Are bounty reputation points, being assigned to unanswered question, returned back to the issuer of the bounty? If "yes" - when? If not - why? Alternatively (instead of direct "refunding") in the case, when there are no answers at all, the issuer's may be should be given the option of counting this "spent" points towards doubling the bounty or towards transfer of that bounty to another question? Another option could have been extending the time on the bounty?