Research in advanced formal theorem-proving techniques

The results are summarised of a project aimed at the design and implementation of computer languages to aid in expressing problem solving procedures in several areas of artificial intelligence including automatic programming, theorem proving, and robot planning. The principal results of the project were the design and implementation of two complete systems, QA4 and QLISP, and their preliminary experimental use. The various applications of both QA4 and QLISP are given

New information on lending to small businesses and small farms: the 1996 CRA data

As a consequence of recent revisions to the regulations that implement the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), new information is now publicly available on the geographic distribution of small loans to businesses and farms and on community development lending. Because small businesses and small farms are more likely than larger ones to borrow small amounts, the CRA data on small loans are likely to provide a reasonable measure of the extension of credit to such businesses. Thus, the CRA data provide new opportunities to gauge the flow of credit to communities with differing economic and demographic characteristics. This article presents an initial assessment of the new CRA data on originations and purchases of small business and small farm loans during 1996. The focus of the analysis is on the broad patterns that emerge when the data are reviewed from a national perspective rather than on the lending activities of any individual institution.Small business ; Bank loans ; Agricultural credit

From metropolis to metropolis-based region: the case of Tel-Aviv

The decreasing importance of metropolitan areas in the distribution of population and economic activity within many nations of the developed world raises questions about the emergence of agglomeration diseconomies and about the changes in urban spatial structure. Here we explore the thesis that an emerging metropolitan area based region (MBR), comprising the metropolis and a surrounding territory, is gradually replacing the metropolis. Using data covering the last 22 years for the metropolis of Tel-Aviv (Israel) and its surrounding territory, various indicators are estimated. These include national and regional deconcentration (both measured in terms of population and employment), as well as centrality, dependence, attractiveness and integration (measured in terms of employment). The main results of the analysis include the following: the need to view metropolitan stagnation and deconcentration within the wider context of the MBR; employment deconcentration occurring at a slower rate than population deconcentration, leading to increasing levels of employment centrality within the MBR; the process of consolidation within the MBR and a strengthening of its economic role within the nation.

CRA special lending programs

The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) of 1977 encourages federally insured banking institutions to help meet the credit needs of their communities, including those of lower-income areas, in a manner consistent with their safe and sound operation. In responding to the CRA, many banking institutions have sought to expand lending to lower-income populations through special lending programs that seek out and assist such borrowers in a variety of ways. These programs, many of which include third parties such as government agencies and nonprofit groups, are often an important element of an institution's CRA-related lending. Many institutions have conducted such programs, some for many years. Although the characteristics of these programs and their implementation vary greatly across banking institutions, little systematic information about them has been available. To further the understanding of CRA special lending programs, this article uses data from a recent Federal Reserve Board survey to provide new information on the nature of these programs, their characteristics, and how these characteristics relate to the performance (delinquency and default rates) and profitability of the loans extended through them.Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 ; Mortgages