Obama Expanding Bailout to Small Banks, Businesses
By Joshuah at 21 October, 2009, 6:17 am
President Barack Obama wants smaller community banks to have greater access to the government’s $700 billion financial rescue fund as the administration refocuses the bailout money on small businesses and homeowners and winds down programs aimed at big banks.
Obama on Wednesday plans to announce a package of initiatives designed to increase lending, including a request that Congress increase caps for existing Small Business Administration loans, the administration said.
The new effort comes as the administration is under pressure from liberals to shift the massive bailout fund’s spending away from big financial institutions and toward reducing foreclosures and creating jobs. But it also comes as Republicans press Obama to end the rescue program and use bank repayments to reduce the national debt.
An administration official said the Treasury Department intends wind down and terminate bailout programs launched at the height of the financial crisis to stabilize Wall Street and aid the struggling auto industry.
The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the details had not yet been made public, said the $218 billion Capital Purchase Program would effectively conclude at the end of the year. The program has been a central element of the bailout program, infusing banks with government money in exchange for preferred stock.
The administration also plans to cap two programs at levels below initial projections. One program designed to rid big banks of their bad assets will spend $30 billion instead of $75 billion, and another that supports a Federal Reserve effort to ease bank credit will top off at $30 billion instead of $80 billion. An initiative aimed at banks — the Capital Assistance Program — had no applicants and will also end, the official said.
Source/Full Story: FOXNews.com
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