Insurance giant American International Group on Wednesday signed an agreement with the government that details its plan to repay its government loans. Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal> reports that the government plans to sell much of AIG's stock in the next few months.
During the heat of the financial crisis, Ben Bernanke's Federal Reserve doled out a mountain of money to keep the damage from getting any worse. But if you think American companies were the biggest beneficiaries of this largess, you'd be wrong.
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.
The central bank says the disclosures cover more than 21,000 individual transactions done to "restore the flow of credit to American families and businesses, and support economic recovery and job creation in the aftermath of the crisis." It also says no money has been lost so far.
The plan to publish the names of recipients of emergency aid during the financial crisis marks "A significant step forward in opening the veil of secrecy that exists in one of the most powerful agencies in government," one senator said.
Given all that transpired globally over the Thanksgiving weekend, the idea of holding risky assets like stocks should give investors heartburn. Perhaps a strong Black Friday weekend and holiday selling season will draw traders' gazes, but that's no sure shot.
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.
In addition to state tax credits from Michigan -- and the billions of dollars already loaned it by U.S. taxpayers in the form of last year's bailout -- Chrysler may soon get approval for billions more in loans from the Department of Energy.
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.
The rescue of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could cost as much as $363 billion over the next three years -- more than double the amount spent so far -- the Federal Housing Finance Agency announced Thursday.
Citigroup on Monday morning reported third quarter net income of $2.2 billion, topping Wall Street estimates and marking its third consecutive quarterly operating profit. Citi shares were up as much as 2.3% in premarket trading.
The euro has posted its biggest quarterly gain in eight years, but billionaire investment guru Warren Buffett is worried about Europe's common currency. Despite the E.U.'s trillion-dollar bailout fund, he's not sure the Continent will be able to avert a sovereign debt meltdown.
The federal bailout program will end up costing taxpayers at least 85% less than expected, according to the Treasury Department, which estimates a bill of $30 billion to $50 billion. The Congressional Budget Office initially expected the program to cost $350 billion.
American International Group has received a $1 billion commitment from Kuwait Investment Authority for AIA Group's Hong Kong initial public offering. But the Kuwaiti sovereign wealth fund has forced AIG to lower the value of the Asian life insurance company.
After months of planning, AIG announced Thursday that it had entered into an agreement with the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York about how it will repay in full its obligations to the U.S. government and regain its independence.













