Audit Says U.S. Estimated $900 Million Loss on Citigroup AssetsApril 21 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Treasury estimated $900 million in losses as of the end of last year on $301 billion in Citigroup Inc. assets that the government is guaranteeing, according to a new audit report released today.The Treasury, the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. have agreed to share in losses on the assets as part of $50 billion that Citigroup has received so far under the Troubled Asset Relief Program, the $700 billion bank rescue effort enacted last year. No estimate of losses since Jan. 1 is yet available, according to the report from Neil Barofsky, special inspector general for the TARP.
The report comes as a congressional oversight panel prepares to question Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner at a hearing today on how the Obama administration intends to revamp the TARP. White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said April 19 there were no plans to seek more funds from Congress, at least for now.
New York-based Citigroup and Bank of America Corp., based in Charlotte, North Carolina, are the only two banks participating in the Treasury’s Asset Guarantee Program, part of the bank rescue effort. Bank of America and the government haven’t yet completed an agreement on the pool of assets to be protected.
The report also discloses an ongoing audit into federal assistance to Bank of America, which has benefited from three different bank rescue programs. The audit, one of six that Barofsky’s office is currently conducting, will look at Treasury’s decision to extend aid in connection with Bank of America’s acquisition of Merrill Lynch. The audit was expanded to include the other eight large banks that received TARP funding in October 2008, the report said.
Executive CompensationToday’s inspector general report also includes new details about the Obama administration’s auto bailout program, the Treasury’s ongoing search for asset managers and the debate over new executive compensation rules.
“Treasury should address the confusion and uncertainty on executive compensation by immediately issuing the required regulations,” the report said, noting that it has been two months since Congress passed new pay limits as part of a broader economic stimulus plan.
Treasury officials told the inspector general they were working on a “comprehensive rule” on salaries and bonuses for top officials at banks receiving aid. Questions remain about how the regulations will apply to fund managers and investors in the Treasury’s new toxic-asset purchase plan.
Fund ManagersFund managers who seek to be co-owners of public-private investment partnerships, which will buy the toxic assets, might face the pay limits, the report says. It cites Treasury officials saying that in such cases, the fund managers “would not be passive investors and could be subject to the executive compensation restrictions.”
The Treasury continues to work on hiring asset managers to manage the preferred shares and other securities it has acquired through TARP, said Treasury Assistant Secretary Neel Kashkari, who manages the rescue program, in his response to the inspector general’s report.
Until the asset managers are selected, the Treasury is relying on its custodian, Bank of New York Mellon, to provide initial valuations for the portfolio, Kashkari said. BNY Mellon has hired Gifford Fong Associates to help with these efforts.
As for the auto rescue program, the report spells out financial details for two elements of the effort to help General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC emerge from bankruptcy.
As part of the restructuring, GM will receive up to an additional $5 billion in operating cash, on top of loans received so far, and Chrysler may access as much as $500 million in operating cash, the report says, citing Treasury estimates.
In March, the Treasury started a program to backstop warranties on new GM and Chrysler vehicles sold while the two companies restructure. The program, which took effect March 30, has an estimated cost to the government of $1.25 billion, according to the inspector general’s report.
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