Jack Butler, an attorney for Delphi, said that while the company has made significant progress on its plan in recent months, it also has been pressured by the current economic environment and the continued woes of the overall automotive industry. Drain also cited the recent turmoil in the financial markets and lending industry in approving the request. 'I'm just a judge, but it seems major lenders couldn't send a better signal to the markets than to free up some capital for a company like this,' Drain said. Drain also approved a Delphi motion to allow members of its creditor and equity holder committees to take part in discussions about how the company's bankruptcy exit will be financed. Delphi has been operating under court protection since Oct. 8, 2005. The company, which had $22.3 billion in sales last year, makes electronic systems for cars, as well as technology for computing, communications, consumer electronics, energy and medical applications. As part of its transformation, Delphi has shed thousands of unionized workers, shut down U.S. plants and created a two-tier wage system for factory workers. Meanwhile, it expanded in Europe, Asia and South America. Delphi now employs about 169,500 people at 156 plants in 34 countries around the world.