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COLUMBIA (WACH) -- You may have heard of TARP. Now we are looking at how it affects taxpayers in South Carolina.

Penny Delaney Cothran with the South Carolina Bankers Association is clearing up the facts about the TARP program.

"TARP is a broad based term now that has come to mean everything that has become encompassed in the financial bailout package from 2008," she says.

She says banks were part of the Capital Purchase Program which is a division of TARP. The money was intended to help banks invest in the community through small business and home loans.

"When it comes to banks, banks will probably line the pocket of the taxpayer by as much as 30 billion dollars when all is said and done," she explained.

Kevin Rasberry runs Columbia's Future Solutions, a housing counseling agency that teaches people about finance and credit.

He agrees CPP stabilized banks, but isn't certain enough is being done to stimulate community growth.

"We need more funds going into small business and industry because that creates more jobs also helping with housing we need to create more stability in our neighborhood," he says.

Penny Delaney Cothran says, "the banks which are treated to stricter regulatory scrutiny have been making their payments and are going to help in the end make lending possible in the community."

She says TARP money is not as prevalent as you may think in area banks. She says about 21 of the 104 commercial banks in South Carolina took the money and have been making their payments on time.

"I think it is important to understand that the banks that took money here in South Carolina are financially sound in fact that is one of the requirements for the Capital Purchase Program," she says.

Still Rasberry is concerned his clients don't know enough about getting a piece of the money because it isn't easily filtering down to them.

"There is plenty of money available now its just getting them qualified...I understand where the banks are they set those standards high they want to try to not have those losses like they did before," he says.

Rasberry says he wants to see more education through community resources so people can learn how to get loans from the banks.

Click here to learn more about financial counseling.