The U.S. government's $700 billion bailout program will "almost certainly" result in an overall loss for taxpayers, a key auditor for the program said on Thursday

Now that more banks are preparing to repay billions of dollars in TARP money, what is the government planning to do with it?

The US government will likely borrow substantially less than initially anticipated as "significant repayments" from banks which received funds during the crisis are ahead, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told CNBC Thursday.

In a memo to the company's employees, AIG CEO Robert Benmosche said Wednesday that he and the board remain "totally committed" to leading AIG.

In some cases, the difference between a winner and loser is often in the eye of the beholder--who can be a victim or a beneficiary--or simply a political ideologue. That’s why we want readers to weigh in and vote on a variety of people and concepts. We’ll report back with results and rankings on December 1.

One of the federal government’s most opaque methods for bailing out the banking system allowed a handful of giant institutions to save up to $25 billion on their borrowing costs, a Congressional panel estimated on Friday.

The guarantees offered by the US government to ensure the financial system does not collapse have changed the world forever because now expectations are that the same guarantees will be offered in major crises, Elizabeth Warren, the head of the Congressional Oversight panel on the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), told CNBC Friday.

The U.S. government guaranteed $4.3 trillion in financial assets, a bailout watchdog panel said. But the programs have generated fees of about $17.4 billion, while only up to $2 million is expected to be paid out.

A government watchdog said the $700 billion bailout for the financial industry played a major role in rescuing the economy over the last year but also engendered anger and distrust among Americans because of secrecy and confusion about the way the program was handled.

With a key Congressional committee  beginning markup of legislation creating a consumer financial products watchdog, the Federal Reserve's unusual role as a source of funds will likely draw attention.

Concluding that some of the nation’s biggest banks are in good enough shape to raise capital from private investors, senior Treasury officials would like more of them to repay billions of dollars in taxpayer money that bailed them out over the last year.

The U.S. Congress will soon probe executive compensation at companies such as American International Group and Bank of America Corp receiving significant taxpayer funds, the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform panel said on Wednesday.

Question: how far will executives at America’s banks take their determination to regain control of their businesses and escape government regulations attached to TARP?

Even during his most frenzied days, when Congress is demanding answers or the president himself is calling, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner makes time to talk to a select group of powerful Wall Street bankers.

Powerful House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) has scheduled a series of markup sessions for key parts of the reform package, according to Congressional sources.