Chrysler's Loan Arm Gets $1.5B Federal Loan

Warren confirms cuts to 25 top earners at 7 companies

(AP) - The Treasury Department today is expected to order seven companies that have not paid back last year's US government bailouts to halve their top executives' average compensation. The cuts apply to the 25 highest-paid executives at banks and other companies that received the most assistance, with salaries being slashed by as much as 90%. The move, reported last night, is "real," TARP overseer Elizabeth Warren confirmed to CBS this morning. More»

Treasury blinks in standoff that will determine auto maker's future

(NEWSER) - The Treasury Department is offering banks holding Chrysler's debt a better deal in the latest round of the back-and-forth over the automaker's future, the Wall Street Journal reports. The counter offer—still way short of what the banks seek—proposes to give lenders 22% of the $6.9 billion Chrysler owes, plus a 5% stake in company. More»

Alternate headline: Banks, Treasury Play Chicken on Chrysler Deal

(NEWSER) - A group of big banks balked at the Treasury’s proposal that they slash 85% of Chrysler’s debt, the government’s second such request. Instead, in what the Wall Street Journal calls a “significant act of brinkmanship” as an April 30 deadline looms, the banks, including bailout recipients Citigroup, JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley, offered to cut just 35%—to $4.5 billion rather than $1 billion—and asked for a 40% equity stake in return. More»

Treasury pushes automaker toward Fiat deal or liquidation

(NEWSER) - The Obama administration has given a further $500 million to keep Chrysler afloat, but Washington signaled yesterday it increasingly believes Chrysler will not survive as an independent company. Treasury officials met yesterday with CEO Robert Nardelli, as well as the heads of the United Auto Workers and Italian automaker Fiat. If it fails to strike a deal with Fiat, Chrysler could file for bankruptcy or liquidation by next week. More»

(NEWSER) - Chrysler's financing arm has turned down a $750 million federal loan in order to skirt limits on executive pay, sources tell the Washington Post. Fearing that an earlier $1.5 billion loan was running out, the Treasury offered Chrysler Financial the extra credit about 2 weeks ago, attaching strict compensation limits. But 25 top executives refused to sign waivers regarding their own paychecks. More»