News release: “The Congressional Oversight Panel today released its Special Report on Farm Loan Restructuring, fulfilling a mandate under the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009 to analyze “the state of the commercial farm credit markets and the use of loan restructuring as an alternative to foreclosure by recipients of financial assistance under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).” The Panel’s report first examines the state of the agricultural sector and notes that, in general, it has fared somewhat better than the broader economy. The balance sheets of farmers and agricultural lenders have remained relatively strong, though some parts of the agricultural economy, most notably dairy are in crisis. Rural areas were generally less exposed to the housing bubble, providing some protection for rural community banks from the shock of the financial crisis, until more recently.”