Welcome to SIGTARP

An official website of the United States government

The Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP) is a federal law enforcement agency that targets financial institution crime and is an independent watchdog protecting the interests of the American people.

2018 Fourth Quarter Report Issued

This report's features include:

A letter from Special Inspector General Christy Goldsmith Romero on SIGTARP's goals into the next decade.
The top challenges and threats to TARP, which now include a new risk: the lack of complete contractor data in the Blight Elimination Program.
An overview of SIGTARP's audits and recommendations.
An overview law enforcement investigations.
A list of TARP recipients in the Blight Elimination Program.

Press

Former CEO And Chief Loan Officer Of Failed Sonoma Valley Bank, And Borrower's California Attorney, Sentenced To Multi-Year Prison Terms For Bank Fraud And Other Crimes

$8.6 Million in TARP funds were lost when the bank failed. The court ordered asset forfeiture of defendant's interest in real estate worth approximately $20.8 million as proceeds of the crimes.

Countering the Ongoing and Evolving Threat of Financial Institution Fraud

The 2008 financial crisis laid bare one of nation's vulnerabilities: financial institution fraud. As recent scandals show, this type of fraud does not go away: it evolves and grows more harmful over time - weakening our financial institutions from the inside. To fix this problem, Special Inspector General Goldsmith Romero proposes the creation of a permanent law enforcement office with a narrow mandate to investigate financial institution fraud.

Bringing Accountability to the Insulated CEO

Executives from medium and small banks have been successfully prosecuted and sentenced to prison for committing crimes. But not big bank executives, who are purposely insulated from knowing about wrongdoing. Special Inspector General Goldsmith Romero proposes a crime and fraud certification to help fix that problem.

Special Inspector General Goldsmith Romero speaks with CNBC about the proposal

The New York Times profiles SIGTARP's success investigating medium and small banks

SIGTARP Investigations By the Numbers

Financial Institution Enforcement Infographic

Report TARP program abuse

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