[Stentor]

...at least they would have spurred the economy.

If that was the intent. The real intent was to keep wealth in the hands of its "rightful owners".

[Georgia Girl 2]

So true. If every household had received $300,000 or so they could have paid off their mortgage and the banks would have gotten paid back instead of all the foreclosures. But that was not the intent of the TARP.