WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - The U.S. government will offer up to $17.4 billion in loans to the ailing U.S. automakers and expects General Motors and Chrysler LLC to access the money immediately, a senior administration official said on Friday.
Some $13.4 billion will be made available in December and January from the $700 billion fund that was originally designed to rescue struggling financial institutions, but the loans would be called back if the automakers cannot prove they are viable by March 31, the official said.
The loans would require limits on executive compensation and other perks, and the automakers would also have to provide warrants for non-voting stocks. (Reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky and Tabassum Zakaria, editing by Eric Beech)