But market observers remain unsure whether changes to the $100 billion Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility program will boost CLO investor demand or new-deal issuance, given key restrictions that remain in place.

The head of the U.S. central bank said its emergency credit programs were not designed to prop businesses up over the long term.

The central bank will disclose information on a monthly basis about its Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility and its Paycheck Protection Program Liquidity Facility.

The agency is being methodical in its rollout of the Main Street Lending Program in hopes of avoiding missteps that followed the launch of other coronavirus relief efforts. But observers say delaying aid brings its own risks.

The Federal Reserve also said in a supervisory report released Friday that it would conduct stress tests this quarter as planned, taking into account sudden deterioration in the economy brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

The agencies issued a rule to better enable banks to participate in two of the Federal Reserve’s lending facilities and “support the flow of credit to households and businesses.”

The Fed has tweaked its Main Street Lending Program to stir more enthusiasm, including the creation of a third financing option for larger companies. Will it make a difference?

They and other firms are seeking to replicate the windfalls many enjoyed in the aftermath of the financial crisis when, by taking advantage of low-cost loans via the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility, they were able to notch double-digit returns purchasing top-rated ABS as the economy recovered

The Federal Reserve chairman pledged to use every tool at the central bank's disposal to limit the economic fallout from the coronavirus and urged lawmakers to take further action.

The central bank and other agencies have come under pressure to be transparent about their use of funds authorized by the recent pandemic rescue law.