WASHINGTON (CNN) - Administration officials and Republican insiders said Friday that Treasury Secretary John Snow's resignation announcement is imminent - a matter of weeks or even days.

Treasury Department spokesman Tony Fratto refused to "comment or speculate on personnel issues" and White House Press Secretary Tony Snow would only say that President Bush is the one who makes personnel announcements.

Treasury Secretary John Snow's future in the Bush administration has been the subject of intense speculation.

But several GOP sources, including some former White House officials, said John Snow has told several White House officials he intends to resign. However, they said, Snow has not spoken directly to Bush about it.

At a Thursday night press conference Bush - asked whether Snow had given him "any indication that he intends to leave his job any time soon" - said, "No, he has not talked to me about resignation. I think he's doing a fine job. After all, our economy is, it's strong. ... He's done a fine job."

But several current and past administration officials have said the president has been ready to replace Snow for the past year. They said White House has been searching for an "acceptable alternative," but has had difficulty getting someone to accept the position.

In January CNN confirmed that one of those who had refused the job was Time Warner CEO Dick Parsons. Time Warner is the parent of CNNMoney.com.

A former White House official in frequent contact with Snow said that in December the secretary indicated he wanted to leave in early spring, though he agreed to stay on until the White House found a replacement.

It is not now clear whether Snow has set a timetable for his departure, sources said, or whether he is trying to nudge the president along to find a replacement. Sources would not confirm a Washington Post report that Snow's last day would be July 3.

Snow is due to leave June 8 for the G8 finance ministers summit in St. Petersburg, Russia. Sources said it is likely he would want to be in Washington, standing next to the president, when he announces his resignation, meaning that if he plans to make the announcement soon it would be either in the 10 days after the coming Memorial Day weekend and before the summit, or soon after he returns from the summit on June 11.

Officials told CNN they do not feel it would weaken his position during the summit if his resignation announcement were made beforehand.

Several sources gave the following assessments to CNN on people who have been mentioned as possible replacements for Snow:

-- Stephan Friedman, the president's former chief economic adviser. A real possibility. He's available and Bush likes him. He is a former Goldman Sachs chief executive.

-- Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez. His chances are unknown, but his name has been floated for several months.

-- Don Evans, former commerce secretary. Not likely. Although he's very close to Bush, and his name is often mentioned, no one has reached out to him, they said.

-- David Mulford, ambassador to India. Not likely. He was once considered high on the list, but some believe his name was being floated through self-promotion. He is a former Treasury undersecretary.

-- Robert Kimmit, Snow's deputy. Not likely. The Dubai Port deal damaged his prospects.

-- Robert Zoellick, deputy secretary of state. Not happening. He wanted the job, and it has been long known he would resign if he didn't get it, sources said. They said he has indicated to colleagues over the past several weeks that he intends to resign and go back to work in the private sector. He is a former U.S. trade representative.

From CNN White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux

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