Our work includes the development of valuable new data and empirical studies in these areas.
For example, for many decades the Board’s Survey of Consumer Finances has provided one of the most important sources of information on the assets, debts, and wealth of American households.3 The Federal Reserve has also developed substantial expertise in assessing and drawing policy conclusions from a range of consumer financial data, such as data from credit records or data on mortgages provided by lenders under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act.