According to a Reuter's report, General Motors (NYSE: GM) is finding "significant interest" in the assets it is trying to sell to raise capital. The biggest asset on the trading block so far is Hummer, the militaristic luxury SUV line that is variously loved and loathed in different corners of the country.

Whatever your feelings toward Hummer, $4 a gallon gas has made it far less attractive to American consumers. And having lost over $50 billion in the last three years -- that's right, $50 BILLION -- GM sure could use the cash it would get from its sale.

At a plant opening in Thailand, GM confirmed that it has been in negotiations with India's Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. to sell the Hummer division. Automakers in China and Russia are also reportedly interested.

Mahindra is a large and growing company, one that you'll hear lot about in the near future. It's a $150 billion conglomerate that already sells tractors in the U.S., and starting next year it plans to sell a diesel pickup truck here as well. Mahindra got its start making Willys Jeeps in India after World War Two, and now controls most of the utility vehicle market there. Hummer could make sense as a luxury badge for the company, one that it could sell to oligarchs and new capitalist kings throughout Russia, China and the Middle East. The Hummer's days in the U.S. may be limited, but it may have a future in the more turbulent emerging markets where military looks make more sense and where poor gas mileage is less of a problem.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• The banking unit of National City Corporation (NYSE: NCC) recently entered into a "memorandum of understanding" with federal regulators, the Wall Street Journal reported. The banking unit has bad loans, and the agreement basically means that the bank is on probation, as the government pressures financial institutions.
• The Wall Street Journal also reported that Justice Department criminal prosecutors and its U.S. attorney's office in Brooklyn, NY are investigating American International Group Inc (NYSE: AIG) to see if they overstated the value of contracts tied to subprime mortgages.

OTHER PAPERS:

• Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc (NYSE: LEH) is thinking of releasing its Q2 results a week earlier than planned, and announcing a capital raising plan at the same time, according to the New York Post, in order to reduce negative speculation about its future.
• The Economic Times reported that Indian auto companies Tata Motors Limited (NYSE: TTM) and Mahindra and Mahindra may be interested in acquiring Hummer from General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM).

It appears that Ford (NYSE: F) may finally have a buyer for Jaguar and Rover. The Wall Street Journal reports that Indian conglomerate Mahindra & Mahindra will tie up with private equity operation Apollo Management to buy the car units. Not all of the roadblocks to the deal have been pushed aside. The Journal writes "Labor leaders in the United Kingdom are seeking assurances that the brands' new owner would protect jobs and factories in the country."

Ford paid a little over $5 billion for the two units, and industry estimates put their current value at $1.5 billion. So the sale would mark another step in the humiliating downsizing of Ford.

The probability of a sale also raises an interesting question. If Ford's management is so much better than it was a year ago and it has a much better labor deal with the UAW, why sell the units at all? If a company in India can improve the fortunes of the two brands, why can't Ford?

It is not too late for the No.2 U.S. car company to work on fixing the units itself. The poor results of Jag and Rover are already in the stock. Improving their results ought to help shareholder value.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.