The U.S. Department of the Treasury is an executive agency that manages the finances of the U.S. It promotes economic prosperity and ensures the financial security of the country. The Secretary of the Treasury is a member of the President's cabinet, advising on economic and financial issues. Its various bureaus include Internal Revenue Service, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Office of Thrift Supervision, U.S. Mint, the Inspector General of the Troubled Asset Relief Program, and others.

Among Treasury's responsibilities is the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), which allows the department to buy or insure illiquid, difficult-to-value assets from banks and other financial institutions as part of the government's financial rescue during the credit crisis. Treasury is taking steps to wind down the emergency initiatives taken to stem the financial crisis, including the government's support of money-market mutual funds. The department recently created the Office of Capital Markets and Housing Finance, a new division focused on capital markets, housing finance and other market issues.

Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner, former Federal Reserve Bank of New York who also worked at Treasury as an attache in Japan and at the International Monetary Fund, has a reputation for diplomacy. He is known as a proud workaholic and for staying out of the spotlight, according to The Wall Street Journal.