A group of banks led by mega bank JPMorgan Chase have joined the discussions between General Motors and Cerberus Capital Management over the sale of Chrysler LLC. JPMorgan Chase holds about $10 billion in Chrysler debt and is apparently eager to help General Motors acquire the beleaguered, privately-held automaker.
“While a GM- Chrysler tie-up would clearly be a high risk transaction from an operational perspective, such a transaction may give GM leverage over two key stakeholders: the UAW and banks,” JPMorgan auto industry analyst Himanshu Patel wrote in a research note provided to journalists yesterday. “By saving Chrysler from a liquidity event, GM may also be able to get itself much needed secured bank financing from the same banks that are currently holding Chrysler debt.”
GM would also gain access to Chrysler’s $11 billion in cash, though the combined group would ultimately shed up to 30,000 jobs, according to those close to the discussions. The job cuts would, naturally, be devastating to the Michigan economy, as well as Chrysler employees at plants, dealerships and regional offices throughout the United States.
Ann Arbor, Michigan-based David Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research, said that the GM-Chrysler deal is “90 percent certainty” during an interview with the Detroit News.
“The cost of a cleanup would be a lot of more than preventative measures,” he told the paper. “The banks are pushing hard. They want to see a consolidation. A combined GM-Chrysler becomes too big to fail from a policy standpoint.”
