TARP

Alan Blinder, an economist and former vice chairman of the Federal Reserve, discusses why he thinks the government doesn't get enough credit for saving the U.S. economy from a much worse fate.

The Troubled Assets Relief Program -- TARP -- was the formal name for what we often just call "the bailout." In 2008 Congress allocated $700 billion to stabilize the U.S. financial industry. Congress and President Bush assigned one man to build a team, and police all that spending.

The Troubled Asset Relief Program’s inspector general says bailout funds helped community banks, but many are struggling to raise fresh capital.

A report out today from the special inspector general who oversees the 2008 bank bailout known as TARP has some bad news about small banks. He says more than 300 small banks that borrowed money from the federal government during the financial crisis have yet to pay it back.

In a report to congress, TARP's inspector general says while the program will likely end up making a profit for taxpayers, there's ongoing worry that many small banks are having trouble paying back the feds.

This final note today, in which I somehow naively hope will be the last time we'll have to say the word "TARP" on this program....

Today Jeremy Hobson spoke to former Democratic Ted Kaufman, chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel. About $50 billion of the $700 billion TARP...

The two million long-term unemployed could find themselves cutting back drastically if unemployment benefits ends today, and this could affect...

On trial today: the government's response to the financial crisis. The White House is officially evaluating the $800 billion stimulus program. ...