The Department of Justice has subpoenaed General Motorsrequesting documents detailing the company's origination andsecuritization of subprime loan contracts dating back to 2007.

GM Financial, the parent company of GM, confirmed it receivedthe subpoena July 28, according to several media outlets includingthe New York Times.

The Department of Justice sought information on GM'sunderwriting criteria for a civil investigation into whether thecompany violated the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, andEnforcement Act of 1989 by failing to fully disclose to investorsborrowers' credit worthiness for certain loans.

“Our understanding is that the request is focused on thesubprime finance space in general,” Susan Sheffield, an executivevice president at GM Financial, told the New York TimesMonday.

GM said it will provide the requested documents.

In collaboration with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau,the DOJ said they have ramped up efforts to address discriminatoryauto lending practices.

In December 2013, both agencies announced the federalgovernment's largest auto loan discrimination settlement in historyto resolve claims that Detroit-based AllyFinancial Inc. and Ally Bank engaged in an ongoing nationwidepattern or practice of discrimination against African-American,Hispanic and Asian and Pacific Islander borrowers in their autolending since April 1, 2011.

Ally agreed to pay $80 million in compensation for victims ofpast discrimination and $18 million to the CFPB's Civil PenaltyFund. Ally also must refund discriminatory overcharges toborrowers for the next three years unless it significantly reducesdisparities in unjustified interest rate markups.