Consumer Confidence New Low

WASHINGTON – An impatient White House is serving notice on banks receiving billions of dollars in federal help to quit hoarding the money and start making more loans.

White House press secretary Dana Perino told reporters Tuesday that the Bush administration is trying to "get banks to do what they are supposed to do," which is lend money. Though there are limits on how much Washington can pressure financial firms, she noted that banks are regulated by the federal government.

Perino said that the administration is watching lending activity very closely and working with the banks to step it up. She said that Anthony Ryan, Treasury's acting undersecretary for domestic finance, was delivering a speech in New York on Tuesday that made this point.