Federal Reserve Bank of Boston CEO to speak on banks, economy

As the nation’s economy continues to reel under the weight of a Wall Street shakeup, the president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston will size up the impact of financial institutions on the economy in a talk on Thursday, Oct. 9.

Eric Rosengren’s talk, free and open to the public, will be held at 5 p.m. in Room B-10 at Ingraham Hall, 1155 Observatory Drive.

“We’re very fortunate to have a campus visit by Eric, who has participated in monetary policy decisions during the past year. He can provide the public and our students, faculty and staff with valuable insight and perspective on these tumultuous economic times,” says Kenneth D. West, professor of economics at UW–Madison.

Rosengren, who earned master’s and doctorate degrees in economics at UW–Madison, took office in July 2007 as the 13th chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

Prior to that, Rosengren — a 23-year veteran at the bank — held senior positions in the Federal Reserve in both the research and bank supervision functions. In 2000, he was named senior vice president and head of the supervision and regulation department. He assumed the added title of chief discount officer in 2003 and was named executive vice president in 2005.

Rosengren participates in all meetings of the Federal Open Market Committee, which reviews financial and economic conditions and determines the appropriate stance of monetary policy.

Rosengren’s work as an economist focused on the linkages between financial problems and the real economy. He has published extensively on macroeconomics, international banking, bank supervision and risk management.

His talk will be followed by a reception in Room 8417 of the Sewell Social Sciences Building, 1180 Observatory Drive.