GE Weighs Cuts to Lending Unit

BY KATE LINEBAUGH

General Electric Co. is considering breaking off big chunks of its lending business, heeding the wishes of investors who are uncomfortable that the conglomerate owns what amounts to one of the country’s largest banks.

GE has worked since the financial crisis to slim down GE Capital by selling assets and allowing its loan portfolio to shrink.

Now top executives are looking at going further, including possibly selling businesses in GE Capital’s consumer-finance portfolio, such as private-label credit cards or showroom financing for products like snowblowers or lawn mowers, according to three people familiar with the company’s thinking.

Those cuts could …

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