's Still No Ginnie After Bailout Fix. Deere's offering will be tied to agricultural- and construction-equipment loans, the Moline, Illinois-based company said today in a regulatory filing. Bank of America Corp. and Citigroup Inc. are managing the deal. and more »

MCLEAN, Va., Aug. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) today issued the company's Monthly Volume Summary for July 2012. The summary, available on the company's Web site at www.FreddieMac....

FRANKFURT (MarketWatch) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday said she wants Greece to remain in the euro zone, but repeated that she wants to see a report from the country's troika of international lenders next month before European leaders decide whether to give Greece more time to implement austerity measures and reforms in return for its bailout. Merkel, in a joint news conference with Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras after a meeting in Berlin, said she was convinced Samaras's new government is committed to solving Greece's woes. Samaras repeated that Greece isn't seeking more money but needs "breathing space" to implement measures while aiming to restore growth to the recession-wracked country.

Next week, Republicans will consider looking at returning the U.S. dollar to the gold standard, Rep. Marsha Blackburn told CNBC on Thursday.

U.S. stock index futures are called to open broadly flat as speculation over whether the Federal Reserve will introduce further stimulus measures continues to divide opinion and markets a week ahead of a meeting of the world's top central bank officials in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.