Feeding the Dog

In Greek mythology, Cerberus is the three-headed dog who guards the gates of Hades in order to prevent anyone from leaving.

Cerberus is also the name of a capital management group that is privately owned, thus exempting it from public disclosure of its books. It owns some significant assets . . . among them, 81% of the shares of Chrysler.

Chrysler LLC and the U.S. Treasury Department said Friday that the government had supplied the automaker with a $4 billion loan that was necessary to keep it operating.

Chrysler, which is 81 percent owned by Cerberus Capital Management LP, was nearing the minimum level of cash — $2.5 billion — it needed to operate and has been fending off parts suppliers and other vendors demanding cash payments on delivery.

Treasury spokesman Brookly McLaughlin said in a statement that the department finalized the transaction and "funded the full amount of $4 billion."