U.S. Treasury

Americans get three extra days this year to file their income tax returns, but if you've put off doing your taxes, it's time to get organized -- and possibly to get help. Because if you owe Uncle Sam, even if you file for an extension, you'd better have his check in the mail by midnight Monday.

The Treasury has to find buyers for trillions of dollars in new bonds needed to fund the federal deficit. It hopes average citizens will pony up and invest in some $337 billion worth. But for a host of reasons, "safe" T-bonds might not be a winning investment for you.

Washington has been borrowing Social Security's surpluses for decades and issuing IOUs in return. However, the ability to pay those IOUs depends on the Treasury borrowing more money on global bond markets at affordable rates. That's hardly a sure thing.

For years, policymakers have reassured the public that Social Security will be solvent for decades. But outlay and income data from the Treasury reveal that Social Security is already deep in the red -- by $76 billion in 2010 alone. That's just the beginning.

The U.S. Treasury Department is offering up its remaining Citigroup shares, a move that marks the end of one of the federal government's largest bank bailouts. But the Treasury says it will hold out for an "acceptable price" for the 2.4 billion shares.

The initial public offering of General Motors last week netted $11.7 billion for the U.S. Treasury, which invested taxpayer money into keeping the then-struggling automaker solvent during the financial crisis as part of its Troubled Asset Relief Program.

The U.S. Treasury Department will issue the second-largest quantity of debt ever for the fourth quarter of this calendar year. However, the quality is less than previously forecast because of a higher-than-expected government cash balance.

The federal deficit will amount to the equivalent of approximately 10% of U.S. gross domestic product for the fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, according to a Treasury official. That's about the same percentage as the previous fiscal year.

The financial crisis was produced by a complex set of circumstances, including a massive housing bubble, poor regulation and irresponsible lending on an epic scale. A handful of bankers became the public faces of the crisis, and now, two years later, we take a look at what became of them.

As struggling banks get acquired or fail, the U.S. Treasury is shouldering a growing burden: Its TARP investments have turned out to be a bust -- and there are signs of more trouble ahead.