Treasury to Find Out if Money to Banks is Boosting Lending

The money being given to banks under the financial industry rescue program is supposed to encourage them to increase lending. And now, the government is planning to find out
whether that’s happening.

The assistant Treasury secretary in charge of the bailout program, Neel Kashkari, says Treasury is developing tools to measure whether banks that get the money are lending more.

He says the department will compare the level of lending by banks that have received the government money with lending levels by similar banks that haven’t gotten the help.

The Bush administration has been criticized by lawmakers from both parties for not doing more to track the money. So far, $189 billion has been invested in more than 250 banks in an effort to
increase consumer credit and lending to businesses.

Last month, The Associated Press asked 21 banks to describe what had been done with the money. None would provide any specifics.