GMAC Inc., the home and auto lender, is discussing with the Obama administration an additional aid package of about $3 billion to $4 billion, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The size of the assistance remains under negotiation, the person said on condition of anonymity because the talks are private. A deal may be reached within days as Detroit-based GMAC incorporates losses from its home-loan businesses, the person said. The objective is to restore the company to profit in the first three months of next year, the person said.
GMAC has already received two rounds of government aid totaling $13.5 billion as it struggled with losses at its home mortgage operations, which include Residential Capital LLC, known as ResCap. The Obama administration regards the lender as crucial to the survival of the U.S. auto industry. General Motors Co., its former parent, and Chrysler Group LLC rely on the firm to finance their vehicle buyers.
The Detroit News makes the $3.5 billion sound more definitive and says Treasury plans to announce the aid as early as tomorrow morning. The bailouts keep coming. Apparently, the Treasury Secretary is aware these bailouts are unpopular but he says:
The test is whether you have people willing to do the things that are deeply unpopular, deeply hard to understand, knowing that they’re necessary to do and better than the alternatives.