When General Motors and Chrysler took money from the U.S. government to prevent being consigned to history, the two storied domestic automakers had no choice but to put their fates in Uncle Sam's hands. After two very brief bankruptcies and billions in bailout cash, America's favorite bearded relative is looking to take its own pound of flesh.
According to a variety of reports, Chrysler Financial has reimbursed the $1.5 billion it was loaned on January 16 through the Treasury Department's Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) – making Chrysler's financial arm the first auto-sector company to pay back its government loans.
Over the past two days, we've told you what we've heard about the latest short-term federal aid coming to Chrysler and GM. According to the latest reports, it will be $5B to the latter and $500M to the former. We also mentioned it had been reported that Chrysler Financial had inexplicably turned down an additional $750M in government aid during this most recent round of handouts. It had been speculated
Is General Motors about to get an additional $5 billlion from the Feds? Will Chrysler be getting another $500 million? The Detroit News seems to think so. Citing Obama Administration sources and a leaked 250-page government report, they say that those figures are accurate. The money will reportedly come in the form of short-term aid via the $700B Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). One group we know won't be taking any additional TARP money is Frank Filipponio
Earlier this month Chrysler Financial (CF) turned down a $750 million loan from the government meant to allow it to continue providing loans to dealers. This is where it turns into he-said-she-said: a source told the Washington Post that CF turned the loan down because a condition of the loan was having the "top 25 executives sign waivers regarding their compensation." Supposedly, some of the execs wouldn't do that.
The president decreed that CEOs running banks that received TARP funds couldn't be paid more than $500,000 each year. Chrysler isn't a bank, yet it has received TARP funds, and its CEO, Bob Nardelli, is well under the $500,000. Or at least, he might be. During recent Congressional hearings Nardelli was asked if he'd take a pay cut to $1 a year, and he said he would; the only thing is,
GM was able to avoid bankruptcy court when it received billions in government loans, but Deutsche Bank automotive analyst Rod Lache feels GM will have a tough time getting concessions from bondholders, making bankruptcy far move likely. GM's deal with the government includes a stipulation that demands the General swaps a great deal of its $36 billion in outstanding debt for equity. Failure to do so means that GM will have to return the $13.4 billion given by the government.
Now that gas is once again (relatively) cheap, there's a renewed sense that adding a higher tax on each drop of petroleum might be a wise plan. It's often suggested that revenues from a higher gas tax are necessary to keep America's vast roadways in good working order, but some believe that there might be other uses for these taxpayer funds. For instance, we are all well aware by now that the Detroit-based automakers are losing money much faster than they are taking it in, which has led the Feds
GMAC – and ergo General Motors – just got another Christmas present: the Federal Reserve has granted GMAC bank holding status. GMAC has billions of dollars of bonds coming due over the next 12 months, but doesn't have the liquidity to cover the obligations. As of last week, the financing company was in the midst of a bond buyback effort in order to raise enough money to qualif
55% of Americans are against a federal bailout of U.S. automakers. This, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll of 1,003 randomly-selected adults nationwide that was conducted by phone last week between December 11 and 14 (we didn't get a call, did you?). 42% of those polled express support for the measure, which Alex Nunez
With all signs pointing to White House action on an automaker bailout despite the the bill not making it out of the Senate last Thursday, Canada has its taxpayers' wallets on standby as well. Our neighbors to the north account for a 20% share of the auto industry, and both the federal and Ontario governments are ready to add a commensurate amount of money to the bailout pot if U.S. government action does take place. So, assuming President Bush instructs Henry Paulson, the recently-crowned King o
Some U.S. policymakers believe that the domestic auto industry needs a multi-billion $hot in the arm, but the sticking point seems to be where to find the funds. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) is calling for a portion of the financial sector's $700 billion TARP buyout to be apportioned to Detroit, but Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson doesn't like the sound of that at all. Instead, Paulson would like to see the automakers get the $25 billion they've Jeremy Korzeniewski
