To finance the off-balance-sheet assets, the government set deposit interest rates at very low levels: 1% or so.

FORBES: How China Will Crash And Burn

It arranged a deal to buy Wachovia (nyse: WB - news - people ) that would have involved moving troubled assets off the combined company's balance sheet with the assistance of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

FORBES: Uncle Sam Pumps Up Citi

Citi should be able to take the losses in its stride, given its enormous balance sheet and low cost of funds (thanks to cheap deposit funding).

ECONOMIST: There are losers, but some winners too