Summary: In mid-April, Ed Whitacre, Chairman and CEO of General Motors, appeared in a commercial to announce the automaker had repaid their Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) loan in full with interest — five years ahead of schedule.
It came as exciting news for a nation that witnessed some of its most prolific industries (finance and manufacturing) fall to ruin over a two-year period. Perhaps this was a sign that the once-dominant GM was back, reinvigorated and ready for global competition.