GM Draws Washington Scrutiny Over Purchase of Subprime Lender

General Motors Co., the automaker 61 percent owned by the U.S. Treasury, is facing criticism over its decision to pay $3.5 billion to buy a lender that specializes in auto loans to shoppers with less than top-notch credit.

While GM plans to use its new lending arm to write auto leases and provide a “modest” boost in subprime loans, U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley asked the watchdog of the government’s bank-rescue program to investigate the purchase. And a member of a think tank questioned the wisdom of a company that is majority-owned by the government lending money to people with poor credit after a financial crisis was sparked by risky loans.