by Alan Cordova

A question from a Boston architect:

Will the names recipients of the federal contracts be public information? I and a lot of my friends would like to know so that we will have a better idea of who has work and might be hiring.

 

The New York Times has a thorough table of all publicly announced TARP applicants so far (FYI — the numbers are in millions of dollars, in case anyone thought that Saigon National Bank was getting $1.50). This includes automakers, insurers and even a school district. The Treasury reports its awards publicly, but it does not announce applications out of concern that investors and customers would flee from a company if its application were rejected.

If you've spent years looking at supernova diagrams, then the Slate Bailout Guide will make sense — it tracks overall authorizations (even if the money has not yet been spent).