Treasury Department

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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...

Small Banks, States Rip Paulson Plan

Critics deride plan as that of 'a bunch of guys from Wall Street'

(Newser) - Small banks, credit unions, states, and assorted politicians wasted no time ripping into the Bush administration’s plans to rework federal regulation of the financial industry, calling it an amateurish attempt by a “bunch of guys from Wall Street,” reports the Wall Street Journal. “It’s because...

2 Probes Launched Into Bear Stearns Deal

Two Senate panels to investigate takeover

(Newser) - The controversial acquisition of Bear Stearns by rival JP Morgan Chase, aided by billions of dollars of government credit, is about to become one of the most scrutinized deals in Wall Street history. Two separate Senate investigations will soon be under way, one by the Banking Committee and another by...

Paulson Wants Closer Tabs on Investment Banks

More transparency needed if they're to borrow from Fed, Treasury chief says

(Newser) - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said today that investment banks owe the government more information about their financial condition if they are occasionally allowed to borrow money from the Federal Reserve, the New York Times reports. Paulson seemed to call for tighter regulations before calling the recent bailout of Bear Stearns...

Investors Urge Reluctant Fed to Buy Mortgage Debt

Critics say plan would put too much risk on taxpayers

(Newser) - The best way for the Fed to help reverse the sagging economy is for it to buy some of the $6 trillion in outstanding mortgage-backed securities that have Wall Street so nervous, investors say. The move would ease the credit crunch but put taxpayers at risk. It’s an option...

JPMorgan in Talks to Boost Bear Stearns Bid

Attempt to mollify furious Bear stockholders

(Newser) - JPMorgan Chase was in negotiations last night to quintuple its bid for Bear Stearns following a storm of angry protests by Bear shareholders over the initial bargain-basement deal for the investment banking giant, reports the New York Times. Under the new deal, JPMorgan Chase would pay $1 billion—$10 a...

Economy in 'Sharp Decline,' Paulson Admits

He won't say recession, but treasury secretary comes close

(Newser) - Hank Paulson came closer than ever to conceding that the economy is in recession in a series of interviews yesterday, Reuters reports. Weary after a weekend in which he helped to broker Bear Stearns' fire sale to JPMorgan, the treasury secretary avoided the R-word but admitted: "There's no doubt...

Paulson Wants to Toss Pennies
 Paulson Wants to Toss Pennies 
Feb 29, 2008 4:15 PM CST

Paulson Wants to Toss Pennies

Costs outweigh value of small change, but government has no plans to cash out

(Newser) - Henry Paulson sees little point in pennies and would stop their production if he could, the AP reports. “The penny is worth less than any other currency,” the Treasury Secretary said today in a radio interview. But a sea change in change isn't imminent: Paulson says he...

US, Iran Met on Terror Financing
US, Iran Met
on Terror Financing
Feb 16, 2008 7:27 AM CST

US, Iran Met on Terror Financing

Rare encounter last month at a multinational conference

(Newser) - Senior Treasury Department official Daniel Glaser met last month with representatives from Iran to discuss "the significant threat Iran poses to the integrity of the international financial system," Reuters reports. The rare talks, which required special permission from the US government, took place during a meeting of the...

Bush Legacy of Debt May Stymie Successor

He will unveil record $3T budget as deficit soars

(Newser) - The next president may inherit a US government so deeply in debt it could lose its Triple-A credit rating for the first time since Moody's Investors Service began grading securities 90 years ago, warns the Wall Street Journal. The White House is preparing to unveil a record $3 trillion budget...

Paulson Calls for More Housing Relief

Treasury secretary suggests aid for prime-rate borrowers

(Newser) - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson advised the mortgage industry today to give help to millions of financially stressed homeowners whose mortgages are set to rise. His comments signal that the Bush administration is starting to push lenders to expand relief beyond subprime borrowers to homeowners with other adjustable-rate loans, reports the...

Social Security Debit Cards in the Works

Eliminating checks will save government money, lessen security worries

(Newser) - A new Social Security debit card, intended to replace paper checks for the millions of seniors who don’t have bank accounts, will be available by this spring, the Treasury Department said today. It's the latest phase in a shift from fraud-prone paper payments to safer, cheaper electronic ones, the...

Senate Blocks Tax Hikes
Senate Blocks Tax Hikes
Dec 7, 2007 2:50 AM CST

Senate Blocks Tax Hikes

Fix shields millions from alternative minimum tax

(Newser) - The Senate has voted overwhelmingly to shield 23 million Americans from tax increases imposed by the alternative minimum tax—without replacing $50 billion in lost revenue. The vote to extend protection from the tax represents a retreat for Democrats who had pledged to meet the shortfall with spending cuts or...

Bush to Offer Mortgage Freeze
Bush to Offer Mortgage Freeze
Dec 5, 2007 1:07 PM CST

Bush to Offer Mortgage Freeze

Plan would help homeowners facing rate increases

(Newser) - President Bush will detail tomorrow the Treasury Department's plan to hold interest rates steady for subprime borrowers at risk of defaulting on their mortgages when rates rise, Reuters reports. The plan, negotiated with mortgages lenders and investors, would freeze for five years adjustable loans due to jump to higher rates...

Mortgage-Rate Freeze Draws Backlash
Mortgage-Rate Freeze Draws Backlash
Dec 1, 2007 11:51 AM CST

Mortgage-Rate Freeze Draws Backlash

Plan to give borrowers a break called 'morally repugnant'

(Newser) - Not everyone is applauding Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson's plan to freeze adjustable mortgage rates on distressed home loans to help contain the spreading subprime crisis. Some analysts think the plan will only postpone foreclosures, rather than preventing them. And now that loans are bundled and sold to investors, some of...

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