Treasury Department

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Paulson's New Plan: Buy Bad Wall Street Debt

Treasury chief pushes creation of agency; news lifts markets

(Newser) - The US government is considering the creation of a federal institution that would buy up bad debt from struggling Wall Street concerns, CNBC reports. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is reportedly pushing the proposal around Washington. By relieving financial institutions of toxic debt, they could return to lending money as per...

Wall St. Groans as Lehman Deal Takes Shape

Divided sale may spark ripple of pain through financial industry

(Newser) - A possible deal to salvage Lehman Brothers took shape today but cast a dark mood over Wall Street, the Wall Street Journal reports. Washington refused to save the ailing bank, sparking a plan for either Barclay's or Bank of America to buy "good" Lehman assets while other banks propped...

Senator: Fire 'Socialist' Paulson
Senator: Fire 'Socialist' Paulson
Sep 9, 2008 5:45 PM CDT

Senator: Fire 'Socialist' Paulson

Ky.'s Bunning appears to have problem with Fannie/Freddie move

(Newser) - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson saved Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but now he may have to worry about saving his own job: One Republican senator called his policies socialist and recommended that he and Fed chief Ben Bernanke resign, Bloomberg reports. “They have taken the free market out of...

Fannie/Freddie Rescue Not Radical Enough
Fannie/Freddie Rescue Not Radical Enough
OPINION
Sep 9, 2008 11:33 AM CDT

Fannie/Freddie Rescue Not Radical Enough

Feds must return GSEs to original purpose of providing liquidity

(Newser) - The Treasury’s rescue plan for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may be “superbly crafted,” Steven Rattner writes in the Washington Post, but it won’t solve the government-sponsored entities’ problems. Continuing as private-sector enterprises is a setup that “simply doesn’t work.” The GSEs had...

In Times of Crisis, Paulson's the 'Decider'
In Times of Crisis, Paulson's the 'Decider'
ANALYSIS
Sep 9, 2008 6:12 AM CDT

In Times of Crisis, Paulson's the 'Decider'

Fannie-Freddie bailout shows Treasury sec enjoys a free hand

(Newser) - Last week, a small group met in the Oval Office to discuss the impending takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But while President Bush convened the meeting, there was no mistaking who was running the show: Hank Paulson, who had first floated public ownership and who oversaw every aspect...

Feds Outline Fannie, Freddie Bailout

Gov't will step in as conservator; Treasury will buy preferred stock

(Newser) - Citing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as "critical to turning the corner on housing," Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson this morning announced a bailout of the beleaguered mortgage companies that includes his agency purchasing preferred stock, while the Federal Housing Finance Agency will step in as conservator. Additionally, Treasury...

Paulson Tacks Toward Middle on Fannie, Freddie Rescue

Conservatorship would toe line between opposing views

(Newser) - As concerns mount for troubled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two camps have emerged: one, led by free-market analysts, is pushing a temporary government takeover of the companies; the other, led by congressional Democrats, would rather see billions of tax dollars rescue the firms. Treasury secretary Henry Paulson...

Feds Plan to Take Over Freddie, Fannie

(Newser) - The White House told ailing mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac today that Washington will effectively take them over, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Treasury move will leave both companies functioning but replace their executives, inject capital, and likely leave shareholders with little or nothing. The move aims...

Fannie, Freddie Take Another Beating on Bailout Fears

Falling market caps raise investor fears of government action

(Newser) - Share prices of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac took another precipitous plunge yesterday as investors fear the home mortgage giants will not be able to avoid a government bailout, the Wall Street Journal reports. An article in Barron’s stoked smoldering concerns that the companies will not be able to...

Fed Extends Emergency Loan Program for Wall Street

Bernanke offers several options for cash-strapped firms

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve today extended its emergency borrowing program for Wall Street firms through Jan. 30. Originally the program, through which investment houses can tap the central bank for a quick source of cash, was supposed to last until mid-September. Another program, where banks can temporarily swap more risky investments...

'Buried Treasure' Riddle Stumps Feds

Man has been trying to exchange millions in moldy notes for years

(Newser) - It was found in a suitcase in an alfalfa field. It was in a tree. A treasure map led to a coffin full of money. Customs broker Franz Felhaber has been giving different stories about how he came to have up to $20 million in decomposing dollars for years, the...

Gramm Guilty of Sparking Subprime Mess
Gramm Guilty
of Sparking Subprime Mess
analysis
Jul 26, 2008 5:10 PM CDT

Gramm Guilty of Sparking Subprime Mess

Ex-senator still has clout despite dire deregulation

(Newser) - Former Senator Phil Gramm helped create the subprime meltdown, yet faces no punishment—and could even become treasury secretary if John McCain wins in November, David Corn writes in Mother Jones. Eight years ago, a Gramm bill stopped the feds from regulating insurance policies that protected Wall Street securities. These...

A Believer in Hands-Off Now a Defender of Hands-On

Treasury chief Henry Paulson has turned to intervention to calm markets

(Newser) - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is in the midst of a reluctant about-face of his economic principles. The Los Angeles Times looks at how Paulson—a former chief executive at Goldman Sachs with a long history of faith in laissez-faire capitalism—has had to become the point man for the Bush...

Tab for Fannie, Freddie Bailout Pegged at $25B

But chance better than 50% feds won't need to step in: budget office

(Newser) - A federal bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will cost $25 billion, the Congressional Budget Office said today, but there’s a better than 50% chance no rescue will be needed. The plan sought by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson would extend an unlimited line of credit to the government-sponsored...

Feds Mull Possible Bailout for Freddie and Fannie

The 2 mortgage giants continue to suffer with huge stock slides, losses

(Newser) - With the shares of mortgage titans Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac plummeting to their lowest points in more than 15 years, the Bush administration is weighing what to do in the event of a collapse, reports the Wall Street Journal. No rescue plan is imminent—both companies are expected to...

GM, After 16% Sales Dive, Eases Finance Options

No-interest loans, for up to 6 years, on models including pickups and SUVs

(Newser) - General Motors is offering no-interest financing for up to 6 years on a selection of its 2008 automobiles in an effort to boost US sales, which plummeted 16% in May, Bloomberg reports. Soaring gas prices have hurt sales across the board, and falling trade-in values and general tightening of purse-strings...

US Money Discriminates Against Blind, Court Rules

Treasury must make changes in paper currency, appellate body says

(Newser) - A federal appellate court agreed today with a lower court’s ruling that the US must change its paper money to accommodate the blind, who are unable to tell the current, single-size bills apart, the Washington Post reports. The court ruled that the bills violate the Federal Rehabilitation Act, rejecting...

Will Tax Rebates Boost Economy? Test Starts Today

The government has begun sending out the first cash

(Newser) - The first tax rebates designed to kick-start the economy should begin arriving in bank accounts today. The Treasury Department has begun sending electronic rebates to nearly 8 million people by the end of this week, and some 130 million checks will go out via snail mail in May. President Bush...

Bush Sees Rebate Checks Offsetting 'Slowdown'

Stimulus package hits home(s) next week

(Newser) - Again steering clear of the R-word, President Bush said today that the tax rebates scheduled to be distributed starting next week will "give our economy a boost to help us pull out of this economic slowdown," Bloomberg reports.

First Tax Rebates Go Out Monday

Paulson happy to be ahead of schedule

(Newser) - Treasury is putting its rebate money where its mouth is—ahead of schedule, Reuters reports, with the first wave of checks going out Monday. “We're a little bit ahead of schedule, so we will start right on Monday with direct deposits," Henry Paulson tells Reuters. The Treasury secretary...

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