GM, TARP and Traveling Down the Road
Okay, a couple of folks have been pining for a post on GM and the TARP announcement yesterday. From the New York Times:
The Treasury Department injected $5 billion into GMAC, the automobile financing company, as part of a deal announced Monday night that will let GMAC convert itself into a bank holding company to reduce its borrowing costs and thus borrow money at low rates from the Federal Reserve.
…
The Treasury will buy $5 billion worth of preferred equity shares in GMAC, which used to be the financing subsidiary of General Motors and is now owned jointly by G.M. and Cerberus Capital Management, the private equity firm that owns Chrysler.A Treasury official said on Monday night that the deal had already closed and that GMAC already had the money. In addition, the Treasury said it would lend General Motors $1 billion so that it could purchase additional equity offered by GMAC.
The deal came after intense efforts to prevent a collapse of GMAC, which is a crucial source of automobile sales financing. It has been reeling from both the paralysis in credit markets and huge losses from its mortgage lending subsidiary, Residential Capital.
Last Wednesday, the Federal Reserve tentatively approved GMAC’s petition to become a bank-holding company but demanded that it persuade most of its bondholders to convert their debt into equity and to raise more money to meet minimum capital reserve requirements.
…
In shoring up GMAC, the Treasury resorted to using money from the Troubled Asset Relief Fund, the $700 billion rescue program for financial institutions that Congress approved in early October.The Treasury had already allocated all the $350 billion that Congress authorized for the first half of the program. But even though the Treasury Department has not yet requested the second half of the money, officials said they could provide the financing to GMAC because they have not actually used all of the money allocated for recapitalizing banks.
As to GM and TARP, Marcy wrote about that here. The story was when the decision was made to make GMAC a bank holding company, and that was over a week ago. Once that was made what was announced yesterday and described in the NYT piece above was a foregone conclusion. The whole reason behind cutting GM and Cerberus’ percentage of ownership, and, more importantly, voting power in GMAC was to speed GMAC’s designation as a bank holding company. There was one purpose to that accelerated move, and that was to allow access to TARP funds and free up GMAC’s ability to offer credit to its dealers and customers. That was necessary to assist GM in its effort to maintain viability and to accomplish the initial goals of the bridge loan previously agreed to. There is nothing nefarious or particularly shocking about the government and GM doing exactly what they said they were doing in the first place. So, for those wondering why there have been no "Breaking News" posts flying off our fingertips, there you have it. This is just not shocking news.
As to the posting schedule, well, believe it or not, we like to spend a little time with our families, travel and enjoy the holidays too. Marcy will likely check in today, but she is visiting family and her internet connection is not the greatest. I too am going to be scarce today as I must travel up to Lake Powell for a couple of days, although I will be checking in later this afternoon and tonight. In the meantime, use this thread to discuss GM-TARP or whatever else you folks desire. Cheers!
You mean we hafta get a life? Dammit, I was afraid you were going to say that!
Maryland vs Nevada in the roady’s humanitarian bowl
ya practice for six months, ya win most of your games, ya get the right to go to a bowl
and your reward ???
a trip to BOISE IDAHO
wtf ???
Hi Marcy. As soon as I saw this I thought, “time to check in with emptywheel.” You’ve provided the best analysis I’ve seen anywhere – by a wide margin – of the ongoing TARP developments. This site really has become my go-to place for the topic; big outlets have studiously ignored it. Thanks for being such a persistent cuss!
And of course I meant “Hi bmaz”!
Och, bmaz — that song is so much fun. What a great chuckle to have for breakfast.
When I were a tad in the fifties, we had a blue ‘47 Chevrolet that my dad just did not want to let go. (Dad was a frugal sort, Depression and war survivor — I don’t think he ever bought anything but used cars all his life.) At some point the garage door landed on the roof and left a small hole — for a few years afterwards, we drove around with a patch of band-aids over that hole. Very happy memory, actually.
Happy New Year, bmaz and Marcy. Y’know, when you become the new journalism and source of actual news, it can become real demanding real quick! Thanks for all you do!!
Bmaz, if you and EW insist on spending time with your families, that means that BushCo will have a nicer holiday as well.
Boxturtle (Not saying anything, just saying….)
Have great time with family.
does anyone else find
a bit odd considering the prior
Nope. Not odd at all. Many of us have been speculating that Chrysler will eventually be squeezed out, that the Snow/Quayle/Cerberus folks will obtain some benefit, and the equity offering is more dilutive to Cerberus’ ownership at a time when Cerberus wants out of the entire ball of automotive wax.
I’m sure that’s what’s happening, but I’m not good enough of a bean counter to figure out how BushCo will protect the powerful republicans at Cerberus from the financial hit. I am sure that some kind of deal will be cut before 1/20. Obama will care more about the employees than Cerberus and they won’t get nearly the deal.
Boxturtle (Still doubts Chrysler will reopen after shutdown)
They probably have boxes filled with CDSs that will be paid by AIG with our money
502 hrs & 53 min
Yes, the real dog that didn’t bark in this is Cerberus. (Pun alert)
It all especially odd to me as someone who has been trying to deal with this completely law violating company. (consistently so since 2001.)
It scares the heck out of me. I have to face them at the end of my bankruptcy and I have no clue “who” that will be and what they will do in regard to my loan. The one thing they have consistently done is violate the lending laws.
Three weeks more of Bushit
Anything Clusterfuck is gonna do for his gooper buds better happen quickly…
Who gets pardoned on the way out the door?
502 hrs & 45 min to be exacter
I ‘preciate your clock, foothillsmike.
I was thinking where I would most like to see one of your clocks: first thought of right outside the oval office windows, then on Pennsylvania Ave in front of WH, then in downtown Crawford (impossible; Mollie Ivins told us what happens to strangers in Crawford).
OT: Scott Horton at Harpers suggests Bush & Co. may be behind the Gaza travesty.
Have a good holiday, bmaz. (You too, Marcy.) BTW, is the Lake Powell reservoir level anywhere back near full? Last I saw, which is a year or two ago, it was over 100 feet down.
OT, but I’d wondered about that myself. This was clearly going to be their last opportune moment for some time.
Hmmm….. Elliott Abrams? Gosh, have we ever heard that name before…?
OT Blago to nominate Roland Burris former IL AG for Obamas seat
502 hrs & 21 min
The amazing thing is that the Treasury did this without compliance with the earlier demand that GMAC bondholders exchange their bonds for equity in the holding company. The requirement was exchange by 75% of bondholders in GMAC and 75% of bondholders of ResCap, its mortgage arm which loaded with toxic subprime mortgages. The deadline was Dec. 26, but no announcement has been made as of today.
One of the largest bondholders is Pimco, which said it would not exchange unless Cerebus capital put in more equity.
So, here’s a guess. Cerebus and GM are putting in more equity to meet Pimco’s demand. Cerebus has the cash, and GM got it’s from Treasury as the Times reported. The deal for distribution of the equity required GM to sell most of its stake and turn the balance over to an independent trustee for sale over the next three years. This would accommodate the newly purchased equity. Or, if GM got preferred stock maybe it doesn’t have to sell it, because preferred stock usually doesn’t have voting rights. Once Pimco sees the money, it agrees to the exchange, and everyone is happy.
I hope I’m right. It will demonstrate clearly (if we had any doubt) that Treasury isn’t driving sufficiently hard bargains with bailoutees.
I think that is about right Masaccio. That comports with what I have been told. By the way folks I have been talking for a while with senior management at GM and after the first we will be bringing the leading design/production guy for GM, and the father of the Volt, Bob Lutz, to EW/FDL for an extended live chat.
Blago Strikes!!! hahahahahaha!
Thanks, bmaz, enjoyed the pic and song. We bought our first brand new car in 1955, a 2 door Pontiac. It cost $2800.00 and our Ford wagon trade-in. The Ford engine had caught fire; we extinguished it with wet diapers courtesy of our twins.
You tell the greatest stories. Since you have set this high standard for yourself you have to keep on telling.
LOL
Thanks, Twain. It was just livin every day. Our entire culture was so different before TeeVee. ‘….somethings lost and somethings gained…’
Also seen in NYT: SAIC and Korean government in dispute over who bails out Ssangyong, of which SAIC is the majority shareholder.
One move, out of how many Tarp f-ups, that makes sense. God, even GM figured it out! I wonder how many tents Cerberus has it’s heads in though. Cerberus seems like another Carlyle Group.
Thanks for the post (as the first to whine for it). I remember seeing/reading something about this in previous posts. But since my eyes started glazing over in all the rigamorole about GMAC and Cerberus and Quayle selling interests and freezing withdrawals from various thingamabobs, I didn’t quite “get” that part of the picture before, and I didn’t know what to make of the lastest news release.
Here’s a Trib link on Blags appointing Burris:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/…..0056.story
And here’s the Capitol Fax blog, with comments from the IL Sec. of State saying he won’t sign off, as is required by Illinois statute, and comments which likely include some from the actors, since the blog attracts legislators themselves:
http://thecapitolfaxblog.com/
and here, as an apt encapsulation of the man who has been appointed, is a picture of the tomb Roland Burris has already had constructed for himself:
http://flickr.com/photos/southbound_07/2750018934/
This is a man who named his children Roland Jr. and Rolanda.
The Senate appointment — “from one great narcissist to another!”
OT but a potential game changer in the middle east – including war crimes:
Holy crap! Israel’s Navy rammed Cynthia McKinney’s boat? And didn’t sink it and kill all the passengers?
You’d think they would have learned from the USS Liberty incident!
http://www.gtr5.com/
They are sooooooooo fucked!
Giving that woman a microphone and an international platform to get even with the Zionist pricks that got her tossed out of office is a massive strategic blunder.
http://www.independentpolitica…..ey-others/
I gotta spend time with my family ???
what did I do to deserve that ???
(wink)
McKinney herself compares the boat incident to that of the USS Liberty. Huge game changing event!
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/…..index.html
Watch the video on CNN!
Thank you, plunger. I agree, McKinney is afraid of nobody and nothing! She rolled over Rumsfeld, remember.
This happened in international waters. Doesn’t that come under International Maritime Law and Court?
Oh yeah – it’s big time ugly. International waters, known humanitarian relief effort, doctors, medicine and CNN on board along with former Congresswoman, unarmed pleasure craft – and THREE ISRAELI NAVY VESSELS that paced them for half an hour prior to ramming them three times in International Waters – quite likely to result in sinking the vessel (huge damage).
If American leadership and government controlled “news” manages to let this one slide, it’s going to be BIG UGLY both at home and abroad.
OT again:
Marcy, today’s Sun-Times confirms something I think you had voiced as a suspicion — that there were other Blags wiretaps. Lon Monk, the governor’s college roommate and chief fundraiser, had his cell phone tapped. The article seems to suggest that one of the recordings Fitz has suggested releasing comes from the tap of Monk, known in the complaint as Lobbyist 1.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/m…..08.article
Also, the article on Rahm’s official departure makes clear his feelings on the sale of a US Senate seat. Rahm writes “As sons of immigrants to this country, you and I have a deep appreciation for the opportunities America provides to those who are willing to work hard and sacrifice for their children.” Rahm is signalling to the rest of the Illinois establishment that he’s still one of them.
OT (and I can go make these in the last Blags thread if someone tells me I should – I’m assuming Marcy is likely to post soon on today’s fresh train wreck)
The Senate may be hedging on Burris. Today, their releases says that “anyone appointed by Gov. Blagojevich … will not be seated by the Democratic Caucus.” I have no idea what that means. I mean, the caucus doesn’t vote to seat a US Senator, the Senate does. Do they mean the caucus will vote against allowing him into the Senate, or have they backtracked to saying they will keep him out of the Democratic caucus?
Crap. This whole thing is just shite. For want of 20,000 votes in the ‘02 primary! I’m thinking of seeking a restraining order against the gov. I may have to seek one against myself if this continues and my rage continues to mount.
Ever notice there’s no “Normal, Illinois”? Heh
Well, Nissan released the pricing for the 370Z, and for a fully loaded model with the manual transmission, the price is around $39,500 before destination charges.
Fuck.
I’m going to be looking at a Lancer Evo X now…
499 hours 8 minutes
red state blog commentor says that Faux News just announced that Blago’s lawyer resigned.
bmaz, you’re a great fill-in.
enjoy lake powell, it should be warming up for ya – it was beautiful here today!
OT Vicki is Angry!
http://www.reuters.com/article…..1620081230
(snip)
The lawsuit, filed by lawyers for Vicki Iseman in a Richmond, Virginia, federal court, seeks $27 million in damages.
It claims that Iseman, a lobbyist at the firm Alcalde & Fay, was defamed by the Feb. 21 article and that she suffered damage to her reputation as well as to her emotional and mental health.
It also says that the Times implied an inappropriate relationship with the Arizona senator without having proved that one existed.
“The New York Times defendants knew they did not know — and brazenly published anyway,” the suit says.
(snip)
bmaz, the latest issue of ‘MAD’ has, as its cover story, reviewing the failures of 2008. The cover has (among other pieces of smoking debris falling from above) a green jersey labelled ‘Favre’.
Mike Shannahan
unemployed
I’m Psychic, or psychotic, or somethin …
Hoping those footsteps Martz is hearing aren’t in his imagination.
I heard that Martz developed a serious case of unemployment too
Shannahan – 92, 93, 94 with the 49ers, including their last championship season. I have been hoping for this since Jake Plummer wasn’t drafted by SF at Walsh’s recommendation.
Go, Mikes!
so you’re thinkin Shannahan is gonna be the niners offensive coordinator again ???
cuz here at chez patriot the consensus is that shannahan could have any headcoaching job he wants (the bretts or the sea chickens, prolly)
No. It is only a hope.
I want Singletary to coach and Shanahan to run the offense. Back up a Brinks truck, make him the GM, promise daughters and private jets. Whatever it takes.
HEY
TBOGG stole my joke
who cares if I stole it from a movie
I STOLE IT FIRST, DAMN IT
so who do I see about that ???
btw, my prefered method of punishment for TBOGG’s offense would be “CHIPS UP THE NOSE”
asking him questions about Nietzsche is optional
you got BIG dreams
maybe you could give him Palo Alto (nobody would notice if it was missing)
an while we’re on the coaching-go-round
I was thinking Cowher was going to NY, but it’s not so, apparently
if I was Shannahan, I’d be singing about “those little town blues, … melting away …”
I bet Jerry Jones regrets giving Wade Phillips a vote of confidence yesterday, cuz shannahan could make a winner out of Romo (but then again, they ALWAYS say they got “complete faith” in you right before they throw you under the bus) wanna bet Wade is nervous in the service …
and the NFL is probably gonna have to find a judge willing to sentence two random assistant coaches to serve as head coaches in detroit an cleveland
and here’s some extra TMI, just because …
the funniest opening of any article I ever read, was in the 1987 Sports Illustrated baseball preview issue about why the indians were the favorites that year:
I still can’t see, say or hear the word “Cleveland” without laughing
Didn’t the Indians trade Rocky Colavito?
The mistake by the Lake
Curses…
Frank Lane hung in effigy
Hey Frank, whatta think of the game now, with free agency, enormous salaries, and the like?
Trader Lane “You’ve got the clerks running the store. It’s crazy. I hire you to do a job, and right away you stick a gun to my head and demand more money.”
Cleveland and Terry Pluto
Fuuny guy and a favorite of mine
Shanahan can have most any job he wants.
He will take the Niner job when monkeys fly out of… Yeah, no argument. Westies have to hope he wants warmer climes, but the York’s are of course the major obstacle to SF going anywhere. Denise and her idiot doctor dilettante hubby can rub all their sticks together and not come up with half the football sense Wade Phillips (wtf is Jerry Jones thinking putting him in charge of anything? I’m sure he’s a nice enough guy, but he is the Chris Farley of football coaches) has.
And did anyone actually think that Millen would go anywhere?