Mar. 26--For relatively strong banks, doing business with the government may be more trouble than it's worth.

Banks are publicly declaring their intent to pay back loans from the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, as quickly as they can. They range from Charlotte-based Bank of America Corp., which is the country's biggest bank, to tiny Iberiabank Corp. in Lafayette, La.

The banks complain about the rules that the U.S. Treasury keeps imposing on them retroactively, sometimes in ways that seem arbitrary or driven by constituents' anger.

Some say they never needed the money but were cajoled into taking it by the Treasury, which wanted a show of industry support for its program.

Others say they're dismayed by the public's outrage toward banks that participate in TARP, which was originally touted as a reward of sorts for healthy banks.

To be sure, the government has always had regulatory power over the banks. But at the companies where it's now a major shareholder, its grip is getting significantly tighter as it gets involved in decisions about everything from corporate jets to mortgage modifications.

"The rules have definitely changed," said William Cooper, chief executive of Minnesota-based TCF Financial Corp., after announcing this month that his bank has filed notice with the Treasury to pay back its approximately $360 million in TARP funds.

The Treasury rolled out TARP in October, charging 5 percent interest for the loans and attaching loose rules about executive pay, share repurchasing and dividend payouts. The goal was to encourage more lending to consumers and businesses.

The Treasury basically ordered nine of the nation's biggest banks, including Bank of America and Wells Fargo & Co., to participate in the program.

"It's not something we signed up for," Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis said in an interview last week with the Observer, referring to TARP's introduction.

Since then, legislators and regulators -- fueled by popular backing -- have imposed more regulations on the TARP banks, such as caps on executive pay and increased disclosure for how the loans are being spent. They also hauled the CEOs of the biggest banks to Capitol Hill for questioning.

"Congress has shown its hand -- and that hand is both manipulative and actively malevolent," said Nancy Bush, an analyst at NAB Research.

Bush recommends that banks repay their TARP loans as quickly as possible, then "never, ever sign an agreement with the U.S. government again."

Some appear to be heeding that advice: Chicago-based Northern Trust Corp.