U.S. Fed balance sheet grows in latest week

The U.S. Federal Reserve's balance sheet grew in the latest week with expanded holdings of U.S. Treasury debt, Fed data released on Thursday showed.

The Fed's balance sheet - a broad gauge of its lending to the financial system - stood at $2.791 trillion on October 3, up from $2.787 trillion on September 26.

The Fed's holdings of Treasuries totaled $1.653 trillion as of Wednesday versus $1.648 trillion the previous week.

The Fed's ownership of mortgage bonds guaranteed by Fannie Mae , Freddie Mac and the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) totaled $834.99 billion, up slightly from $834.98 billion the previous week.

The Fed's holdings of debt issued by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Bank system totaled $83.41 billion, which was unchanged on the week.

The Fed's overnight direct loans to credit-worthy banks via its discount window averaged $23 million a day during the week compared with a $43 million a day average rate the prior week. (Reporting by Chris Reese; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)