TARP Loss Revised Down to $89B

Good news, taxpayers: Treasury Department officials now estimate that the TARP bailout will cost American taxpayers $89 billion—well short of the $356 billion price tag Congress put on it one year ago. However, the number may just be an accounting sleight of hand, as it fails to include the estimated $370 billion in losses at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac through 2020. At least the government is getting ready to end its entanglement with AIG: The Wall Street Journal says the government could start winding down its 80 percent stake in the insurance giant as early as next year.