Does Obama Send Personal Checks to Americans in Need?

Excerpts from a new book by Washington Post reporter Eli Saslow titled, "Ten Letters," allege that President Barack Obama, on occasion, writes personal checks to Americans in need.

In the book, that talks about the ten personal letters from ordinary Americans that the president reads every day, Obama told the author, "It's not something I should advertise, but it has happened."

Huffington Post asks:

How many times has President Obama intervened on someone's behalf, and with what kind of problems does he help? Mortgage payments? Medical bills? And when he wants to help someone out with a personal check, how does it work? Does he send a check signed "Barack Obama" directly to the individual in need, or does he send the money to a bank or company on the person's behalf? Do people even know when Obama has helped them out, or does the help arrive anonymously through a lawyer?

The White House declined to answer any questions about the practice.

According to the book, Obama says he feels "pained" that he can't "do more, faster, to make a difference in their [struggling Americans] lives":

"Some of these letters you read and you say, 'Gosh, I really want to help this person, and I may not have the tools to help them right now...And then you start thinking about the fact that for every one person that wrote describing their story, there might be another hundred thousand going through the same thing. So there are times when I'm reading the letters and I feel pained that I can't do more, faster, to make a difference in their lives."