Some banks are doing their best to free themselves of the regulatory requirements imposed on them to ensure the TARP bailout money is put to good use.

• Early repayment of bailout funds may be a sign that the financial industry is recovering from last year’s crisis, but it’s not yet clear whether banks that repay will change any of their business practices.
• These ten companies will no longer be subject to TARP-related oversight and restrictions by the government, giving them a potential competitive advantage over companies that have not repaid.
• The U.S. Treasury began buying stakes in struggling financial institutions in October 2008, with the expectation that it would hold onto those investments for at least 3 years. But Congress recently forced the administration to allow some banks to exit the arrangement just eight months later.
• The federal government will no longer have a direct stake in banks that repay, but it will continue owning warrants and, according to President Obama, will continue to closely monitor the business practices of all financial institutions.

Facts & Figures

• Since October, the government has spent $199 billion on TARP funding for 600 different companies. The 10 companies now repaying the funds represent $68 billion of that total.
• The big ten: J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, U.S. Bancorp, BB&T Corp., American Express Co., Capital One Financial Corp., Bank of New York Mellon Corp., State Street Corp., and Northern Trust Corp.
• TARP restrictions addressed: “executive pay, dividend increases, hiring certain foreign workers for U.S. jobs, and lavish spending on corporate jets and conferences, which fueled a public backlash.”

Best Quote

“These are challenging times, and that’s not going to change simply because we repaid TARP.” – Michael Cavanagh, CFO at J.P. Morgan