[Toddsterpatriot]

A 10% recovery of principal over a six month period is not enough to justify the TARP bailout.

That's not the justification for TARP. And let's not pretend that 10% is the only recovery.

The auto money is lost and AIG looks kinda shaky, but the rest of the money will be recovered with interest.

[org.whodat]

but the rest of the money will be recovered with interest.

La La Land!!!

[Wallace T.]

The banks got a bird nest on the ground. After becoming overly invested in terrible investments that went south rapidly, they received a capital infusion plus an unlimited Federal guarantee of their liabilities. In such circumstances, even a senior on the business administration or finance track at a good college should be able to make money. Additionally, the Feds pressured FASB to drop its mark to market rule, meaning that the toxic assets will have inflated values. The banking system remains vulnerable to another possible shock, perhaps a commercial real estate collapse, that might have them running to Geithner and Bernanke again.