Team Obama Nixes Citi's Private Jet Buy

Banks say funds can't go straight to loans, and recession cuts down on would-be borrowers

(NEWSER) - Lending is down at some of the biggest beneficiaries of the $148 billion the Treasury hoped would get US banks lending again, the Wall Street Journal reports. Of 13 banks to receive major government backing, 10 saw a decline in their outstanding loan balances between the third and fourth quarters of 2008. Analysts fear the decline shows the government plan has “failed.” More»

Will issue $17B in common stock to meet capital requirements

(NEWSER) - Citigroup and the US government have reached a deal that will allow the bank to repay $20 billion in TARP loans, after weeks of wrangling over the bank's health. Citi will raise $20.5 billion, $17 billion of it in common stock, the company said in a statement, a sign that the government's still worried about its cash reserves. At the same time, the government will sell $5 billion of the Citi common stock it currently holds, with the remainder of its 35% stake gradually sold off within the next 6-12 months. More»

Treasury's new idea would allow private investors to profit from bailouts

(NEWSER) - Responding to charges the bank bailout privatizes profits while socializing losses, the Obama administration is exploring creating mutual-fund-type instruments that would allow private citizens to invest in toxic assets. The bailout funds, akin to war bonds, would allow the taxpayers who funded the bailout to profit along with Wall Street, the New York Times reports. "It’s giving the guy on Main Street an equal seat at the table next to the big guys," said a money manager. More»

(NEWSER) - Amid growing dissatisfaction with government restrictions on bailout funds, President Obama will meet with bank CEOs on Friday, Reuters reports. Several banks have indicated that they will repay their TARP loans to avoid new government rules. In the meeting with execs from Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and others, Obama will urge them to “look beyond our own short-term interests,” an aide said. More»

Careful roll out of asset plan helps Treasury secretary get his credibility back

(NEWSER) - The carefully orchestrated roll out of the federal plan to buy toxic assets has won Tim Geithner Wall Street's support in the nick of time, Jackie Calmes writes in the New York Times. The Treasury secretary—whose plan was slammed when the "framework" was unveiled last month—could scarcely afford another setback, Calmes writes, making the Dow's 500-point leap on the plan’s unveiling all the more important. More»