Case Study

Cerberus acquires GMAC (A): General Motors’ financial troubles

12 pages
December 2007
Reference: IMD-1-0267

Hedge fund Cerberus Capital Management assembled a deal to buy a majority stake in GMAC – the financing business of auto maker GM. The sale of a majority stake in GMAC’s financing arm was part of a strategy to return GMAC’s credit rating to investment grade, which would lower its cost of borrowing – essential for a finance company to remain competitive. The sale would also provide a cash infusion to parent GM, which was struggling under the weight of a massive fixed cost structure and fierce competitive pressures.

Learning Objective

Address the question of whether Cerberus and GMAC can structure a deal that would give a private equity firm the return they needed and give GMAC investment-grade rating. Private equity and hedge fund investors usually buy companies in order to pile on debt, but GMAC could not garner investment-grade ratings with a high leverage ratio. Another complication to be considered was the auto finance business, which made up a little less than half of GMAC’s revenue. Participants may question whether the private equity firm should get involved in financing GM cars when the auto maker’s market share is sliding and the company is bordering the threat of bankruptcy protection.

Keywords
Private Equity, Acquisition, Capital Structure, Hedge Fund
Settings
United States of America
General Motors
May 2005 - December 2006
Type
Published Sources
Copyright
© 2007
Available Languages
English
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This case study is part of a series
  • Cerberus acquires GMAC (A): General Motors’ financial troubles
  • Cerberus acquires GMAC (B): The transaction
This case study is part of a series
  • Cerberus acquires GMAC (A): General Motors’ financial troubles
  • Cerberus acquires GMAC (B): The transaction
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Cerberus acquires GMAC (A): General Motors’ financial troubles
By Arturo Bris and Inna Francis
Case reference: IMD-1-0267 ©2007
Summary
Hedge fund Cerberus Capital Management assembled a deal to buy a majority stake in GMAC - the financing business of auto maker GM. The sale of a ma...
Reference IMD-1-0267
Copyright ©2007
Copyright owner IMD Copyright
Organization General Motors
Available Languages English
Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Cerberus acquires GMAC (B): The transaction
By Arturo Bris and Inna Francis
Case reference: IMD-1-0268 ©2007
Summary
Hedge fund Cerberus Capital Management assembled a deal to buy a majority stake in GMAC - the financing business of auto maker GM. The sale of a ma...
Reference IMD-1-0268
Copyright ©2007
Copyright owner IMD Copyright
Organization General Motors
Available Languages English
Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications