The Federal Reserve said on Jan. 25, 2012 that it is likely to keep its rates below 1 percent until late 2014 because of the economy's continued weakness. 

The decision means the era of historically low rates on loans – and savings – that the Fed kicked off at the peak of the financial crisis in late 2008 will run longer unless the economy improves faster than Fed policymakers predict.

The Fed said unemployment would stay near its 8.5 percent level through the end of this year and could still be in the range of 6.7 percent to 7.6 percent at the end of 2014. Housing remains depressed while growth in business investment has slowed, it said.

Meanwhile, inflation is staying below 2 percent.

Most Fed governors think the economy will grow by 2.2 percent to 2.7 percent this year, with unemployment at 8.2 percent to 8.5 percent and core inflation at 1.5 percent to 1.8 percent, the Fed said.