Opinion: Some ugly truths about the bank bailouts

Could you have saved your home with $19,065?

By David Weidner

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — More than 4 million Americans lost their homes in the wake of the financial crisis, but the vast majority of lenders survived through government assistance rushed to Wall Street in the fall of 2008.

The main bailout vehicle, the Troubled Asset Relief Program, was hailed six months ago as a success by the Treasury Department. That came after Popular Inc., one of TARP’s repayment laggards, paid the $1.22 billion due to taxpayers.