A new Bank Bailout Plan unveiled last week may give new hope to distressed homeowners and communities. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner recently announced the government’s plan to commit over $1 trillion in reforms aimed at rescuing the country’s financial system. The program would amend weaknesses in the bailout plan proposed by the Bush administration, and override other previous reforms.
Much of the funding would go into financing loan purchases and reviving the economy through increased lending activity. The key points of the program include:
Support for bank lending
The Treasury aims to advance the capital position of major banks to boost lending activity. This would entail a three-part process:
"Stress test": Banks and financial institutions will be checked to ensure they have enough capital to keep lending, and whether they can survive future economic downturns. The government will tighten its rules on public disclosure of a bank’s holdings, and those with assets over $100 billion will be assessed individually.
"Capital Assistance Program": The CAP will build on previous efforts by theTroubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), which has put $250 billion in capital purchases. The Treasury will continue to help banks rebuild their capital following the stress test, and take preferred shares in banks taking part in the CAP program. According to Geithner, this will serve as a buffer for banks that can benefit from increased lending.
"Financial Stability Trust": The FST is a separate trust to hold the investments made by the Treasury under the program, and will be maintained by a group of fund managers.
Buying up troubled assets
This section is designed to help relieve banks of "toxic" or hard-to-sell assets and put more of their efforts into private lending. The goal is to buy up these assets using a combination of public funds and private capital, with the private sector taking charge of the price assessments. The costs of this goal are still uncertain, but the Treasury expects to generate up to $1 trillion from the investments.
Consumer and business lending
The Treasury also plans to restore the flow of credit by increasing lending in the consumer and business levels. This goal builds on the proposed Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF), but will increase funding from $200 billion to $1 trillion in federal lending. Under the plan, the government will purchase securities backed by consumer and business loans, such as auto loans, small business loans and credit cards. The plan will put a premium on higher-quality securities to minimize losses for taxpayers.
Improved transparency and accountability
Banks and financial institutions who benefit from taxpayers’ money will be closely watched to ensure they don’t misuse public funds. Any companies receiving bailout funds will have to meet new requirements and operate under tighter restrictions. For instance, they will need to submit a plan for spending the government aid to increase lending, and upload monthly reports on the website www.financialstability.gov. Details of all transactions will also be posted on the website 5-10 days after each one is completed.
Companies receiving federal loans will also have to limit dividends to 1% per quarter until the debt is paid. Until then, they cannot re-buy private shares or buy up other banks without consent from the Treasury. A cap will also be imposed on executive pay for CEOs, and lobbyists will be banned to keep them from influencing the Treasury’s decisions.
Housing and foreclosure assistance
The new plan will lower interest rates to provide more affordable housing and reduce the risk of foreclosure. This program will cost $50 billion in the first weeks following implementation, during which loan modification guidelines will be established and existing programs will be adjusted. Under this plan, all companies receiving financial assistance will need to participate in the foreclosure mitigation plan (currently, only Citigroup and the Bank of America are taking part).
For homeowners, the government plans to spend $600 billion to buy up existing mortgage-backed securities from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. This will allow them to lower mortgage rates and make housing more affordable for families in distressed communities.
Small business lending
Small businesses and community lenders will also benefit from the bailout plan through lower borrowing costs and increased lending activity. Key elements will include buying up loans from the Small Business Administration (SBA), reducing fees, and increasing loan guarantees up to 90%.
