Ford Credit: Steady profits and a big future role. Ford Credit, the Blue Oval's in-house bank, is a somewhat under-appreciated contributor to the company's bottom line.

The credit card, which became available in July, allows cardholders to earn 5 percent back on certain Ford transactions, plus another 5 percent through the FordPass Rewards loyalty program.

At the end of 2006, Ford borrowed $23.5 billion. Most of that was secured by substantially all of the company’s domestic assets, including the Ford Blue Oval as well as the F-150 pickup truck ...