When is a bank not a bank? One answer: When it is a car company. The Big Three automakers have long made car loans, but now they are lending money to other businesses, giving out mortgages and helping consumers finance everything from washing machines to vacations. The three auto giants all have financial subsidiaries that have become huge companies in their own right. With $75.4 billion in assets, General Motors Acceptance Corp. ranks among the largest U.S. financial institutions. In the past two years the assets of Ford Motor Credit Co. have grown 64%, to $31.3 billion, and Chrysler Financial Corp.'s...
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