JPMorgan, Banks Seek Exit From Warrants

JPMorgan Chase (JPM Quote) and other banks are reportedly complaining that the U.S. Treasury is demanding too high a price to buy back the warrants associated with the government's bailout of the sector last fall.

Treasury has rejected as too low most of the valuation proposals received from banks looking to repay the warrants, which were issued to the government along with preferred equity stakes through the Troubled Assets Relief Program, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter.

JPMorgan Chase's Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon told Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner that he disagrees with some of the methods that the government is using to value the warrants, the Journal said.

JPMorgan Chase has also apparently waived its right to buy the warrants and will allow the Treasury to auction them in the public market, which it says will result in an actual market price, according to the Journal.

Last month 10 banks have repaid capital received from the government under the TARP -- JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs (GS Quote), Morgan Stanley (MS Quote), US Bancorp (USB Quote), BB&T (BBT Quote), Capital One (COF Quote), American Express (AXP Quote), State Street (STT Quote), Bank of New York Mellon (BK Quote), and Northern Trust (NTRS Quote).

But the government still owned warrants associated with those preferred stakes. Last month Treasury established a procedure for which banks that have repaid TARP could begin the process for repurchasing warrants. JPMorgan's contention is just one example that banks are increasingly disagreeing with Washington's expectations of the TARP program.

The Congressional Oversight Panel issued a report on Friday titled "TARP Repayments, Including the Repurchase of Stock Warrants," in which it examines whether Treasury is valuing the warrants in a way that maximizes the taxpayers' investment in the financial institutions. The panel also conducted its own detailed technical valuation of the warrants Treasury holds, according to a release.