In a memo to the company's employees, AIG CEO Robert Benmosche said Wednesday that he and the board remain "totally committed" to leading AIG.

In some cases, the difference between a winner and loser is often in the eye of the beholder--who can be a victim or a beneficiary--or simply a political ideologue. That’s why we want readers to weigh in and vote on a variety of people and concepts. We’ll report back with results and rankings on December 1.

One of the federal government’s most opaque methods for bailing out the banking system allowed a handful of giant institutions to save up to $25 billion on their borrowing costs, a Congressional panel estimated on Friday.

The guarantees offered by the US government to ensure the financial system does not collapse have changed the world forever because now expectations are that the same guarantees will be offered in major crises, Elizabeth Warren, the head of the Congressional Oversight panel on the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), told CNBC Friday.

The U.S. government guaranteed $4.3 trillion in financial assets, a bailout watchdog panel said. But the programs have generated fees of about $17.4 billion, while only up to $2 million is expected to be paid out.

U.S. pay czar Kenneth Feinberg Friday emphasized his ability to claw back pay at any company receiving a taxpayer bailout but said such an extreme action "will be rare and far between."

The Federal Reserve may end up taking no losses on the emergency programs it put in place to fight the crisis, New York Fed president William Dudley said on Thursday, a view that was shared by Fed vice chairman Donald Kohn.

The U.S. pay czar Thursday slashed cash compensation for the top earners at seven companies that received massive taxpayer bailouts, while allowing for some increases to retain key talent.

USBancorp, one of the 10 largest U.S. banks, on Wednesday said third-quarter profit rose 4.7 percent as mortgage banking revenue surged.

A government watchdog said the $700 billion bailout for the financial industry played a major role in rescuing the economy over the last year but also engendered anger and distrust among Americans because of secrecy and confusion about the way the program was handled.

With a key Congressional committee  beginning markup of legislation creating a consumer financial products watchdog, the Federal Reserve's unusual role as a source of funds will likely draw attention.

Concluding that some of the nation’s biggest banks are in good enough shape to raise capital from private investors, senior Treasury officials would like more of them to repay billions of dollars in taxpayer money that bailed them out over the last year.

The U.S. Congress will soon probe executive compensation at companies such as American International Group and Bank of America Corp receiving significant taxpayer funds, the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform panel said on Wednesday.

Question: how far will executives at America’s banks take their determination to regain control of their businesses and escape government regulations attached to TARP?

Even during his most frenzied days, when Congress is demanding answers or the president himself is calling, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner makes time to talk to a select group of powerful Wall Street bankers.