WASHINGTON (AP)—The Federal Reserve's record-low interest rates have shrunk income for savers but cut costs for borrowers. Chairman Ben Bernanke is among the beneficiaries.
Bernanke's latest financial disclosure form, released Thursday, shows he refinanced his Washington home in 2011. He took out a 30-year mortgage with a fixed 4.25% rate, replacing one taken out in 2009 that carried a 5.375% rate.
Both mortgages were valued at between $500,000 and $1 million. The government requires top officials to estimate only ranges for their financial assets rather than an exact figure.
The Fed has held its key short-term interest rate at a record low near zero since December 2008. It's also pursued unconventional programs to try to lower long-term rates and boost the U.S. economy after the worst recession since the Great Depression.
In his disclosure documents, Bernanke's assets outside of his home were estimated to range between $1.1 million and $2.3 million. That was unchanged from last year.
Bernanke's choices for his personal finances run mainly to no-frills investments that emphasize safety such as annuities and U.S. Treasury securities. He did have between $1,000 and $15,000 in a stock mutual fund—the Vanguard International Growth Fund, the filing showed.
As in past years, Bernanke's largest holdings were two annuities managed by TIAA-CREF. Both are part of a retirement plan he set up while teaching at Princeton University. One is a fixed annuity plan, the other a variable annuity.
