VOLCKER SAYS FED POLICY NOT LINKED TO RATE RISE Federal Reserve Board Chairman Paul Volcker said that he did not believe there was a connection between the Fed's policies and the recent rise in the prime interest rate by most major U.S. banks. Asked by reporters following testimony before the Senate Banking Committee whether the Fed had anything to do with the rise to 7-3/4 pct in the prime, he replied, "not that I was able to detect."