Panel: Paulson Overpaid for Bank Stocks

(NEWSER) - Anybody seen $700 billion? The government watchdogs charged with overseeing TARP spending don't seem able to answer even basic questions about where the money went, Chris Adams writes at McClatchy. A special inspector general, a congressional panel, and eight other inspectors general are supposed to be keeping track of the funds, but they haven't been given the tools to do the job properly, Adams writes. More»

Government trying to unwind stock without losing on the deal

(NEWSER) - The Treasury Department has had a tough time selling off some of the stock it took on in exchange for TARP bailout funds, meaning taxpayers are still on the hook for some $132.9 billion—some of which they may never get back, according to a report released today by the government watchdog overseeing the program. Selling the stock has been complicated by swingy stock market prices, and deep dips in some of the bailed out companies, the AP reports. More»

Government strikes deal to sell remaining 2.4B shares

(NEWSER) - Taxpayers will wind up making out like bandits on their $45 billion bailout of Citigroup. The Treasury Department has struck a deal to sell its remaining 2.4 billion shares of Citigroup for $4.35 a share, it announced yesterday, bringing the total money made off such sales to $57 billion. Citigroup will pay the underwriting fees on the sale. More»

Despised TARP expires Sunday

(NEWSER) - The terms "$700 billion" and "bailout" are paired as often as "Tea" and "Party," but it turns out that the government lifeline to banks and auto firms will only cost taxpayers a fraction of what was originally predicted. The hugely unpopular Troubled Asset Relief Program—TARP—expires on Sunday, and Treasury officials say the program will cost the government $50 billion at most—and possibly nothing. AIG , the largest beneficiary, yesterday announced a plan to start paying the government back. More»

(NEWSER) - The Treasury Department has given 10 banks—including Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, American Express, and Capital One—permission to repay their TARP loans, the Wall Street Journal reports. The government will recoup $68 billion faster than anticipated, but the money won’t go back into the public coffers; Tim Geithner intends to deploy it to assist other firms, including some that have already received TARP funds. More»