Saturday, January 10, 2009

Carlyle Group to Bid on ILFC?




As insurance giant AIG sheds assets, International Lease Finance Corporation may be for sale. The Carlyle Group may be interested in bidding. America's sovereign IOU fund owns a huge chunk of AIG. Will they pick up another asset on the cheap?

Who provides insurance on leased planes? Is it the lessee or the lessor? If ILFC is on the hook for insuring leased planes, George W. Bush came to the rescue December 23. He ordered Mary Peters and the Transportation Department to insure/reinsure airlines.

Carlyle could get into the taxpayers wallet twice on such a deal. Once on a discounted deal price and a second time with taxpayer sponsored insurance. Time may show how much Carlyle corporafornicates on the public's dime, but then again, it may not.