Program Note: Tune in to hear more from Ali Velshi tonight on AC360° at 10 p.m. ET.

Ali Velshi
CNN Chief Business Correspondent

On May 4th, The Administration will unveil the results of the “stress tests” that it is conducting on the country’s 19 largest financial institutions. The goal is to figure out – in the government’s worst-case scenario – how much MORE taxpayer money the government may have to put up to prevent a major collapse. The government is not likely to detail each bank’s financial position, for fear that new of an “unhealthy” bank could trigger a run on that bank by both investors and customers, thereby hastening its demise. But it IS likely to say something like “if unemployment were to increase dramatically, and home prices were to drop by a certain percent more, we’re likely to need this amount of money.”

Until the government finishes its tests, it’s not likely to even discuss taking back any of the big money that it has lent those big banks, despite the fact that many of them have reported profits for the first three months of this year, and say they WANT to give the money back. That could put $88 BILLION back into TARP’s coffers (right now the government has about $115 BILLION left of the $700 BILLION, and is counting on about $20 BILLION coming back.); money that can be used for other banks, preventing the administration from going back to a Congress without much of an appetite to lend more taxpayer money to Wall Street.

SOME OF THE BANKS CONSIDERING RETURNING TARP FUNDS:

• Bank of America $25 billion
• JP Morgan Chase $25 billion
• Wells Fargo $25 billion
• Goldman Sachs $10 billion
• Bank of New York $3 billion

Seems like a no-brainer and, in most cases, they’ll probably be allowed to give the money back. According to recent reports, the government is likely to want answers to the following questions before allowing the banks to give their TARP money back:

• How will it affect stability in the financial system overall?
• Will it encourage banks to engage in dangerous borrowing of their own?
• Will it leave enough money in the system to provide adequate credit?