From PRI, Public Radio International and KCRW Santa Monica, this is To the Point.

Too big to fail and still growing.

Hello again, I'm Armin Alney, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International.

A daily look at the issues Americans care about most.

Some banks are paying back their part of the $700 billion in tarp loans with interest,

but challenging questions remain.

America's biggest banks are now bigger than ever, but smaller banks are failing fast.

What's the connection? When just four banks now issue half the country's mortgages and two-thirds of the credit

cards, do consumers still have any choice? Are the institutions that put the entire economy

at risk being rewarded? Will it be harder than ever for government to wrestle them down to size?

On reporter's notebook later on, big change in Japan. First, here's the news.

Support for To the Point comes from subscribers of KCRW Santa Monica and from the Public Radio International Program Fund, whose contributors include the Ford Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Hello again, Warren Alney, back with To The Point.

Banks that were too big to fail were rescued from the consequences of bad decisions with taxpayer money. They're beginning

to pay it back, but at the same time, they've grown bigger than ever. What does that mean for

consumers? Can government get the banks under control before they get reckless again? On reporter's

notebook, Japan's likely new prime minister rejects American-style capitalism, or does he?

First, this news update.

We have a lot of fires all over the state of California.

We have fires from the northern border all the way south and from the Pacific to Sierra Nevada.

Fires, fires, fires.

That was California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger this morning at a command center east of

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