Buffett's crisis-lending haul reaches $10B

During the Great Recession, Omaha, Neb., billionaire Warren Buffett and his conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRKB) loaned companies money to stat afloat. Five years later, Buffett's payback is up $10 billion.

The latest repayment came when candy maker Mars Inc. repaid $4.4 billion that its subsidiary, Wrigley, borrowed in 2008. That payment alone is expected to net Berkshire a profit of at least $680 million, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis.

Berkshire helped Mars finance its $23 billion purchase of Wrigley. The company also made investments with Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) for $5 billion, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) for $5 billion, Dow Chemical for $3 billion and investments with Swiss Re Ltd. and General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE).

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