AUTOMOBILES

GM Directors Study Outside Financial Review: In its latest sign of independence, General Motors Corp.’s board of directors is scheduled to study an outside financial review of the company’s books today, according to a published report. Sunday’s edition of the Detroit News, quoting unidentified sources at the company, said GM’s outside directors asked New York investment banker J.P Morgan & Co. to conduct the study last fall when GM’s credit rating was downgraded. The story said the outside directors questioned the accounting practices of GM’s former management. A spokesman for the auto maker declined to comment on the study, other than to say the board monitors GM’s financial status on a routine basis.