Troubled Asset Relief Program

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Troubled Asset Relief Program

United States government

Also known as: TARP, Troubled Assets Relief Program

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Last updated

July 19, 2026

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The Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) was a key provision of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. Established during the financial crisis, TARP aimed to prevent the collapse of the U.S. banking system and restore confidence by authorizing the purchase of up to $700 billion in troubled assets like subprime mortgages and mortgage-backed securities. The program also included measures to minimize foreclosures and prevent unjust enrichment of executives at participating banks. While initially authorized for $700 billion, subsequent legislation reduced this amount.12

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Kenneth Chenault
…receive emergency financing through the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP)—a program created under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 that allowed the Treasury secretary to purchase troubled assets from banks in order to restore stability and liquidity to U.S. credit markets.
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…receive emergency financing through the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP)—a program created under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 that allowed the Treasury secretary to purchase troubled assets from banks in order to restore stability and liquidity to U.S. credit markets.
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Chrysler
From Daimler to Stellantis
…in government loans from the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP), a $700 billion fund approved by Congress to aid the financial industry in the wake of the subprime mortgage crisis. The loans would allow the auto companies to continue operating through March 2009, when they were required to either demonstrate…
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…in government loans from the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP), a $700 billion fund approved by Congress to aid the financial industry in the wake of the subprime mortgage crisis. The loans would allow the auto companies to continue operating through March 2009, when they were required to either demonstrate…
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financial crisis of 2007–08
Key events of the crisis
… (EESA), which would establish a Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), under which the Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Paulson, would be authorized to purchase from U.S. banks up to $700 billion in MBSs and other “troubled assets.” After the legislation was initially rejected by the House of Representatives, a majority…
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… (EESA), which would establish a Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), under which the Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Paulson, would be authorized to purchase from U.S. banks up to $700 billion in MBSs and other “troubled assets.” After the legislation was initially rejected by the House of Representatives, a majority…
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Ford Motor Company
2000–2008: Surviving the Great Recession
…in government loans from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), a $700 billion fund approved by Congress to aid the financial industry following the subprime mortgage crisis.
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…in government loans from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), a $700 billion fund approved by Congress to aid the financial industry following the subprime mortgage crisis.
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General Motors
TARP, Chapter 11, and recovery
…in government loans from the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP), a $700 billion fund approved by Congress to aid the financial industry following the subprime mortgage crisis. The loans would allow the auto companies to continue operating through March 2009, by which time the plan required them to demonstrate “financial…
Read More
…in government loans from the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP), a $700 billion fund approved by Congress to aid the financial industry following the subprime mortgage crisis. The loans would allow the auto companies to continue operating through March 2009, by which time the plan required them to demonstrate “financial…
Read More

United States
Occupy Wall Street, withdrawal from Iraq, and slow economic recovery
…loans provided by the government’s Troubled Asset Relief Program. Wages, however, remained largely stagnant, and the housing market, while showing some signs of recovery, was still tottering, with foreclosures widespread and in some places seemingly ubiquitous. Unemployment, which, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, had reached 10 percent in…
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…loans provided by the government’s Troubled Asset Relief Program. Wages, however, remained largely stagnant, and the housing market, while showing some signs of recovery, was still tottering, with foreclosures widespread and in some places seemingly ubiquitous. Unemployment, which, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, had reached 10 percent in…
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