[livius]

The TARP aspect probably means it would have had more contact with government officials, but I doubt the bank was officially informed.

I bet that it was simply that some exec at the bank had a friend in DC who tipped him off, and the exec either didn’t know or didn’t care that he wasn’t supposed to warn the bank’s staff.

[utahagen]

No way. This was on official email from the CEO, with times and details. It was sent to tens of thousands of employees. The muckety-mucks had been officially informed. It may have been the CEO’s decision to tell the troops, and maybe the White House wouldn't have been pleased, but this was definitely not some “tip” from a friend. I can't say which bank because I work there. But anyone who wants to do some digging will find out. (There may have been many TARP banks that were informed, but I can speak only about the one where I work.)