chip reid is at the white house and, chip, the president met with the bankers just hours after he had some pretty harsh words for them on national television. was that awkward? >> reporter: it seemed a bit awkward, katie. just last night he called wall street bankers fat cats. today, meeting with them face to face, he did soften the tone, but he also told them they owe a major debt to the american people. >> now that they're back on their feet, we expect an extraordinary commitment from them to help rebuild our economy. >> reporter: the president told the bankers they have an obligation to increase lending to small businesses so they can create jobs and to homeowners to help get the housing market out of the doldrums. the bankers said the president was firm but positive. >> the whole meeting was very productive, it really was. we're in this together. >> reporter: they said there was none of the angry populist rhetoric the president showed just last night on cbs' "60 minutes". >> i do not run for office to be helping out a bunch bunch of fat cat bankers on wall street. >> i would characterize it as a very candid business-like conversation. >> reporter: was there any resent resentments about his comments on "60 minutes," calling bankers fat cats? >> not they heard. >> reporter: bank of america promised to increase lending to small and medium-sized businesses by $5 billion next year, but other than that, the promises were vague. >> we promise to take a look at all small business loan denials and give them a second look. >> reporter: the president threw down the gauntlet on legislation now before congress to tighten regulation of banks. >> if they wish to fight common sense consumer protections, that's a fight i'm more than willing to have. >> reporter: the bankers responded with their strongest endorsement yet. >> we believe that the regulatory reform that is generally proposed-- generally-- makes total sense because we don't want another meltdown. we don't want to go through this again. >> reporter: but they said they also continue to oppose the centerpiece of that legislation, a new agency to protect consumers from banks. the heads of three major banks-- citigroup, goldman sachs, and morgan stanley-- didn't even show up for the meeting and listened in by phone. their commercial flight from new york was delayed. so will a meeting like this really make a difference or is it just all talk? remember, last march many of these same bankers came here to the white house and said the same thing, that they would do everything in their power to increase lending. since then, lending by be t big banks has decreased steadily. katie? >> couric: chip reid at the white house. chip, thank you. the banks have been rushing to pay back their bailout dollars. late told wells fargo said it will return the $25 billion it got earlier in the day citigroup said it will repay $20 billion. and with that, the financial institutions will have returned well over half of a $245 bailout. why are they so anxious to be rid of the loans? because they came with some very tight strings attached. wyatt andrews now with this reality check. >> reporter: on the surface, it's a stunning success. back-to-back payoffs in tarp money, $20 billion today from citibank, $45 billion last wednesday from bank of america with both banks claiming an air of deep appreciation. "we owe taxpayers our thanks" said bank of america. citibank said "we owe taxpayers a debt of gratitude." and while there's no reason to think that's not true, the fact is, the paybacks also allow the banks to escape the bonus limitations about to be imposed by this man. >> we very much diminish the cash in these compensation packages. >> reporter: while the banks were under tarp, pay czar kenneth fineberg limited executive salaries to $500,000 a year and made their stock-based bonuses untouchable for at least two years. last night on "60 minutes," the president said some bank executives were paying off tarp to get around the limits on what they pay themselves >> do you think that's why they paid it back so quickly? >> i think in some cases that was a motivation which i think tells me the people on wall street still don't get it. they don't get it. $10, $20 million bonuses after america went through the worst economic year that it's gone through in decades? and you guys caused the problem? >> reporter: some banks not facing restrictions already have big bonuss in the works. at goldman sachs, $16.7 billion has been set aside for year-end salaries and bonuses. and it's in accident that citibank and bank of america are paying bank tarp funds now. it's just in time for bonus season. >> no question about it. the culture on wall street is the wonderful big bonuss in december. >> reporter: the banks, meanwhile, are delighted to have escaped the pay czar's rule but the reason they say is because the pay limitations were costing them top talent. as one official said "we had to escape the stigma of being under government control. katie? >> couric: why i can't tell andrews in washington. wyatt, thank you. turning to health news now, and new concerns tonight about a popular procedure, the c.t. scan. the test uses radiation to see inside our bodies and its use has grown dramatically, from just three million scans in 1980 to nearly 70 million in n 2007. but a pair of studies out today suggests these scans have their own risk. here's dr. jon lapook with a dramatic example in tonight's "eye on your health." >> reporter: this is alabama schoolteacher becky coudert, her hair fallen out after she had a c.t. brain scan in september. her lawyer says she received a higher-than-normal radiation dose. two other patients have come forward with similar stories. in los angeles, cedars-sinai medical center is being investigated for giving excess radiation to more than 250 patients during their c.d. scans. the problem of too much radiation during c.t. scans may be more widespread than anyone thought. >> the doses are actually higher than are generally reported. >> reporter: new research out today find a wide variation in radiation dose for the most common c.t. scan like abdomen, pelvis and chest. a survey of four hospitals found some patients received 13 times more radiation than others for the same type of scan. >> depending on where a particular patient was sent-- be it hospital one or hospital two or if it was in the afternoon or the evening-- the dose that patient received would have been profoundly different. and that degree of variation was was really so surprising. >> reporter: radiation is a known carcinogen, even in the relatively small amounts used with most c.t.s. there are a number of uncertainties involved in predicting cancer risks but a second study today estimates that about 29,000 future cancers might be caused by the 72 million c.t. scans done in 2007. >> so if a c.t. scan is truly indicated, patients should proceed with that scan but be sure to choose an accredited facility that can be relied upon to control dose and make it as low as possible. >> reporter: the f.d.a. is investigating the type of brain scan that went wrong in california and alabama hospitals. meanwhile, experts are calling for regulations to standardize how all c.t. scans are performed. katie? >> couric: all right, dr. jon lapook. important story, thank you so much, john. now to the tiger woods scandal. the watch maker tag hoyer today became the latest sponsor to say it may sever its ties with golf's number one player. bill whitaker has more now on the economic impact of the superstar's fall from grace. >> reporter: before the sex scandal, tiger woods was at the top of his game, now his career seems in freefall. his bizarre accident and admission of infidelity crashing headlong into his perfectionist image. an image that has made him the first billion-dollar athlete. in addition to his tournament earnings-- $22 million his last full season before his knee injury-- tiger pulls in another $110 million annually in endorsements including a $30 million a year nike deal. $5 million a year from gillette and $24 million a year from video game maker e.a. sports. >> tiger woods is a very unique character in the world of corporate sponsorship because he crosses over into so many different demographics. >> reporter: but sunday, accenture, a business consulting firm few had heard of until it tied its name to tiger woods... >> we know what it takes to be a tiger. >> reporter: ...became the first sponsor to drop him. the company that spent $20 million on advertising last year most featuring woods, says he is no longer the right representative. sports agents say expect others to follow their lead. >> once a major blue chip sponsor does leave, it provides the cover for getting out the door, not unlike the first person that leaves the party. >> reporter: for now his other sponsors are sticking with him. at&t and luxury watch maker tag hauer say they are evaluating their relationship with woods. nike, whose golf equipment marketed around woods brings in $800 million a year says "we look forward to his return to golf." perhaps no one is looking forward to tiger's return more than the sponsors of the san diego open, formerly buick open at tory pines, california, the first p.g.a. event of the year woods usually attends. when tiger tees off... >> the tour has conducted surveys and they think it's somewhere between 15% to 25% additional revenues for a tournament if tiger is in the field. >> reporter: without tiger, tory pines stands to lose up to $500 the tiger affect is profound. when he started playing in 1997, the p.g.a. purses totaled just $70 million. today they're $270. tiger affects broadcasters, too, including cbs sport which is airs torrey pines, the masters and 19 other tournaments and nbc sport which is broadcasts ten, including the u.s. open. the year has bad knee kept him away, an average of just $2.4 million viewers tuned into golf, down almost 50% from the year before. >> tiger woods has meant an enormous increase in prize money for golf. tiger woods basically put big-time golf really on the map. >> reporter: but the fear is the golden man of golf-- tiger woods midas touch might be tarnished forever. bill whitaker, cbs news, los angeles. >> couric: text messages you think might be private may not be for long and now the supreme court is being asked to decide whether they can spy on personal text messages from your work account. that story next. thing as taking a chance? as having to decide to go for it? at the hartford, we help businesses of all kinds... feel confident doing what they do best. by protecting your business, your property, your people. you've counted on us for 200 years. let's embrace tomorrow. and with the hartford behind you, achieve what's ahead of you. ♪ caused by a completely blocked artery, another heart attack could be lurking, waiting to strike. a heart attack caused by a clot, one that could be fatal. but plavix helps save lives. plavix taken with other heart medicines goes beyond what other heart medicines do alone, to provide greater protection against heart attack or stroke and even death, by helping to keep blood platelets from sticking together and forming clots. ask your doctor about plavix. protection that helps save lives. people with stomach ulcers or other conditions that cause bleeding should not use plavix. taking plavix alone or with some other medicines including aspirin may increase bleeding risk, so tell your doctor when planning surgery. certain genetic factors and some medicines, such as prilosec, may affect how plavix works. tell your doctor all the medicines you take, including aspirin, especially if you've had a stroke. if fever, unexplained weakness or confusion develops, tell your doctor promptly. these may be signs of ttp, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition, reported sometimes less than 2 weeks after starting plavix. other rare but serious side effects may occur. if you take plavix with other heart medicines continuing to do so will help increase your protection against a future heart attack or stroke, beyond your other heart medicines alone. you may be feeling better, but your risk never goes away. help stay protected. stay with plavix. ...now feel that >> couric: how many times have you sent a private text message using a phone, blackberry or pager supplied by your employer? today the supreme court says it will consider whether those text messages really are private. here's nancy cordes. >> reporter: it's a case that could have implications for anyone who e-mails, texts, or even tweets from work. just how private are those private messages. >> this case has the potential to be ground breaking. >> reporter: the case pits a swat team sergeant from ontario, california, against his police chief and a local wireless company which provided the chief with transcripts of text messages sent from the sergeant's police-issued pager. some of the text messages were sexually explicit notes to his girlfriend. lower courts have split over whether the sergeant's privacy was violated or whether his chief had every right to read communications sent from an office device. >> i think there's no question that the lines between the workplace and home have become increasingly blurred. we use e-mail accounts for both work-related matters and personal matters. >> reporter: and the rules are often blurry, too. the ontario police department's written policy, for instance, warned officers that "the use of these tools for personal benefit is a significant violation." now the supreme court has agreed to decide once and for all whether workers have any right to privacy when they're writing or texting from the office. nancy cordes, cbs news, washington. >> couric: as americans are struggling to understand the economy, a man who probably knew more about it than anyone else has died. paul samuelson, the foremost american economist of the 20th century. samuelson literally wrote the book on economics and for three decades it was the best-selling college text. as a professor at m.i.t., he taught generations of economists to go beyond abstract theories to solve real problems. his most prominent student was president kennedy. in the early '60s, samuelson warned kennedy that the nation was heading into a recession and urged the president to cut taxes. kennedy was skeptical but it worked and the economy bounced back. in 1970, samuelson became the first american to win the nobel prize in economics. paul samuelson was 94. and still ahead, the race against time on oregon's mount hood. ring ring. progresso. oh yes hi. can you please put my grandma on the phone please? 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"...perfect 10 has forever changed our opinion of at-home color" has it changed yours yet? perfect 10. the 10 minute, high gloss color that changes everything. from clairol. >> couric: despite all the controversy over global warming, most americans believe it is a serious problem. seven out of ten, in fact, in a cbs news/"new york times" poll out tonight. but only 37% consider it a top priority for the government. two years ago, more than half said it was. now to oregon's mount hood, so popular with climbers but extremely hazardous as winter approaches. three experienced climbers disappeared there on friday, one was found dead the next day. but two are still believed to be up on the mountain, possibly near the summit. priya david now with our cbs affiliate in portland is following the search. >> reporter: clear skies on mount hood today allows for an aerial search, but the danger of avalanches kept ground rescuers away from the treacherous top of the mountain where it's hoped the climbers carved out a protected snow cave. >> see, these kids loved-- loved-- climbing. all three of them. i at the start of their climb, the trio sent a text message they would return the same day. >> the conditions are absolutely perfect. we'll be back. >> reporter: but the next day, searchers found the body of 26-year-old luke gullberg. with him, a camera containing some 20 pictures of the climb but no trice of 24-year-old anthony vietti or 29-year-old katti nolan. >> the climbers would have come across here. >> reporter: rescuers say the shots from the camera put the three climbers at reed head wall, a steep rocky face just below the 11,000 foot summit. usually climbers descend from there a short way then climb to the very top. about 10,000 people climb mount hood every year, but it has claimed 18 lives in the last decade alone with an entire party of nine dying in 1986 and three more in 2006. some argue the three climbers might have been found by now if they'd been wearing simple mountain locater units such as this one, about $5 to rent. but rescuers disagree. >> they add weight that increases your exposure to rock fall and ice fall and that increases risk. >> reporter: the effort is taking a toll on rescuers who are racing to beat the next storm system expected in tonight. at day's end, rescuers were pleased the weather cooperated and they were able to scan the entire mountain top to bottom by air. although they found nothing, they say the search will continue. there's about a foot of snow expected tonight. they're hoping for another break in the weather tomorrow. katie? >> couric: priya david. priya, thank you so much for that report. turning overseas, politics in italy can be rough and tumble, but usually not like this. prime minister silvio berlusconi was attacked yesterday after leading a rally in milan. someone in the crowd smashed him in the face with a metal statuette. berlusconi, who is 73, has a broken nose and two cracked teeth and remains in the hospital tonight. the accused attacker is said to have a long history of psychological problems. coming up next, a man who answered the call-- the call of the harmonica in steve hartman's "assignment america." in the middle of the night?irg (rooster crow) ...still tired the next day too? when you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep... remember 2-layer ambien cr. the first layer helps you fall asleep quickly. and unlike other sleep aids, a second helps you stay asleep. when taking ambien cr, don't drive or operate machinery. sleepwalking, and eating or driving while not fully awake with memory loss for the event as well as abnormal behaviors such as being more outgoing or aggressive than normal, confusion, agitation, and hallucinations may occur. don't take it with alcohol as it may increase these