General Motors filed for bankruptcy in 2009, becoming the third largest bankruptcy filing in the world. GM had been a global sales leader for 77 years, manufacturing cars and trucks in 34 countries with almost 2.5 million employees and selling over 16 million cars globally. However, GM required a $15.4 billion loan from the US Treasury due to financial troubles, leading it to ultimately file for government protection under bankruptcy on June 1, 2009.