Fed extends deadline for consumer credit program

The Federal Reserve is giving investors two extra days to sign up for a $1 trillion program to jumpstart lending to consumers and small businesses.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York on Friday extended the deadline at the request of would-be participants _ such as hedge funds and private-equity firms _ to give them more time to complete their paperwork. Investors now must have their loan requests in to the Fed by March 19. The Fed will provide the three-year loans on March 25.

The much-awaited program, created by the Fed and the Treasury Department, will start off providing up to $200 billion in financing to investors, which in turn will use the money to …