Markets around the world are lower today after a run on bank deposits in Cyprus over the weekend. That followed a decision by euro-zone officials to tax depositors to help pay for a national bailout. There's concern that the new bank crisis could spread to Italy, Spain and beyond.
The government's Great Recession bailouts are one of the hot topics of debate this election. But let's skip the rhetoric and run the numbers. If you think you know the facts about the bailouts, or if you're just curious, take a peek at our bailout quiz.
AIG is offering $15.7 billion for a heap of toxic mortgage bonds that the Federal Reserve Bank of New York took off its hands at the peak of the financial crisis in 2008. The move is intended to reduce the amount of government money that AIG, the recipient of the largest federal bailout during the financial crisis, holds.
In a second attempt to sell its 97.6% stake in Nan Shan Life Insurance, a Taiwanese insurer, American International Group has agreed to a $2.16 billion deal with the Ruen Chen consortium. But regulators nixed another sale agreement just five months ago. Will this deal go through?
The number of government-aided U.S. banks in danger of failing has grown about 15% in the past six months, The Wall Street Journal has reported. The economy has continued to batter many struggling institutions, with 98 bailed-out banks -- up from 86 in the second quarter -- now at risk.
The Citigroup bailout is officially over: The U.S. Treasury has sold the last of its shares of the bank. Overall, the U.S. government netted $12 billion in profit from the $45 billion bailout.
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.
General Motors's IPO later this month is expected to raise about $10 billion -- of between $26 and $29 per share -- and to reduce the U.S. government's stake of the company to a minority portion, the Associated Press reports.
The U.S. government's bailout has been less than effective in helping U.S. homeowners avoid foreclosure and could end up costing more than expected, according to a report from the Troubled Asset Relief Program's special inspector general.
It's looking less likely that taxpayers will recoup the $50 billion spent to bail out General Motors. A government watchdog says the U.S. Treasury would need to sell its shares for $133.78 each to break even.
Banks are not the enemy. Although many imperfections exist in our financial system, turning banks into a target or a tool for recovery will end poorly. Over time, things will work out in the absence of counterproductive, even if well-intentioned, meddling.
