Reuters:

With the governments's latest actions this week to ease consumer credit and lower mortgage costs, the potential bill for U.S. financial rescue efforts is now about $8.317 trillion, although far less has been commited so far, and money extended might not be lost.

The government has bought preferred stock in many of the institutions it has assisted, investments that could turn a profit for taxpayers in the future.

Following is a rundown of the total amount of known U.S. public funds that could be put at risk - either spent, allocated, or pledged - on Fed liquidity, loan and purchase actions, Treasury Department financial recue efforts, housing support legislation and actions by other federal agencies:

Credit markets

• Up to about $1.8 trillion in Federal Reserve purchases of top-rated U.S. dollar commercial paper under a program launched in October. The Fed said it does not intend to buy anywhere near this amount, which represents whar elogible issuers could sell - up to $1 billion per issuer. As of Nov. 19, the Fed's holdings in this program were $270.88 billion.
• Up to $800 billion in Fed support for mortgage and consumer credit markets, including purchases of up to $600 billion in debt and mortgage-backed securities issued by government-sponsored enterprises such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The Fed is also launching, with Treasury backing, a $200 billion loan program to support consumer credit, such as student, auto and credit card loans.
• Up to $600 billion in Fed purchases of U.S. dollar commercial paper and certificates of deposit under a Money Market Investor Funding Facility announced Oct. 21.

• Up to about $1.9 trillion in new Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. guarantees for banks, including $1.4 trillion in new senior unsecured debt issued by banks, and $500 billion in transaction deposit accounts typically used by businesses to pay workers and vendors.
• Up to $900 billion in Fed Term Auction facility loans was offered to meet financial institutions' cash needs over the year-end period, including $600 billion in normal auction facilities and two $150 billion "forward" TAF auctions this month. As of Nov. 19, $415.3 billion in TAF credit was extended.
• Unlimited commitments by the Fed to use its discount window to lend to banks and broker dealers. Credit extended under these facilities totaled $296.82 billion as of Nov. 19.
• $700 billion for the Treasury to buy equity stakes in financial institutions. Under the Troubled Assets Relief Program, or TARP, the Treasury allocated $250 billion to banks and thrifts, ibcluding $25 billion to Citigroup. The ultimate cost of these programs is uncertain, and the government could profit if the shares rise in value.

• Up to $249.3 billion in losses from a Citigroup portfolio of $306 billion in risky assets would be shouldered by the Treasury, the FIDC and the Fed.
• Up to $352.5 billion in support for AIG from Treasury equity purchases and loans from the Fed.
• $40 billion to AIG from the $700 billion TARP program.

• $29 billion in financing for JPMorgan Chase's government-brokered buyout of Bear Stearns in March. The Fed agreed to take $30 billion in questionable Bear assets as collateral, making JPMorgan liable for the first $1 billion in losses, while agreeing to shoulder any further losses.

• At least $26.57 billion in Treasury direct purchases of mortgage-backed securities (MBS) since September. The Treasury has said it will continue to make purchases in the months ahead.
• $200 billion to backstop Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The Treasury will inject up to $100 billion into each institution by purchasing preferred stock to shore up their capital as needed.
• Up to $144 billion in additional MBS purchases by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac since their portfolio limits were expanded when the government took them over in September.
• $300 billion for the Federal Housing Administration to refinance failing mortgages into new, reduced-principal loans with a federal guarantee, passed as part of a broad housing rescue bill.
• $4 billion in grants to local communities to help then buy and repair homes abandoned due to mortgage foreclosures.

• Up to $50 billion from the Great Depression-era Exchange Stabilization Fund to guarantee principal in money market mutual funds to provide the same confidence that consumers have in federally insured bank deposits.

• Unlimited temporary Fed currency swap lines with the European Central Bank, and central banks in England, Japan and Switzerland. The Fed maintaines $165 billion in swap lines with other central banks to address elevated pressures in the U.S. dollar short-term funding markets.

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2. "Our Risky New Financial Markets".

3. "Senator Barack Obama on America and The World".

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6. "Back to the '90s — The Supreme Court Immunizes Managed Care".

7. "California Regulator Blocks Blue Cross Merger".

8. (a): "Health Merger Assailed: WellPoint Payouts for Executives Called Obscene".
        (b): "Health Staff Cuts Pay to Help Ailing Hospital".

9. Senator Edward M. Kennedy: "Congress should never have passed the Republican Medicare bill".

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