Banks snap up Fed cash at record $188 billion per day

By John Parry

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. financial institutions borrowed a record $187.75 billion per day on average directly from the Federal Reserve in the latest week, showing the central bank went to extremes to keep the financial system afloat amid the biggest crisis since the Great Depression.

Federal Reserve data showed on Thursday the total amount borrowed nearly quadruples the previous record of $47.97 billion per day notched just the week before and comes as the Bush administration and U.S. lawmakers work on hammering out an agreement on a $700 billion rescue package for the financial system.

"This looks like the balance sheet of a central bank that is keeping the financial system on life support," said Michael Feroli, U.S. economist with JPMorgan in New York.

Primary credit borrowings averaged a new record $39.36 billion per day in the latest week ended September 24 compared with the previous record of $21.60 billion a week ago.

Borrowings by primary dealers via the Primary Dealer Credit Facility and through another facility created on Sunday for Goldman Sachs (GS.N), Morgan Stanley (MS.N) and Merrill Lynch MER.N and their London-based subsidiaries totaled $105.66 billion as of Wednesday, the Fed said.

The Federal Reserve's lending to U.S. depository institutions and bank holding companies to finance their purchases of high-quality asset-backed commercial paper from money market mutual funds via a new lending facility the Fed announced on September 19, came in at $72.67 billion as of Wednesday.

The Fed designed the loan facility to help money market funds meet huge demands for redemptions from fearful investors over the past week after one U.S. money market mutual fund's value fell below $1 a share, and to foster liquidity in the asset-backed commercial paper markets.

The move followed the Treasury's action on Friday to set up a temporary guaranty program for the money market mutual fund industry.