Published: Monday, 20 Jul 2009 | 3:35 PM ET

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The $3 billion in rescue financing that CIT Group will receive from bondholders will be split into two pieces, CNBC has learned.

Photo by: Ernst Moeksis CIT Group headquarters

The struggling lender will receive $2 billion in the first phase, followed by an additional $1 billion that may come 10 days later.

Although the formal announcement of the financing agreement was expected before the market's open Monday, sources told CNBC the deal hasn't hit a roadblock — it's just taking longer than expected for the bondholders to get the deal approved by their respective lawyers.

CIT's board reached an agreement with bondholders on Sunday night for $3 billion in rescue financing, accourding to sources familiar with the situation.

The liquidity facility carries a 2.5 year term and portions will be available immediately. The funds should help the company stave off a chapter 11 bankruptcy filing at least in the short-term, sources told CNBC.

CIT is also planning a cash tender offer for outstanding senior notes in August as part of a broader recapitalization plan.

The deal will not necessarily prevent a bankruptcy filing for the ailing firm, but will give it desperately needed breathing room while it attempts to refinance existing debt. CIT has a $1 billion payment due in August.

The big commercial lender has faced a liquidity squeeze as its debt comes due and borrowers draw down their credit lines.

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CIT representatives didn't immediately return phone calls from The Associated Press to comment on the reported financing deal. Shares of CIT

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CIT had been trying to reach a deal with the federal government for emergency funding before talks broke down last week. CIT had warned that depriving it of more federal aid could imperil about a million corporate borrowers. But the Obama administration turned down the company's request, showing it's drawing a line on federal rescues for troubled financial firms.

A Treasury spokeswoman declined to comment on a possible private-sector rescue of the company, and would not say whether the government was involved in the negotiations.

Once talks with government officials fell apart, CIT turned to some of its major bondholders for financial help. They struck a deal Sunday, after a weekend of marathon negotiations.

The emergency loan would provide temporary financing to CIT so it could launch a debt exchange offer to free itself from upcoming debt maturities. Under the deal, CIT's main bondholders would give CIT $3 billion at an initial interest rate of about 10.5 percent, according to a New York Times report.

The Times said the temporary funding would provide CIT time to launch an exchange of outstanding debt for equity. By swapping debt for an equity stake in the company, CIT would no longer have to pay back the debt, which is essentially a loan. Instead, investors would hold an ownership stake in the company.

"The deal is a negative for bondholders as it does not fix the underlying problem and layers in more secured debt," wrote CreditSights Inc analysts Adam Steer and David Hendler. "Without a viable funding model, we believe CIT may still be at risk of filing for bankruptcy."

CIT would have to put up some of its highest quality loans as collateral for the temporary funding, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

New York-based CIT has been negotiating with six key bondholders, including bond manager Pimco. This financing would be backed by unsecuritized CIT assets, which probably exceed $10 billion, one of the sources said.

Jeffrey Peek, CIT's chairman and chief executive, was actively involved in the talks, according to a person briefed on the matter. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the talks are confidential.

CIT has been scrambling to raise $2 billion to $4 billion. The New York-based lender received $2.3 billion from the government's Troubled Asset Relief Program last fall. That money could be lost if CIT is forced to file for bankruptcy protection.

The lender faces $7.4 billion in debt due in the first quarter of next year. CIT has about $40 billion of long-term debt, according to CreditSights, and has lost close to $3.3 billion since the end of 2007.

Completing the financing deal with bondholders could also give CIT time to complete a plan to transfer loans to its banking subsidiary in Utah. CIT, which traditionally used bond and debt markets to finance its operations, could move loans to its banking subsidiary. It would then be able to finance them through deposits at the bank, which are considered a more stable base of funding.

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CIT's failure could pose a major threat to the economy, industry representatives have warned. A collapse of CIT could cut off financing just as businesses need it most during the ongoing recession. Its failure could force thousands of companies to drastically cut costs or shut down — driving up unemployment and dashing hopes for a swift economic recovery.

A bankruptcy would make CIT, with $75.7 billion of reported assets, the largest U.S. financial company to go bankrupt since Lehman Brothers last September.

CIT serves as short-term financier to about 2,000 vendors that supply merchandise to 300,000 stores, according to the National Retail Federation. Analysts say 60 percent of the apparel industry depends on CIT for financing, so other lenders taking up all the slack would pose a big financial strain.

The company has been scheduled to report second-quarter results on July 23. It was unclear how the bailout talks might affect the timing of that report.

—AP and Reuters contributed to this report

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