Data from the TSP show increasing rates of loans and financial hardship withdrawals since early this year, coinciding with furloughs at many agencies. Among general purpose loans (residential loans also are allowed), the number rose from 16,300 in February before sequestration started to 27,800 in July. At the same time, the number of hardship withdrawals rose from 7,300 to 14,300. The percentage of FERS employees who are investing—and they must invest to capture matching contributions—meanwhile slipped although by less than a percentage point.
