Fed, other central banks set joint liquidity operation

(Reuters) – The U.S. Federal Reserve on Sunday said it had joined with the Bank of Canada, Bank of England, Bank of Japan, European Central Bank and Swiss National Bank in a coordinated action to enhance the provision of liquidity through the standing U.S. dollar swap line arrangements.

The move came on the heels of a deal brokered by Swiss authorities to have UBS buy rival Swiss bank Credit Suisse to prevent its disorderly collapse and signals the depth of concern central bankers have over the recent turmoil in the financial system on both sides of the Atlantic.

“To improve the swap lines effectiveness in providing U.S. dollar funding, the central banks currently offering U.S. dollar operations have agreed to increase the frequency of seven-day maturity operations from weekly to daily,” the Fed said in a statement issued alongside announcements from the other five central banks.

Operations will commence on Monday and will continue at least through the end of April, the Fed said.

(Reporting By Dan Burns; editing by Diane Craft)