Credit Rating

Chrysler's outlook raised to positive from stable by S&P

6:39 pm U.S. ET | April 30, 2013
Chrysler Group may get an upgrade in its credit rating in the next 12 months, said Standard and Poor's, which raised Chrysler's outlook Tuesday to "positive" from "stable." S&P changed its outlook on the company to positive even after Chrysler posted a 65-percent drop in first quarter profit.... Read More »

 

PSA bank rating cut to junk by Moody's on Europe car-sales slump

April 16, 2013 11:04 CET
PSA's bank was cut to one level below investment grade by Moody's Investors Service today, which said the auto-financing unit can't escape the European car-market contraction plaguing its parent.... Read More »

 

PSA credit rating cut on Europe recovery doubts

April 11, 2013 10:04 CET
PSA/Peugeot-Citroen's credit rating was cut one step to four levels below investment grade by Moody's Investors Service, which said a contraction in Europe's car market will put at risk the automaker's plans to restore cash flow.... Read More »

 

Ford seeks more pension stability after funding shortfall widens

12:34 am U.S. ET | March 16, 2013
Ford, moving to close a growing deficit in its pension funding, will shift more of its plan's assets to fixed income to shield against changes in interest rates.... Read More »

 

PSA's banking unit cut to junk by S&P on sluggish Europe car sales

Feb. 15, 2013 08:34 CET
PSA has been downgraded by ratings agency Standard & Poor's while its banking unit has been cut to junk by the firm on sluggish sales forecasts in Europe.... Read More »

 

GM hopes U.S. stock sale revives image as it seeks higher credit rating

8:21 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 13, 2013
The sale of the Treasury's stake in General Motors and a possible credit rating upgrade of the automaker in 2013 will help distance the company from the stigma of its 2009 bankruptcy restructuring.... Read More »

 

PSA near $7 billion loan deal for car-lending arm, sources say

Jan. 11, 2013 13:19 CET
PSA will sign about 5.3 billion euros ($7 billion) in loans for its struggling bank unit in the next week after lenders offered more than originally sought, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.... Read More »

 

JIM HENRY

The upside to fewer home-equity loans

12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 26, 2012
Home values seem to have hit bottom and started to recover. But analysts say home-equity loans are still down as a way to finance a car or truck purchase.... Read More »

 

Aston Martin put on downgrade watch by Moody's as funds dwindle

Nov. 30, 2012 14:04 CET
Aston Martin has been put under review by Moody's for a possible credit downgrade as it runs through its cash reserves. The announcement comes as the carmaker's owner Investment Dar is said to be in advanced talks to sell up to half of the company to either the private-equity fund Investindustrial or the Indian automaker Mahindra & Mahindra.... Read More »

 

JIM HENRY

F&I’s biggest boogeyman

12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 31, 2012
Halloween is a good time to inventory the monsters under the F&I bed. Shining a flashlight under there, we see that credit availability is good. Interest rates are low. The economy is slowly improving. Even housing seems finally to be recovering. No real monsters there.... Read More »

 

JIM HENRY

More credit checks mean more loans

12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 24, 2012
Here’s a chicken-or-egg question: Do people check their credit because they want a loan, or do they want a loan because they check their credit?... Read More »

 

Akerson: GM wants investment-grade interest rate for expanded credit line

10:21 am U.S. ET | Oct. 22, 2012
GM, which has junk credit ratings, aims to double its revolving credit line to $10 billion at the same interest rates as if it were an investment-grade company, CEO Dan Akerson said.... Read More »

 

VW widens finance edge after Fiat, PSA downgrade by Moody's

Oct. 11, 2012 06:01 CET
VW widened its auto financing edge in Europe after Moody's Investors Service lowered the debt ratings on Fiat and PSA to six levels below VW. VW's financing muscle helps it offer better deals to dealers and consumers.... Read More »

 

PSA, Fiat debt ratings cut by Moody's on Europe concerns

Oct. 10, 2012 10:49 CET
PSA and Fiat had their debt ratings lowered to three levels below investment grade by Moody's Investors Service as slumping European car markets take a toll on the automakers' finances.... Read More »

 

Fiat, Peugeot debt ratings cut by Moody's on Europe woes

4:49 am U.S. ET | Oct. 10, 2012
Peugeot and Fiat had their debt ratings lowered to three levels below investment grade by Moody's Investors Service as slumping European car markets take a toll on the automakers' finances.... Read More »

 

S&P sees U.S. suppliers’ growth slowing

11:11 am U.S. ET | Sept. 26, 2012
Standard & Poor’s expects earnings growth to slow at U.S. auto suppliers the rest of the year and into 2013, but most should not suffer credit quality downgrades because of it. The lag in earnings will be caused by overseas business risks, the ratings agency said.... Read More »

 

Auto lending on the rise, but with caution, study says

9:52 am U.S. ET | Sept. 4, 2012
Auto lenders aren’t quite throwing "caution to the winds," even though they made bigger loans, at lower interest rates, and approved customers with lower average credit scores in the second quarter of 2012, according to Experian Automotive.... Read More »

 

Ford's S&P outlook raised on commitment to fix Europe

Aug. 13, 2012 06:01 CET
Ford received a vote of confidence from Standard & Poor's Ratings Services that the automaker will act decisively to fix its struggling European operations.... Read More »

 

S&P revises Ford outlook to positive, seeks more diverse profitability for upgrade

2:39 pm U.S. ET | Aug. 10, 2012
Standard & Poor's Ratings Services raised its outlook on Ford to "positive" from "stable," saying the U. S. automaker's performance in North America continues to support good overall automotive cash flow and profitability. But the agency indicated it wasn't likely to boost the automaker's credit rating to investment grade before 2014.... Read More »

 

Continental raises forecasts as raw material costs fall

Aug. 2, 2012 13:49 CET
Continental raised forecasts for revenue and profitability this year after a decline in raw-material costs and growth in sales helped second-quarter profit.... Read More »

 

PSA cut by 3 main ratings services due to cash burn

July 26, 2012 09:34 CET
PSA was lowered to two levels below investment grade by all three main rating services over the automotive division's widening losses and continued cash burn.... Read More »

 

JIM HENRY

When will subprime season peak?

12:01 am U.S. ET | June 6, 2012
Here's a possible wet blanket on the comeback in subprime loans, at least in the short run: The peak season for subprime loans is usually over once tax-return season ends.... Read More »

 

JIM HENRY

Dealers can't slide on customer credit-score notices

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 30, 2012
A federal judge in Washington said last week that dealers must continue to provide notices to consumers about the use of credit scores in setting interest rates. That includes dealers who don't even look at the credit scores.... Read More »

 

DAVID PHILLIPS

What's the Blue Oval worth? A big chunk of $1.5B

3:12 pm U.S. ET | May 25, 2012
For thousands of motorists the Blue Oval is just another hood ornament whizzing by on an expressway.... Read More »

 

Ford's credit rating raised to investment grade by Moody's

4:01 pm U.S. ET | May 22, 2012
Moody's Investors Service upgraded Ford's debt to investment grade today, culminating the automaker's six-year struggle to win back the Blue Oval and other assets mortgaged in 2006.... Read More »