ESTIMATED U.S. TAXPAYER COST FOR BAILOUT JUMPS

U.S. congressional budget analysts have raised their estimate of the net cost to taxpayers for the government's financial rescue program to $356 billion, an increase of $167 billion from earlier estimates. For example:

• The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) had originally projected the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) would cost taxpayers $189 billion.
• The additional cost, which applies to TARP spending for fiscal years 2009 and 2010, was included in the CBO's March projection of a $1.8 trillion deficit for fiscal 2009, which ends September 30.

The TARP cost projection was raised due to changes in financial market conditions, new transactions and a shift in expected timing of payments, the CBO said. Bank of America and American International Group programs involved higher subsidy rates than previously estimated...

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