With storm clouds hanging over the U.S. economy, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has gone on the offensive, slashing the federal funds target rate by 3 full percentage points—to 2.25 percent—since September.

 But despite the central bank’s aggressive action, prospective homebuyers are left scratching their heads. After all, the average interest rate on a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage has fallen by only about half a percentage point, to 5.85 percent, since mid-September. So what gives?

Does the Fed set mortgage rates? (www.mylendingplace.com)

No. The Fed is responsible for setting the federal funds target rate, which is the interest rate that banks charge each other for overnight loans. “A bank’s balance sheet needs to balance every day,” says Ken Mayland, president of ClearView Economics. “If a bank needs funds, it will borrow. If it has a surplus, it will lend—at the federal funds rate.”

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