Washington - Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke Friday was optimistic about the market's responses to a series of crisis measures undertaken by the central bank to stem the financial crisis.

"So far, we have generally been encouraged by the market responses, including the decline in mortgage interest rates," Bernanke said in speech to community bankers in Phoenix, Arizona.

Washington - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Tuesday outlined a broad overhaul of how US financial institutions should be regulated, calling on policymakers to begin remaking the system even as they battle the current economic downturn.

Bernanke said the focus should be on financial firms of "systemic" importance to the entire system and whose failure could lead to a complete collapse of the economy.

Washington - US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Tuesday warned there was "considerable uncertainty" over how quickly the United States can recover from a deep recession, even as funds from a massive government stimulus package were being released into the economy.

While President Barack Obama announced that new infrastructure projects would begin Tuesday and help spur job growth, Bernanke told a Senate hearing that it was difficult to measure the impact of Obama's 787-billion-dollar plan.

Washington - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Tuesday slammed insurance giant American International Group Inc (AIG) for taking needless risks and helping bring the US financial system to its knees.

In testimony before Congress, Bernanke said AIG was critical to the stability of the wider financial system, but the central bank head made clear that he was uneasy about the government's nearly 200- billion-dollar investment in the world's largest insurance company.

Washington  - US central bank head Ben Bernanke on Wednesday rejected the idea that the government plans to nationalize major US banks in danger of collapse, during a second day of testimony before legislators.

The Federal Reserve chairman insisted that President Barack Obama's administration preferred to use public-private partnerships, which were temporary in nature and involved taking only a portion of banks' shares in exchange for emergency government funds.

Washington  - If massive government action to revive the US economy is successful the recession affecting the world's largest economy could begin to turn around this year, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Tuesday.

Testifying before the US Senate Banking Committee, the central bank chairman said the government stimulus is essential to break the cycle of adverse feedback that helps to keep the economy down, even as he warned of ongoing negative pressures.