WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner announced yesterday that the administration will extend the government's financial bailout program until next fall.

In a letter to House and Senate leaders, Geithner said the extension is "necessary to assist American families and stabilize financial markets."

Money from the $700 billion taxpayer-funded bail-out program has helped rescue big Wall Street firms, auto companies and others. That's angered many Americans, who feel the government hasn't provided them with relief from high unemployment and rising home foreclosures.

Geithner said the Troubled Asset Relief Program that Congress passed in October 2008 will be extended until Oct. 3, 2010. He has the authority to extend the TARP simply by notifying lawmakers.

"The recovery of our financial system remains incomplete," Geithner told lawmakers. "And, near-term shocks to that system could undermine the economic recovery we have seen to do."