424B5 1 c95960_424b5.htm 3B2 EDGAR HTML -- c95960_424B5.htm

The information in this preliminary prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus is not complete and may be changed. This preliminary prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are not an offer to sell these securities, and are not soliciting an offer to buy these securities, in any jurisdiction where such offer or sale is not permitted.

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED JUNE 8, 2020

Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
File No. 333-229886

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
(To Prospectus dated February 26, 2019)

General Electric Company

$   4.350% Notes due 2050

We are offering $   of 4.350% Notes due 2050 (the “additional notes”). The additional notes offered hereby constitute a further issuance of the 4.350% Notes due 2050, of which $2,250,000,000 aggregate principal amount was issued on April 22, 2020 (the “existing notes,” and together with the additional notes, the “notes”). The additional notes will form a single series with, and have the same terms (other than the initial offering price and the issue date) as, the existing notes. Upon settlement, the additional notes will have the same CUSIP and ISIN numbers and will trade interchangeably with the existing notes. We expect the additional notes and the existing notes to be fungible for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Immediately after giving effect to the issuance of the additional notes offered hereby, we will have $   aggregate principal amount of 4.350% Notes due 2050 outstanding.

The additional notes will bear interest at the rate of 4.350% per annum. We will pay interest on the notes semi-annually on May 1 and November 1 of each year beginning on November 1, 2020. The notes will mature on May 1, 2050. The interest payment to be made with respect to the additional notes on November 1, 2020 will include interest deemed to have accrued from and including April 22, 2020, to, but excluding, the settlement date of the additional notes. Such accrued interest must be paid by the purchasers of the additional notes.

We may redeem the notes at any time and from time to time prior to November 1, 2049 as a whole or in part, at our option, at the applicable redemption prices described in this prospectus supplement. We may redeem all or a portion of the notes at our option at any time and from time to time on or after November 1, 2049, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of such notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the redemption date.

The additional notes will be unsecured obligations and rank equally with our other unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness. The additional notes will be issued only in fully registered, book-entry form in denominations of $2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof.

See “Risk Factors” on page S-8 for a discussion of certain risks that should be considered in connection with an investment in the additional notes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Price to
Public
(1)

 

Underwriting
Discount

 

Proceeds, Before
Expenses, to us
(1)

Per additional note

 

 

 

 

%

 

 

 

 

 

%

 

 

 

 

 

%

 

Additional notes total

 

 

$

 

 

 

$

 

 

 

$

 

Total

 

 

$

 

 

 

$

 

 

 

$

 

 

 

(1)

 

Plus interest deemed to have accrued from April 22, 2020, to, but excluding, the settlement date of the additional notes, totaling $  . Such accrued interest must be paid by the purchasers of the additional notes.

We do not intend to apply to list the additional notes on any securities exchange.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of the notes or determined that this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus is accurate or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The underwriter expects to deliver the additional notes in book-entry form only through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company, for the benefit of its participants, including Euroclear Bank S.A./N.V. and Clearstream Banking, société anonyme, on or about  , 2020.

Sole Underwriter

Morgan Stanley

The date of this prospectus supplement is  , 2020.


 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

This document is in two parts. The first part is this prospectus supplement, which describes the terms of the offering of the additional notes. The second part is the accompanying prospectus dated February 26, 2019, which we refer to as the “accompanying prospectus.” The accompanying prospectus contains a description of our debt securities and gives more general information, some of which may not apply to the additional notes. If the information set forth in this prospectus supplement differs in any way from the information set forth in the accompanying prospectus, you should rely on the information set forth in this prospectus supplement.

We are responsible for the information contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and in any related free writing prospectus we prepare or authorize. We have not, and the underwriter has not, authorized anyone to give you any other information, and neither we nor the underwriter take responsibility for any other information that others may give you. We are not, and the underwriter is not, making an offer of these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should not assume that the information provided by this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and in the accompanying prospectus is accurate as of any date other than their respective dates. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.

Before you invest in the additional notes, you should carefully read the registration statement described in the accompanying prospectus (including the exhibits thereto) of which this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus form a part, this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. The incorporated documents are described in this prospectus supplement under “Where You Can Find More Information.”

Except as the context may otherwise require in this prospectus supplement, references to “General Electric” refer to General Electric Company and to “GE,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to General Electric Company and its subsidiaries. In addition, references to “GE Capital” and “Capital” refer to GE Capital Global Holdings, LLC and its subsidiaries.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

Page

Prospectus Supplement

Where You Can Find More Information

 

 

 

S-1

 

Forward-Looking Statements

 

 

 

S-2

 

Summary of the Offering

 

 

 

S-4

 

Risk Factors

 

 

 

S-8

 

Use of Proceeds

 

 

 

S-10

 

Description of Notes

 

 

 

S-11

 

Certain United States Federal Income And Estate Tax Considerations

 

 

 

S-18

 

Underwriting

 

 

 

S-23

 

Validity of the Notes

 

 

 

S-29

 

Experts

 

 

 

S-29

 

Prospectus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Page

 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

 

 

 

1

 

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

 

 

 

1

 

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

 

 

2

 

THE COMPANY

 

 

 

4

 

RISK FACTORS

 

 

 

4

 

USE OF PROCEEDS

 

 

 

4

 

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

 

 

 

5

 

DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

 

 

 

5

 

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED STOCK

 

 

 

19

 

DESCRIPTION OF COMMON STOCK

 

 

 

19

 

DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

 

 

 

19

 

DESCRIPTION OF DELAYED DELIVERY CONTRACTS

 

 

 

20

 

DESCRIPTION OF GUARANTEES

 

 

 

20

 

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

 

 

 

21

 

VALIDITY OF THE SECURITIES

 

 

 

24

 

EXPERTS

 

 

 

24

 

S-ii


 

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Our SEC filings are available to the public from the SEC’s web site at http://www.sec.gov. Information about us, including our SEC filings, is also available at our Internet site at http://www.ge.com. However, the information on our Internet site is not a part of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus.

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus the information in other documents that we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be a part of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, and information in documents that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede information contained in documents filed earlier with the SEC or contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. We incorporate by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus the documents listed below and any future filings that we may make with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), until we sell all of the securities that may be offered by this prospectus supplement; provided, however, that we are not incorporating, in each case, any documents or information deemed to have been furnished and not filed in accordance with SEC rules:

 

 

the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 that we filed with the SEC on February 24, 2020;

 

 

the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2020 that we filed with the SEC on April 29, 2020;

 

 

the Current Reports on Form 8-K that we filed with the SEC on February 20, 2020, April 6, 2020, April 13, 2020 (expressly excluding the information furnished under Item 2.02), April 13, 2020, April 20, 2020, April 22, 2020, May 6, 2020, May 7, 2020, May 11, 2020 and May 18, 2020; and

 

 

the portions of the Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed on March 12, 2020 for our 2020 annual meeting on May 5, 2020, incorporated by reference in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019.

You may request a copy of any or all of the documents referred to above which may have been or may be incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus (excluding certain exhibits to the documents) at no cost to you by writing or telephoning us at the following address:

General Electric Company
5 Necco Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02210
Attn: Corporate Investor Communications
(617) 443-3000

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus supplement and the information incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement contain “forward-looking statements”—that is, statements related to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address our expected future business and financial performance and financial condition, and often contain words such as “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “seek,” “see,” “will,” “would,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “target,” “preliminary,” or “range.”

Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain, such as statements about the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business operations, financial results and financial position and on the world economy; our expected financial performance, including cash flows, revenues, organic growth, margins, earnings and earnings per share; macroeconomic and market conditions and volatility; planned and potential business or asset dispositions; our de-leveraging plans, including leverage ratios and targets, the timing and nature of actions to reduce indebtedness and our credit ratings and outlooks; GE’s and GE Capital’s funding and liquidity; our businesses’ cost structures and plans to reduce costs; restructuring, goodwill impairment or other financial charges; or tax rates.

For us, particular uncertainties that could cause our actual results to be materially different than those expressed in our forward-looking statements include:

 

 

the severity, magnitude and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, including impacts of the pandemic and of businesses’ and governments’ responses to the pandemic on our operations and personnel, and on commercial activity and demand across our and our customers’ businesses, and on global supply chains;

 

 

our inability to predict the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic and related impacts will continue to adversely impact our business operations, financial performance, results of operations, financial position, the prices of our securities and the achievement of our strategic objectives;

 

 

changes in macroeconomic and market conditions and market volatility (including developments and volatility arising from the COVID-19 pandemic), including interest rates, the value of securities and other financial assets (including our equity ownership position in Baker Hughes), oil and other commodity prices and exchange rates, and the impact of such changes and volatility on our financial position;

 

 

our de-leveraging and capital allocation plans, including with respect to actions to reduce our indebtedness, the timing and amount of GE dividends, organic investments, and other priorities;

 

 

further downgrades of our current short- and long-term credit ratings or ratings outlooks, or changes in rating application or methodology, and the related impact on our liquidity, funding profile, costs and competitive position;

 

 

GE’s liquidity and the amount and timing of our GE Industrial cash flows and earnings, which may be impacted by customer, supplier, competitive, contractual and other dynamics and conditions;

 

 

GE Capital’s capital and liquidity needs, including in connection with GE Capital’s run-off insurance operations and discontinued operations; the amount and timing of required capital contributions to the insurance operations and any strategic actions that we may pursue; the impact of conditions in the financial and credit markets on GE Capital’s ability to sell financial assets; the availability and cost of funding; and GE Capital’s exposure to particular counterparties and markets;

 

 

our success in executing and completing asset dispositions or other transactions, including our plan to exit our equity ownership position in Baker Hughes, the timing of closing for such transactions and the expected proceeds and benefits to GE;

S-2


 

 

 

global economic trends, competition and geopolitical risks, including changes in the rates of investment or economic growth in key markets we serve, or an escalation of trade tensions such as those between the U.S. and China;

 

 

market developments or customer actions that may affect levels of demand and the financial performance of the major industries and customers we serve, such as secular, cyclical and competitive pressures in our Power business, pricing and other pressures in the renewable energy market, levels of demand for air travel and other customer dynamics such as early aircraft retirements, conditions in key geographic markets and other shifts in the competitive landscape for our products and services;

 

 

operational execution by our businesses, including our ability to improve the operations and execution of our Power and Renewable Energy businesses, and the performance of our Aviation business;

 

 

changes in law, regulation or policy that may affect our businesses, such as trade policy and tariffs, regulation related to climate change and the effects of U.S. tax reform and other tax law changes;

 

 

our decisions about investments in new products, services and platforms, and our ability to launch new products in a cost-effective manner;

 

 

our ability to increase margins through implementation of operational changes, restructuring and other cost reduction measures;

 

 

the impact of regulation and regulatory, investigative and legal proceedings and legal compliance risks, including the impact of Alstom, SEC and other investigative and legal proceedings;

 

 

the impact of actual or potential failures of our products or third-party products with which our products are integrated, such as the fleet grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX and the timing of its return to service and return to delivery, and related reputational effects;

 

 

the impact of potential information technology, cybersecurity or data security breaches; and

 

 

the other factors that are described in “Risk Factors” in this prospectus supplement and in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on February 24, 2020, and under Part II, Item 1A, of our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020, filed with the SEC on April 29, 2020, as such descriptions may be updated or amended in any future reports we file with the SEC.

These or other uncertainties may cause our actual future results to be materially different than those expressed in our forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they were made, and we do not undertake to update them.

S-3


 

SUMMARY OF THE OFFERING

The following is a brief summary of some of the terms of this offering. It does not contain all of the information that you need to consider in making your investment decision. To understand all of the terms of the offering of the additional notes, you should carefully read this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein.

About General Electric Company

We are a high-tech industrial company that operates worldwide through our four industrial segments, Power, Renewable Energy, Aviation and Healthcare, and our financial services segment, Capital. The Power segment offers technologies, solutions, and services related to energy production, including gas and steam turbines, generators, and power generation services. The Renewable Energy segment provides wind turbine platforms, hardware and software, offshore wind turbines, solutions, products and services to the hydropower industry, blades for onshore and offshore wind turbines, and high voltage equipment. The Aviation segment provides jet engines and turboprops for commercial airframes, maintenance, component repair, and overhaul services, as well as replacement parts, additive machines and materials, and engineering services. The Healthcare segment provides healthcare technologies in medical imaging, digital solutions, patient monitoring and diagnostics, drug discovery and performance enhancement solutions. The Capital segment leases and finances aircraft, aircraft engines and helicopters, provides financial and underwriting solutions, and manages our run-off insurance operations.

We serve customers in over 170 countries. Manufacturing and service operations are carried out at 94 manufacturing plants located in 30 states in the United States and Puerto Rico and at 190 manufacturing plants located in 37 other countries.

At year-end 2019, General Electric Company and consolidated affiliates employed approximately 205,000 people, of whom approximately 70,000 were employed in the United States. Our Power, Renewable Energy, Aviation, Healthcare, and Capital segments employed approximately 38,000, 43,000, 52,000, 56,000 and 2,000 people, respectively. Our Corporate business employed approximately 13,000 employees.

General Electric’s address is 1 River Road, Schenectady, NY 12345-6999. We also maintain executive offices at 5 Necco Street, Boston, MA 02210. General Electric is incorporated in New York State.

Recent Developments

The global Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly impacted global economies, resulting in workforce and travel restrictions, supply chain and production disruptions and reduced demand and spending across many sectors. During the latter part of the first quarter of 2020, these factors began having a material adverse impact on our operations, financial performance and the prices of our securities, as well as on the operations and financial performance of many of the customers and suppliers in industries that we serve, and that material adverse impact is ongoing.

We currently anticipate that the negative financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic across our businesses will continue through the remainder of 2020. In response, we have announced $2.0 billion of cost reductions and $3.0 billion of cash preservation actions. As we disclosed in an investor conference on May 28, 2020, we anticipate that GE Industrial free cash flows for the second quarter of 2020 will be in a range of negative $3.5 billion to negative $4.5 billion. Despite expected improvement in the second half of 2020, we do not expect to have positive GE Industrial free cash flows in 2020. We currently expect positive GE Industrial free cash flows in 2021. In line with previous disclosure of the negative financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in particular on our Aviation segment and our GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) aircraft leasing business within our Capital segment, we continue to closely monitor the impacts from pressures in the aviation aftermarket, reduced utilization levels on long-term service agreements, customer deferrals, repossession or restructuring exposure at GECAS and related dynamics that could contribute to significant charges and impairments in the second quarter of 2020, including the charge related to

S-4


 

long-term service agreements that we noted at the May 28, 2020 investor conference that we anticipate will be in the hundreds of millions of dollars in the second quarter.

Since March 31, 2020, we have taken a number of actions to manage our outstanding debt in line with our goals to enhance and extend our liquidity and preserve flexibility amid market uncertainty.

For GE, in April, we repurchased $4.2 billion of outstanding GE senior notes using proceeds from a new offering of $6.0 billion of GE senior notes. We also repaid approximately $0.3 billion of other outstanding GE indebtedness subsequent to that offering. We are targeting repayment of a further $1.5 billion of outstanding GE debt obligations in the second quarter of 2020 that will complete the usage of the $6.0 billion that was issued.

For GE Capital, in April, we repurchased approximately $5.5 billion of outstanding GE Capital senior notes using proceeds from the sale of our Biopharma business, and, in May, we repurchased $4.5 billion of outstanding GE Capital senior notes using the proceeds of a new offering of $4.5 billion of GE Capital senior notes.

See “Risk Factors—The COVID-19 pandemic is having a material adverse impact on our operations and financial performance, as well as on the operations and financial performance of many of the customers and suppliers in industries that we serve. We are unable to predict the extent to which the pandemic and related impacts will continue to adversely impact our business operations, financial performance, results of operations, financial position and the achievement of our strategic objectives” in this prospectus supplement and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Significant Developments—Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic” in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the first quarter of 2020, filed with the SEC on April 29, 2020 for more information, including factors that could cause our reported results to differ materially from our expectations. GE Industrial free cash flows is considered a “non-GAAP financial measure” under the SEC rules. We do not address a forward-looking version of the closest GAAP financial measure (GE cash from operating activities) or provide a reconciliation because it is not practicable at the time of this document to determine or estimate each of the items that differ in the comparable non-GAAP financial measure, which items and amounts could be material.

Concurrent Bond Offering

Concurrently with this offering, GE Capital Funding, LLC, a finance subsidiary of GE Capital, commenced an unregistered offering of 4.400% Notes due 2030 (the “Additional GE Capital Notes”). The Additional GE Capital Notes will constitute a further issuance of 4.400% Notes due 2030, of which $1,400,000,000 aggregate principal amount was issued on May 18, 2020. The Additional GE Capital Notes will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by GE. The Additional GE Capital Notes will rank pari passu with the outstanding existing and future senior unsecured debt of GE. We intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the Additional GE Capital Notes, along with the proceeds received by GE Capital through repayment of intercompany loans by GE from the net proceeds of this offering, if any, to repurchase, redeem or repay GE Capital’s outstanding debt obligations, including upcoming maturities of outstanding notes. The Additional GE Capital Notes are being offered pursuant to exemptions provided in the Securities Act, and they are not being offered pursuant to this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.

S-5


 

The Offering

 

 

 

The Issuer

 

General Electric Company, a New York corporation.

Securities Offered

 

$   4.350% Notes due 2050.

 

 

The additional notes offered hereby constitute a further issuance of the 4.350% Notes due 2050, of which $2,250,000,000 aggregate principal amount was issued on April 22, 2020. The additional notes will form a single series with, and have the same terms (other than the initial offering price and the issue date) as, the existing notes. Upon settlement, the additional notes will have the same CUSIP and ISIN numbers and will trade interchangeably with the existing notes. We expect the additional notes and the existing notes to be fungible for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Immediately after giving effect to the issuance of the additional notes offered hereby, we will have $   aggregate principal amount of 4.350% Notes due 2050 outstanding.

Original Issue Date

 

 , 2020.

Maturity Date

 

The notes will mature on May 1, 2050.

Interest Payment Dates

 

Interest on the notes will be paid semi-annually on May 1 and November 1 of each year, beginning on November 1, 2020. The interest payment to be made with respect to the additional notes on November 1, 2020 will include interest deemed to have accrued from and including April 22, 2020, to, but excluding, the settlement date of the additional notes. Such accrued interest must be paid by the purchasers of the additional notes.

Initial Public Offering Price

 

 % of the aggregate principal amount of the additional notes, plus accrued interest from and including April 22, 2020 to, but excluding, the settlement date of the additional notes.

Aggregate Accrued Interest

 

$   of accrued interest from and including April 22, 2020 to, but excluding, the settlement date of the additional notes.

Interest Rate

 

4.350% per annum.

Redemption

 

We may redeem the notes at any time and from time to time prior to November 1, 2049, as a whole or in part, at our option, at the applicable redemption prices described under the heading “Description of Notes—Optional Redemption” in this prospectus supplement.

 

 

Notwithstanding the immediately preceding paragraph, we may redeem all or a portion of the notes at our option at any time and from time to time on or after November 1, 2049, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of such notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the redemption date.

Use of Proceeds

 

We estimate that the net proceeds from the sale of the additional notes will be approximately $   billion after deducting the underwriting discount and our estimated

S-6


 

 

 

 

 

 

expenses of this offering. We intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the additional notes to repurchase, redeem or repay outstanding debt obligations. Outstanding debt obligations may include all or a portion of outstanding intercompany debt obligations to GE Capital.

Ranking

 

The additional notes will be unsecured obligations of ours and will rank equally with our other unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness.

Denominations

 

The additional notes will be issued in denominations of $2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof.

Form of Notes

 

The additional notes will be issued only in fully registered, book-entry form. One or more global notes will be deposited with or on behalf of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”).

Absence of Public Market

 

We cannot assure you as to the liquidity of any market for the notes. We have been advised by the underwriter that it presently intends to make a market in the additional notes after completion of the offering. However, the underwriter is under no obligation to do so and may discontinue any market-making activities at any time without any notice.

Additional Issues

 

We may from time to time, without notice to or the consent of the holders of the notes, create and issue further additional notes ranking equally and ratably with the notes in all respects, or in all respects except for the payment of interest accruing prior to the issue date or except for the first payment of interest following the issue date of those further additional notes; provided that, if such further additional notes are not fungible for U.S. federal income tax purposes with the notes, such further additional notes will have a different CUSIP, ISIN and/or any other identifying number. Any such further additional notes will have the same terms as to status, redemption or otherwise as the notes.

Governing Law

 

The additional notes and the indenture under which they will be issued will be governed by New York law.

Listing

 

The additional notes will not be listed on any securities exchange.

Trustee, Registrar and Paying Agent

 

The Bank of New York Mellon.

Risk Factors

 

Investing in the additional notes involves risks. See “Risk Factors” for more information.

S-7


 

RISK FACTORS

Investing in the additional notes involves risks. You should carefully consider the risks described under “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A, of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on February 24, 2020, and under Part II, Item 1A, of our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020, filed with the SEC on April 29, 2020, as such descriptions may be updated or amended in any future reports we file with the SEC, as well as the other information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus before making a decision to invest in our notes. See “Where You Can Find More Information” above.

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a material adverse impact on our operations and financial performance, as well as on the operations and financial performance of many of the customers and suppliers in industries that we serve. We are unable to predict the extent to which the pandemic and related impacts will continue to adversely impact our business operations, financial performance, results of operations, financial position and the achievement of our strategic objectives.

Our operations and financial performance have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic that has caused, and is expected to continue to cause, the global slowdown of economic activity (including the decrease in demand for a broad variety of goods and services), disruptions in global supply chains and significant volatility and disruption of financial markets. Because the severity, magnitude and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences are uncertain, rapidly changing and difficult to predict, the pandemic’s impact on our operations and financial performance, as well as its impact on our ability to successfully execute our business strategies and initiatives, remains uncertain and difficult to predict. Further, the ultimate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our operations and financial performance depends on many factors that are not within our control, including: governmental, business and individuals’ actions that have been and continue to be taken in response to the pandemic (including restrictions on travel and transport and workforce pressures); the impact of the pandemic and actions taken in response on global and regional economies, travel, and economic activity; the availability of federal, state, local or non-U.S. funding programs; general economic uncertainty in key global markets and financial market volatility; global economic conditions and levels of economic growth; and the pace of recovery when the COVID-19 pandemic subsides.

The COVID-19 pandemic has subjected our operations, financial performance and financial condition to a number of risks, including those discussed below:

 

 

Operations-related risks: Across all of our businesses, we are facing increased operational challenges from the need to protect employee health and safety, site shutdowns, workplace disruptions and restrictions on the movement of people, raw materials and goods, both at our own facilities and at those of our customers and suppliers. We are also experiencing, and expect to continue experiencing, lower demand and volume for products and services, customer requests for potential payment deferrals or other contract modifications, supply chain under-liquidation, delays of deliveries and the achievement of other billing milestones, delays or cancellations of new projects and related down payments and other factors related directly and indirectly to the COVID-19 pandemic that adversely impact our businesses. We expect that the longer the period of economic and global supply chain and disruption continues, the more material the adverse impact will be on our business operations, financial performance and results of operations, and this could include additional charges, goodwill or other asset impairments and other adverse financial impacts in future periods.

 

 

Customer-related risks: In particular, the interruption of regional and international air travel from COVID-19 has resulted in a severe decline of business and leisure traffic and is having a material adverse effect on our airline and airframer customers, the viability of their businesses and their demand for our services and products. Changes in passenger air travel trends arising from COVID-19 may continue to develop or persist over time and further contribute to this material adverse effect. We are also observing a significant increase in the number of requests for payment deferrals, contract modifications, aircraft lease restructurings and similar actions across the aviation sector, and these trends may lead to additional charges, goodwill or other

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asset impairments and other material adverse financial impacts at GE Aviation and GE Capital Aviation Services over time. We have depended on the strength of our Aviation business as we have been working to improve the operations and execution of other GE businesses and strengthen the company’s balance sheet. As a result, disruption of the aviation industry, which could continue for an uncertain period of time, is particularly significant for GE. Across our businesses, to varying degrees, we anticipate that some existing or potential customers will continue to delay or cancel plans to purchase our products and services, or may not be able to fulfill prior obligations in a timely fashion, as a result of ongoing effects related to the COVID-19 pandemic and adverse economic conditions more broadly.

 

 

Leverage- and market-related risks: The current financial market dynamics and volatility pose heightened risks to our timelines for decreasing our leverage, and we now expect to achieve our prior targets over a longer period than previously announced as we seek to maintain appropriate liquidity to compensate for lower (or negative) cash flows from operations or as variables impacting our leverage ratios fluctuate with extreme market volatility. For example, lower discount rates and lower asset valuations at the time of remeasurement can materially impact the calculation of long-term liabilities such as our pension deficit, GAAP insurance reserve and insurance statutory calculations. In addition, extreme volatility in financial and commodities markets has had and may continue to have adverse impacts on other asset valuations such as the market value of our remaining equity interest in Baker Hughes and the value of the investment portfolios supporting our pension and long-term insurance liabilities. Our long-term liabilities are sensitive to numerous factors and assumptions that can move in offsetting directions and should be considered as of the time of a relevant measurement event.

 

 

Liquidity- and funding-related risks: While we have significant sources of cash and liquidity and access to committed credit lines, a prolonged period of generating lower (or negative) cash flows from operations could adversely affect our financial condition and the achievement of our strategic objectives. As described in the Capital Resources and Liquidity section of our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the first quarter of 2020, in April 2020, Moody’s and S&P changed their credit rating outlooks for GE and GE Capital from Stable to Negative, and Fitch lowered its credit ratings for GE and GE Capital. There can also be no assurance that we will not face additional credit rating downgrades as a result of weaker than anticipated performance of our businesses, slower progress in decreasing our leverage or other factors. Future downgrades could further adversely affect our cost of funds and related margins, liquidity, competitive position and access to capital markets, and a significant downgrade could have an adverse commercial impact on our industrial businesses. Conditions in the financial and credit markets may also limit the availability of funding or increase the cost of funding (including for receivables monetization or supply chain finance programs), which could adversely affect our business, financial position and results of operations. Although the U.S. federal and other governments have announced a number of funding programs to support businesses, our ability or willingness to access funding under such programs may be limited by regulations or other guidance, or by further change or uncertainty related to the terms of these programs.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to adversely affect our operating and financial results, it may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in the risk factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019. In particular, see the risk factors regarding “Global macro-environment,” “Supply chain,” “Leverage and borrowings,” “Liquidity” and “Economy, customers & counterparties,” as updated by the information in this risk factor. Refer also to the Critical Accounting Estimates section of our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the first quarter of 2020, for additional details about how COVID-19 related market events may affect our insurance business and pension assumptions, and to Note 8 to the consolidated financial statements in that report for additional details about goodwill and reporting units that at March 31, 2020 had fair values that were not significantly in excess of their respective carrying values. Further, the COVID-19 pandemic may also affect our operating and financial results in a manner that is not presently known to us or that we currently do not expect to present significant risks to our operations or financial results.

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We estimate that the net proceeds from the sale of the additional notes will be approximately $   billion after deducting the underwriting discount and our estimated expenses of this offering. We intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the additional notes to repurchase, redeem or repay outstanding debt obligations. Outstanding debt obligations may include all or a portion of outstanding intercompany debt obligations to GE Capital. Pending such use of the net proceeds, we may invest the net proceeds in highly liquid short-term securities.

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DESCRIPTION OF NOTES

The following description of the particular terms of the additional notes offered by this prospectus supplement supplements the description of the general terms and provisions of the debt securities in the accompanying prospectus.

General

The additional notes are to be issued under the senior note indenture, dated October 9, 2012, and the officer’s certificate to be dated as of  , between us and The Bank of New York Mellon, as trustee (the “Trustee”), which are more fully described in the accompanying prospectus. We will issue a total of $   aggregate principal amount of 4.350% Notes that will mature on May 1, 2050.

The additional notes offered hereby constitute a further issuance of the 4.350% Notes due 2050, of which $2,250,000,000 aggregate principal amount was issued on April 22, 2020. The additional notes will form a single series with, and have the same terms (other than the initial offering price and the issue date) as, the existing notes. Upon settlement, the additional notes will have the same CUSIP and ISIN numbers and will trade interchangeably with the existing notes. We expect the additional notes and the existing notes to be fungible for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Immediately after giving effect to the issuance of the additional notes offered hereby, we will have $   aggregate principal amount of 4.350% Notes due 2050 outstanding.

The additional notes will be unsecured and will rank equally with our other unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness. The following description of the terms of the additional notes supplements, and to the extent inconsistent therewith replaces, the description of the general terms and provisions of the debt securities set forth in the accompanying prospectus.

The additional notes will be issued only in fully registered, book-entry form, in denominations of $2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof.

By “business day” we mean any day, other than a Saturday or Sunday, that is neither a legal holiday nor a day on which commercial banks are authorized or required by law, regulation or executive order to close in New York, New York, United States.

Interest and Principal

The additional notes will bear interest from April 22, 2020 at the annual rates stated on the cover of this prospectus supplement. We will pay interest on the notes semi-annually on May 1 and November 1 of each year and on the maturity date of the notes (each, an “interest payment date”), beginning on November 1, 2020 to the persons in whose names the notes are registered at the close of business on April 15 and October 15, as the case may be (in each case, whether or not a business day), immediately preceding the related interest payment date; provided, however, that interest payable on the maturity date of the notes or any redemption date of the notes shall be payable to the person to whom the principal of such notes shall be payable. The interest payment to be made with respect to the additional notes on November 1, 2020 will include interest deemed to have accrued from and including April 22, 2020, to, but excluding, the settlement date of the additional notes. Such accrued interest must be paid by the purchasers of the additional notes. Interest on the notes will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months. We will make payments of principal, premium, if any, and interest through the Trustee to DTC.

Interest payable on any interest payment date, redemption date or maturity date shall be the amount of interest accrued from, and including, the next preceding interest payment date in respect of which interest has been paid or duly provided for, to, but excluding, such interest payment date, redemption date or maturity date, as the case may be. If any interest payment date falls on a day that is not a business day, the interest payment will be made on the next succeeding day that is a business day, but no additional interest will accrue as a result of the delay in payment. If the maturity date or any redemption date of the notes falls on a day that is not a business day, the related payment of principal, premium, if any, and interest will be made on the next succeeding

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business day as if it were made on the date such payment was due, and no interest will accrue on the amounts so payable for the period from and after such date to the next succeeding business day.

Optional Redemption

The notes will be redeemable at any time and from time to time prior to the Par Call Date, as a whole or in part, at our option, on at least 10 days’, but not more than 60 days’, prior notice delivered to each holder of the notes to be redeemed (or otherwise sent in accordance with the procedures of DTC), at a redemption price equal to the greater of:

 

 

100% of the principal amount of the notes to be redeemed; and

 

 

the sum of the present values of the Remaining Scheduled Payments (as defined below) on the notes to be redeemed (exclusive of interest accrued and unpaid to, but not including, the date of redemption) discounted to the date of redemption on a semiannual basis, assuming a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months, at the Treasury Rate (as defined below) plus 50 basis points;

plus, in either case, accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the redemption date.

Notwithstanding the immediately preceding paragraph, we may redeem all or a portion of the notes at our option at any time and from time to time on or after the Par Call Date at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of such notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the redemption date.

If money sufficient to pay the redemption price of all of the notes (or portions thereof) to be redeemed on the redemption date is deposited with the Trustee or paying agent on or before the redemption date and certain other conditions are satisfied, then on and after such redemption date, interest will cease to accrue on such notes (or such portion thereof) called for redemption.

“Comparable Treasury Issue” means the United States Treasury security selected by an Independent Investment Banker as having an actual or interpolated maturity comparable to the remaining term of the notes to be redeemed (assuming that such notes matured on the applicable Par Call Date) that would be utilized, at the time of selection and in accordance with customary financial practice, in pricing new issues of corporate debt securities of a comparable maturity to the remaining term of such notes (assuming that such notes matured on the applicable Par Call Date).

“Comparable Treasury Price” means, with respect to any redemption date, (A) the average of the Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations for such redemption date, after excluding the highest and lowest such Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, or (B) if the Independent Investment Banker obtains fewer than four such Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, the average of all such quotations.

“Independent Investment Banker” means one of the Reference Treasury Dealers appointed by us.

“Par Call Date” means November 1, 2049.

“Reference Treasury Dealer” means each of BofA Securities, Inc., J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, BNP Paribas Securities Corp., an affiliate of Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., which are primary U.S. Government securities dealers in The City of New York (a “Primary Treasury Dealer”), and their respective successors plus three other Primary Treasury Dealers selected by us; provided, however, that if any of the foregoing or their affiliates ceases to be a Primary Treasury Dealer, we will substitute therefor another Primary Treasury Dealer.

“Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations” means, with respect to each Reference Treasury Dealer and any redemption date, the average, as determined by the Independent Investment Banker, of the bid and asked prices for the applicable Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed in each case as a percentage of its principal amount) quoted in writing to the Independent Investment Banker by the Reference Treasury Dealers at 3:30 p.m. New York time on the third business day preceding such redemption date.

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“Remaining Scheduled Payments” means, with respect to each note to be redeemed, the remaining scheduled payments of the principal thereof and interest thereon that would be due after the related redemption date but for such redemption if such notes matured on the Par Call Date; provided, however, that, if such redemption date is not an Interest Payment Date with respect to such note, the amount of the next succeeding scheduled interest payment thereon will be deemed to be reduced (solely for the purposes of this calculation) by the amount of interest accrued thereon to such redemption date.

“Treasury Rate” means, with respect to any redemption date, the rate per annum equal to the semiannual equivalent yield to maturity or interpolated yield to maturity, computed as of the third business day preceding such redemption date, of the applicable Comparable Treasury Issue, assuming a price for such Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed as a percentage of its principal amount) equal to the applicable Comparable Treasury Price for such redemption date.

We may at any time, and from time to time, purchase the notes at any price or prices in the open market or otherwise.

Additional Issues

We may from time to time, without notice to or the consent of the holders of the notes, create and issue further additional notes ranking equally and ratably with the notes in all respects, or in all respects except for the payment of interest accruing prior to the issue date or except for the first payment of interest following the issue date of those further additional notes; provided that, if such further additional notes are not fungible for U.S. federal income tax purposes with the notes, such further additional notes will have a different CUSIP, ISIN and/or any other identifying number. Any such further additional notes will have the same terms as to status, redemption or otherwise as the notes.

Listing

The additional notes will not be listed on any securities exchange.

Book-Entry System

The additional notes will be issued only in the form of one or more fully registered global notes in book-entry form, which will be deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC and registered in the name of DTC’s nominee, Cede & Co. Except as set forth below, the global notes may be transferred by DTC, in whole and not in part, only to a nominee of DTC or by a nominee of DTC to DTC or another nominee of DTC or by DTC or any such nominee to a successor of DTC or a nominee of such successor.

Investors may elect to hold beneficial interests in the global notes through either DTC, in the United States, Clearstream Banking, société anonyme (“Clearstream”) and Euroclear Bank S.A./N.V. (“Euroclear”) if they are participants in these systems, or indirectly through organizations which are participants in these systems.

So long as DTC or its nominee is the registered owner of a global note, DTC or its nominee, as the case may be, will be considered the sole holder of the notes represented by such global notes for all purposes under the indenture and the beneficial owners of the notes will be entitled only to those rights and benefits afforded to them in accordance with DTC’s regular operating procedures. Upon specified written instructions of a participant in DTC, DTC will have its nominee assist participants in the exercise of certain holders’ rights, such as demand for acceleration of maturity or an instruction to the Trustee.

Except as provided below, owners of beneficial interests in a global note will not be entitled to have notes registered in their names, will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of notes in certificated form and will not be considered the registered owners or holders thereof under the indenture. If DTC is at any time unwilling or unable to continue as depositary, defaults in the performance of its duties or if at any time DTC ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the

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Exchange Act and a successor depositary is not appointed by us within 90 days, or if we determine, subject to DTC’s procedures, that we will issue securities registered in the name of beneficial holders thereof, we will issue individual notes in certificated form of the same series and like tenor and in the applicable principal amount in exchange for the notes represented by the global note. In any such instance, an owner of a beneficial interest in a global note will be entitled to physical delivery of individual notes in certificated form of the same series and like tenor, equal in principal amount to such beneficial interest and to have the notes in certificated form registered in its name. Notes so issued in certificated form will be issued in denominations of $2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof and will be issued in registered form only, without coupons.

The following is based on information furnished by DTC:

DTC will act as securities depositary for the notes. The notes will be issued as fully registered notes registered in the name of Cede & Co. (DTC’s partnership nominee) or such other name as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC.

DTC, the world’s largest depositary, is a limited-purpose trust company organized under the New York Banking Law, a “banking organization” within the meaning of the New York Banking Law, a member of the Federal Reserve System, a “clearing corporation” within the meaning of the New York Uniform Commercial Code and a “clearing agency” registered pursuant to the provisions of Section 17A of the Exchange Act. DTC holds and provides asset servicing for over 3.5 million issues of U.S. and non-U.S. equity issues, corporate and municipal debt issues and money market instruments (from over 100 countries) that DTC’s direct participants deposit with DTC.

DTC also facilitates the post-trade settlement among direct participants of sales and other securities transactions in deposited securities, through electronic computerized book-entry transfers and pledges between direct participants’ accounts. This eliminates the need for physical movement of securities certificates. Direct participants include both U.S. and non-U.S. securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations. DTC is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (“DTCC”). DTCC is the holding company for DTC, National Securities Clearing Corporation and Fixed Income Clearing Corporation, all of which are registered clearing agencies. DTCC is owned by the users of its regulated subsidiaries. Access to the DTC system is also available to others such as both U.S. and non-U.S. securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies and clearing corporations that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a direct participant, either directly or indirectly. The DTC rules applicable to its participants are on file with the SEC. More information about DTC can be found at www.dtcc.com, but such information is not a part of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus.

Purchases of the notes under the DTC system must be made by or through direct participants, which will receive a credit for the notes on DTC’s records. The beneficial interest of each actual purchaser of each note is in turn to be recorded on the direct and indirect participants’ records. Beneficial owners will not receive written confirmation from DTC of their purchase. Beneficial owners are, however, expected to receive written confirmations providing details of the transaction, as well as periodic statements of their holdings, from the direct or indirect participant through which the beneficial owner entered into the transaction. Transfers of beneficial interests in the notes are to be accomplished by entries made on the books of direct and indirect participants acting on behalf of beneficial owners. Beneficial owners will not receive certificates representing their beneficial interests in notes, except in the event that use of the book-entry system for the notes is discontinued. The laws of some states require that certain persons take physical delivery in definitive form of securities which they own. Such limits and such laws may impair the ability of such persons to own, transfer or pledge beneficial interests in a global note.

To facilitate subsequent transfers, all notes deposited by direct participants with DTC will be registered in the name of DTC’s partnership nominee, Cede & Co. or such other name as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC. The deposit of the notes with DTC and their registration in the name of Cede & Co. or such other nominee do not effect any change in beneficial ownership. DTC has no knowledge of the actual beneficial owners of the notes; DTC’s records reflect only the identity of the direct participants to whose accounts the notes will be

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credited, which may or may not be the beneficial owners. The direct and indirect participants will remain responsible for keeping account of their holdings on behalf of their customers.

Conveyance of notices and other communications by DTC to direct participants, by direct participants to indirect participants, and by direct participants and indirect participants to beneficial owners will be governed by arrangements among them, subject to any statutory or regulatory requirements as may be in effect from time to time. Beneficial owners of the notes may wish to take certain steps to augment the transmission to them of notices of significant events with respect to the notes, such as redemptions, tenders, defaults and proposed amendments to the note documents. For example, beneficial owners of the notes may wish to ascertain that the nominee holding the notes for their benefit has agreed to obtain and transmit notices to beneficial owners. In the alternative, beneficial owners may wish to provide their names and addresses to the registrar of the notes and request that copies of the notices be provided to them directly. Any such request may or may not be successful.

Redemption notices shall be sent to DTC. If less than all of the notes within an issue are being redeemed, DTC’s practice is to determine by lot the amount of the interest of each direct participant in such issue to be redeemed.

Neither DTC nor Cede & Co. (nor any other DTC nominee) will consent or vote with respect to the notes unless authorized by a direct participant in accordance with DTC’s procedures. Under its usual procedures, DTC mails an Omnibus Proxy to us as soon as possible after the regular record date. The Omnibus Proxy assigns Cede & Co.’s consenting or voting rights to those direct participants to whose accounts the notes are credited on the record date (identified in a listing attached to the Omnibus Proxy).

We will pay principal of and interest on the notes in same-day funds to the Trustee and the Trustee is required to pay such amounts to DTC, or such other nominee as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC. DTC’s practice is to credit direct participants’ accounts on the applicable payment date in accordance with their respective holdings shown on DTC’s records upon DTC’s receipt of funds and corresponding detail information. Payments by participants to beneficial owners will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in “street name,” and will be the responsibility of these participants and not of us, the Trustee, DTC or any other party, subject to any statutory or regulatory requirements that may be in effect from time to time. Payment of principal and interest to Cede & Co., or such other nominee as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC, is the responsibility of us or the Trustee, disbursement of such payments to direct participants is the responsibility of DTC, and disbursement of such payments to the beneficial owners is the responsibility of the direct or indirect participants.

The information in this section concerning DTC and DTC’s book-entry system has been obtained from sources that we believe to be reliable, but we take no responsibility for the accuracy thereof.

Clearstream and Euroclear will hold interests on behalf of their participants through customers’ securities accounts in Clearstream’s and Euroclear’s names on the books of their respective depositaries, which in turn will hold interests in customers’ securities accounts in the depositaries’ names on the books of DTC. At the present time, Citibank, N.A. acts as U.S. depositary for Clearstream and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. acts as U.S. depositary for Euroclear (together, the “U.S. Depositaries”). Beneficial interests in the global notes will be held in denominations of $2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof.

Clearstream holds securities for its participating organizations (“Clearstream Participants”) and facilitates the clearance and settlement of securities transactions between Clearstream Participants through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of Clearstream Participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of certificates. Clearstream provides to Clearstream Participants, among other things, services for safekeeping, administration, clearance and settlement of internationally traded securities and securities lending and borrowing. Clearstream interfaces with domestic markets in several countries.

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Clearstream is registered as a bank in Luxembourg, and as such is subject to regulation by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier and the Banque Centrale du Luxembourg, which supervise and oversee the activities of Luxembourg banks. Clearstream Participants are world-wide financial institutions including underwriters, securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies and clearing corporations, and may include the underwriter or its affiliates. Indirect access to Clearstream is available to other institutions that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a Clearstream Participant. Clearstream has established an electronic bridge with Euroclear as the operator of the Euroclear System (the “Euroclear Operator”) in Brussels to facilitate settlement of trades between Clearstream and the Euroclear Operator.

Distributions with respect to the notes held beneficially through Clearstream will be credited to cash accounts of Clearstream Participants in accordance with its rules and procedures, to the extent received by the U.S. Depositary for Clearstream.

Euroclear holds securities and book-entry interests in securities for participating organizations (“Euroclear Participants”) and facilitates the clearance and settlement of securities transactions between Euroclear Participants, and between Euroclear Participants and participants of certain other securities intermediaries through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of such participants or other securities intermediaries. Euroclear provides Euroclear Participants, among other things, with safekeeping, administration, clearance and settlement, securities lending and borrowing, and related services. Euroclear Participants are investment banks, securities brokers and dealers, banks, central banks, supranationals, custodians, investment managers, corporations, trust companies and certain other organizations, and may include the underwriter or its affiliates. Non-participants in Euroclear may hold and transfer beneficial interests in a global note through accounts with a Euroclear Participant or any other securities intermediary that holds a book-entry interest in a global note through one or more securities intermediaries standing between such other securities intermediary and Euroclear.

Securities clearance accounts and cash accounts with the Euroclear Operator are governed by the Terms and Conditions Governing Use of Euroclear and the related Operating Procedures of the Euroclear System, and applicable Belgian law (collectively, the “Terms and Conditions”). The Terms and Conditions govern transfers of securities and cash within Euroclear, withdrawals of securities and cash from Euroclear and receipts of payments with respect to securities in Euroclear. All securities in Euroclear are held on a fungible basis without attribution of specific certificates to specific securities clearance accounts. The Euroclear Operator acts under the Terms and Conditions only on behalf of Euroclear Participants, and has no record of or relationship with persons holding through Euroclear Participants.

Distributions with respect to notes held beneficially through Euroclear will be credited to the cash accounts of Euroclear Participants in accordance with the Terms and Conditions, to the extent received by the U.S. Depositary for Euroclear.

Transfers between Euroclear Participants and Clearstream Participants will be effected in the ordinary way in accordance with their respective rules and operating procedures.

Cross-market transfers between DTC’s participating organizations (“DTC Participants”), on the one hand, and Euroclear Participants or Clearstream Participants, on the other hand, will be effected through DTC in accordance with DTC’s rules on behalf of Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, by its U.S. Depositary; however, such cross-market transactions will require delivery of instructions to Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, by the counterparty in such system in accordance with the rules and procedures and within the established deadlines (European time) of such system. Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, will, if the transaction meets its settlement requirements, deliver instructions to its U.S. Depositary to take action to effect final settlement on its behalf by delivering or receiving interests in the global note in DTC, and making or receiving payment in accordance with normal procedures for same-day fund settlement applicable to DTC. Euroclear Participants and Clearstream Participants may not deliver instructions directly to their respective U.S. Depositaries.

Due to time zone differences, the securities accounts of a Euroclear Participant or Clearstream Participant purchasing an interest in a global note from a DTC Participant in DTC will be credited,

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and any such crediting will be reported to the relevant Euroclear Participant or Clearstream Participant, during the securities settlement processing day (which must be a business day for Euroclear or Clearstream) immediately following the settlement date of DTC. Cash received in Euroclear or Clearstream as a result of sales of interests in a global note by or through a Euroclear Participant or Clearstream Participant to a DTC Participant will be received with value on the settlement date of DTC but will be available in the relevant Euroclear or Clearstream cash account only as of the business day for Euroclear or Clearstream following DTC’s settlement date.

The information in this section concerning Euroclear and Clearstream and their book-entry systems has been obtained from sources that we believe to be reliable, but we take no responsibility for the accuracy of that information.

None of GE, the underwriter or the Trustee will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or payments made on account of the beneficial interests in a global note, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial interests.

The Trustee, Paying Agent and Security Registrar

The Bank of New York Mellon will be the Trustee, paying agent and security registrar with respect to the additional notes and maintains various commercial and investment banking relationships with us and with affiliates of ours. It is also the Trustee under our Senior Note Indenture, dated as of January 1, 2003 and our Indenture dated December 1, 2005.

Governing Law

The indenture and the additional notes will be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York.

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CERTAIN UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME AND ESTATE TAX CONSIDERATIONS

The following sets forth certain U.S. federal income and, in the case of Non-U.S. Holders (as defined below), estate tax consequences of ownership and disposition of the additional notes, but does not purport to be a complete analysis of all potential tax considerations. This summary is based upon the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), the Treasury Regulations promulgated or proposed thereunder, administrative pronouncements and judicial decisions, all as of the date hereof and all of which are subject to change, possibly on a retroactive basis. This discussion applies only to additional notes that are held as capital assets within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Code (generally, for investment).

This discussion does not describe all of the tax consequences that may be relevant to you in light of your particular circumstances, including alternative minimum tax and Medicare contribution tax consequences, or to differing tax consequences that may apply if you are, for instance:

 

 

a tax-exempt organization;

 

 

a regulated investment company;

 

 

a real estate investment trust;

 

 

a financial institution;

 

 

an insurance company;

 

 

a dealer in securities;

 

 

a trader in securities that elects the mark-to-market method of tax accounting;

 

 

a former citizen or long-term resident of the United States;

 

 

a person holding additional notes as part of a straddle or integrated transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes;

 

 

a U.S. Holder (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar; and

 

 

a partnership or other entity classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

If you are a partnership, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of your partners will generally depend on the status of the partners and your activities.

You are urged to consult your tax adviser with regard to the application of the U.S. federal tax laws to your particular situation as well as any tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, local or non-U.S. taxing jurisdiction.

Tax Consequences to U.S. Holders

This section applies to you if you are a U.S. Holder. You are a U.S. Holder if you are the beneficial owner of an additional note that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

 

 

an individual citizen or resident of the United States;

 

 

a corporation organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia; or

 

 

an estate or trust the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source.

Qualified Reopening

For U.S. federal income tax purposes, we intend to treat the additional notes as being issued in a “qualified reopening” of the existing notes. Accordingly the additional notes will have the same information reporting, issue date and issue price as the existing notes.

Pre-Issuance Accrued Interest

A portion of a U.S. Holder’s purchase price for the additional notes may be allocable to interest that accrued prior to the date the additional notes are purchased (“pre-issuance accrued

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interest”). On the first interest payment date, a portion of the interest received in an amount equal to the pre-issuance accrued interest will be treated as a return of the pre-issuance accrued interest and not as a payment of interest on the additional notes. The amount treated as a return of pre-issuance accrued interest is not taxable when received, and will reduce the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the additional notes by a corresponding amount if such amount was properly includible in the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the additional notes. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisers concerning the tax treatment of pre-issuance accrued interest.

Amortizable Note Premium

In general, a U.S. Holder that purchases an additional note for an amount in excess of its principal amount (excluding any amount properly allocable to pre-issuance accrued interest) will be considered to have purchased the additional note with amortizable note premium in an amount equal to such excess. A U.S. Holder may generally elect to amortize this note premium, using a constant yield method, over the remaining term of the additional note. A U.S. Holder may generally use the amortizable note premium allocable to an accrual period to offset stated interest required to be included in its gross income with respect to the additional note in that accrual period. A U.S. Holder must reduce its tax basis in the additional note by the amount of premium amortized in any year. An election to amortize note premium applies to all taxable debt obligations owned by the U.S. Holder at the beginning of the first taxable year to which the election applies and to all taxable debt obligations thereafter acquired by the U.S. Holder and may be revoked only with the consent of the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”). If the U.S. Holder does not elect to amortize note premium, that premium will decrease the gain or increase the loss it would otherwise recognize on the disposition of the additional note.

Market Discount

An additional note may have market discount to the extent the principal amount of the additional note exceeds the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the additional note immediately after its acquisition. If any such market discount exceeds a statutorily defined de minimis amount, any gain recognized by the U.S. Holder with respect to the additional note will be treated as ordinary income to the extent of any market discount that has accrued during the period the U.S. Holder has held the additional note, unless the U.S. Holder previously elected to include market discount in income on a current basis. The U.S. Holder’s basis in the additional note will be increased by the amount of market discount included in income on a current basis.

The U.S. federal income tax rules governing market discount are complex. U.S. Holders should consult their own tax advisers as to the potential applicability of the market discount rules.

Payments of interest

Subject to the discussion above regarding amortizable note premium and pre-issuance accrued interest, interest paid on an additional note will be taxable to you as ordinary interest income at the time it accrues or is received, in accordance with your method of accounting for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of the additional notes

Upon a sale, exchange, retirement or other taxable disposition of additional notes, a U.S. Holder will generally recognize gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received on the disposition (other than any amount attributable to accrued but unpaid interest, which will be taxable to the U.S. Holder as ordinary interest income as described above to the extent not previously included in income) and the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in such additional notes. Subject to the discussion above regarding amortizable note premium, market discount and pre-issuance accrued interest, a U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in an additional note will generally equal the U.S. Holder’s cost of the additional note less the amount of any payments on the additional note other than interest.

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Subject to the discussion above regarding market discount, any such recognized gain or loss will generally be treated as capital gain or loss, and will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder’s holding period in the additional notes exceeds one year at the time of the disposition. Long-term capital gains of non-corporate taxpayers may be eligible for reduced rates of taxation. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.

Backup withholding and information reporting

Information returns are required to be filed with the IRS in connection with payments on the additional notes and the proceeds from a sale or other disposition of the additional notes, unless you are an exempt recipient. You may also be subject to backup withholding on these payments if you fail to comply with certain certification procedures or otherwise to establish an exemption from backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. The amount of any backup withholding from a payment to you will be allowed as a credit against your U.S. federal income tax liability and may entitle you to a refund, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.

Tax Consequences to Non-U.S. Holders

This section applies to you if you are a Non-U.S. Holder. You are a Non-U.S. Holder if you are a beneficial owner of an additional note that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

 

 

a nonresident alien individual;

 

 

a foreign corporation; or

 

 

a foreign estate or trust.

You are not a Non-U.S. Holder if you are an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of disposition of an additional note, in which case you should consult your tax adviser regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the sale, exchange or other disposition of an additional note.

Payments on the additional notes

Subject to the discussions below under “—Backup withholding and information reporting” and “—Foreign Account Tax Compliance,” payments of principal and interest on the additional notes to you will not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax, provided that, in the case of interest:

 

 

you do not own, actually or constructively, 10% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of our stock entitled to vote, and are not a controlled foreign corporation related, directly or indirectly, to us through stock ownership;

 

 

you certify on IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E, under penalties of perjury, that you are not a United States person; and

 

 

the interest is not effectively connected with your conduct of a trade or business in the United States as described below.

If you do not satisfy the first two requirements described above, payments of interest on the additional notes to you will generally be subject to a 30% U.S. federal withholding tax, unless either (i) you provide an IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E claiming an exemption from or reduction in withholding under the benefit of an applicable tax treaty, or (ii) the interest is effectively connected with your conduct of a trade or business (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, is attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by you).

In the latter case, although you will be exempt from the withholding tax discussed in the preceding paragraphs, you will generally be taxed in the same manner as a U.S. Holder with respect to this income or gain (see “—Tax Consequences to U.S. Holders” above), except that you will be required to provide a properly executed IRS Form W-8ECI in order to claim an exemption from withholding. You should consult your tax adviser with respect to other U.S. tax consequences of the

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ownership and disposition of additional notes, including the possible imposition of a branch profits tax at a rate of 30% (or a lower treaty rate).

Sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of the additional notes

Subject to the discussions below under “—Backup withholding and information reporting” and “—Foreign Account Tax Compliance,” you will not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax on gain realized on the sale, exchange, or other taxable disposition of the additional note, unless the gain is effectively connected with your conduct of a trade or business in the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, is attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by you).

U.S. federal estate tax

If you are an individual, or an entity the property of which is potentially includible in an individual’s gross estates for U.S. federal estate tax purposes, you should note that, absent an applicable treaty benefit, an additional note generally will be treated as U.S.-situs property subject to U.S. federal estate tax if interest payments on the additional note, if received at death, would have been:

 

 

subject to U.S. federal withholding tax (even if the Form W-8 certification requirement described above were satisfied); or

 

 

effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business in the United States.

Backup withholding and information reporting

Information returns are required to be filed with the IRS in connection with interest payments on the additional notes. Unless you comply with certification procedures to establish that you are not a U.S. person, information returns may also be filed with the IRS in connection with the proceeds from a sale or other disposition of the additional notes, and you may be subject to backup withholding on payments on the additional notes or on the proceeds from a sale or other disposition of the additional notes. The certification required to claim the exemption from withholding tax on interest described above will also avoid backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. The amount of any backup withholding from a payment to you will be allowed as a credit against your U.S. federal income tax liability and may entitle you to a refund, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.

Foreign Account Tax Compliance

Under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”), withholding taxes may apply to certain types of payments made to “foreign financial institutions” (as specially defined in the Code) and certain other non-U.S. entities. Specifically, a 30% withholding tax may be imposed on amounts paid in respect of interest paid to a foreign financial institution or to a non-financial foreign entity, unless (1) the foreign financial institution undertakes certain diligence and reporting, (2) the non-financial foreign entity either certifies it does not have any substantial U.S. owners or furnishes identifying information regarding each substantial U.S. owner, or (3) the foreign financial institution or non-financial foreign entity otherwise qualifies for an exemption from these rules. If the payee is a foreign financial institution and is subject to the diligence and reporting requirements in clause (1) above, then, pursuant to an agreement between it and the U.S. Treasury or an intergovernmental agreement between, generally, the jurisdiction in which it is resident and the U.S. Treasury, it must, among other things, identify accounts held by certain U.S. persons or U.S.-owned foreign entities, annually report certain information about such accounts, and withhold 30% on payments to non-compliant foreign financial institutions and certain other account holders. If FATCA withholding is imposed, a beneficial owner may be entitled to a refund of any amounts withheld by timely filing a U.S. federal income tax return (which may entail significant administrative burden). Payments that are attributable to the interest on the additional notes will be subject to FATCA withholding as described above. The U.S. Treasury Secretary has issued proposed regulations providing that the

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withholding provisions under the FATCA do not apply with respect to payment of gross proceeds from a sale or other disposition of the additional notes, which may be relied upon by taxpayers until final regulations are issued. There can be no assurance that final Treasury regulations would provide an exemption from the FATCA Tax for gross proceeds.

Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding FATCA and the regulations thereunder.

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UNDERWRITING

Under the terms of and subject to the conditions contained in the underwriting agreement, dated  , 2020, we have agreed to sell to the sole underwriter, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, the full principal amount of additional notes in the amount of $  .

The underwriting agreement provides that the underwriter is obligated to purchase all of the additional notes if any are purchased. The underwriter may offer and sell the additional notes through certain of its affiliates. The offering of the additional notes by the underwriter is subject to receipt and acceptance and subject to the underwriter’s right to reject any order in whole or in part.

The underwriter proposes to offer the additional notes initially at the public offering price on the cover page of this prospectus supplement, plus accrued interest of $   from and including April 22, 2020, to, but excluding, the settlement date of the additional notes, and may offer the additional notes to other dealers at that price, less a selling concession of  % of the principal amount per additional note. The underwriter and other dealers may allow a discount of  % of the principal amount per additional note on sales to other brokers or dealers. After the initial public offering, the underwriter may change the public offering price, selling concession and discount to brokers and dealers.

We will pay an underwriting discount of  % of the public offering price per additional note, for a total of $  .

We have agreed to indemnify the underwriter against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or to contribute to payments the underwriter may be required to make in respect of those liabilities.

The underwriter is offering the additional notes, subject to prior sale, when, as and if issued to and accepted by them, subject to approval of legal matters by their counsel, including the validity of the additional notes, and other conditions contained in the underwriting agreement, such as the receipt by the underwriter of an officers’ certificate and legal opinions. The underwriter reserves the right to withdraw, cancel or modify offers to the public and to reject orders in whole or in part.

The total expenses of the offering, not including the underwriting discounts, are estimated to be $   and are payable by us.

New Issue of Notes

We do not intend to apply to list the additional notes on any securities exchange or arrange for the additional notes to be quoted on any automated quotation system. The trading market for the additional notes may not be maintained. We have been advised by the underwriter that it presently intends to make a market in the additional notes after completion of the offering. However, it is under no obligation to do so and may discontinue any market-making activities at any time without any notice. We cannot assure the liquidity of the trading market for the notes. If an active public trading market for the additional notes is not maintained, the market price and liquidity of the additional notes may be adversely affected.

Settlement

We expect to deliver the additional notes against payment for the additional notes on the fifth business day following the date of the pricing of the additional notes, which we refer to as T+5. Under Rule 15c6-1 of the Exchange Act, trades in the secondary market generally are required to settle in two business days, unless the parties to a trade expressly agree otherwise. Accordingly, investors who wish to trade additional notes on the date of pricing or the next two succeeding business days will be required, by virtue of the fact that the additional notes initially will settle in T+5, to specify alternative settlement arrangements to prevent a failed settlement.

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Sales Outside the United States

Canada

The additional notes may be sold only to purchasers purchasing, or deemed to be purchasing, as principal that are accredited investors, as defined in National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions or subsection 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario), and are permitted clients, as defined in National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations. Any resale of the additional notes must be made in accordance with an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the prospectus requirements of applicable securities laws.

Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus (including any amendment thereto) contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory. The purchaser should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.

Pursuant to section 3A.3 of National Instrument 33-105 Underwriting Conflicts (“NI 33-105”), the underwriter is not required to comply with the disclosure requirements of NI 33-105 regarding underwriter conflicts of interest in connection with this offering.

European Economic Area

The additional notes are not intended to be offered, sold or otherwise made available to and should not be offered, sold or otherwise made available to any retail investor in the European Economic Area (“EEA”) or in the United Kingdom. For these purposes, (a) a retail investor means a person who is one (or more) of: (i) a retail client as defined in point (11) of Article 4(1) of Directive 2014/65/EU (as amended, “MiFID II”); or (ii) a customer within the meaning of Directive (EU) 2016/97 (the “Insurance Distribution Directive”), where that customer would not qualify as a professional client as defined in point (10) of Article 4(1) of MiFID II; or (iii) not a qualified investor as defined in Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 (as amended or superseded, the “Prospectus Regulation”); and (b) the expression “offer” includes the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the additional notes to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe the additional notes.

Consequently no key information document required by Regulation (EU) No 1286/2014 (as amended, the “PRIIPs Regulation”) for offering or selling the additional notes or otherwise making them available to retail investors in the EEA or in the United Kingdom has been prepared and therefore offering or selling the additional notes or otherwise making them available to any retail investor in the EEA or in the United Kingdom may be unlawful under the PRIIPs Regulation.

This prospectus supplement has been prepared on the basis that any offer of additional notes in any Member State of the EEA or in the United Kingdom will be made pursuant to an exemption under the Prospectus Regulation from the requirement to publish a prospectus for offers of additional notes. This prospectus supplement is not a prospectus for the purposes of the Prospectus Regulation.

The above selling restriction is in addition to any other selling restriction set out below.

United Kingdom

In addition, in the United Kingdom, this document is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, and any offer subsequently made may only be directed at persons who are “qualified investors” (as defined in the Prospectus Regulation) (i) who have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the “Order”) and/or (ii) who are high net worth companies (or persons to whom it may otherwise be lawfully communicated) falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as “relevant

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persons”). This document must not be acted on or relied on in the United Kingdom by persons who are not relevant persons. In the United Kingdom, any investment or investment activity to which this document relates is only available to, and will be engaged in with, relevant persons.

The underwriter may not communicate or cause to be communicated and will only communicate or cause to be communicated an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 of the United Kingdom (as amended, the “FSMA”)) received by it in connection with the issue or sale of such additional notes in circumstances in which Section 21(1) of the FSMA does not apply to us; and they have complied and will comply with all applicable provisions of the FSMA with respect to anything done by them in relation to the additional notes in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom.

Hong Kong

This prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus have not been approved by or registered with the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong or the Registrar of Companies of Hong Kong. The additional notes may not be offered or sold by means of any document other than: (i) in circumstances which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32, Laws of Hong Kong), or (ii) to “professional investors” within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder, or (iii) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32, Laws of Hong Kong), and no advertisement, invitation or document relating to the additional notes may be issued or may be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere), which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public in Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to additional notes which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder.

Japan

The additional notes have not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan (the “Financial Instruments and Exchange Law”). Accordingly, none of the additional notes nor any interest therein may be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan (which term as used herein means any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan), or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to a resident of Japan, except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of, and otherwise in compliance with, the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law and any other applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines of Japan in effect at the relevant time.

Singapore

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus have not been registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the additional notes may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the additional notes be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than: (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the “SFA”), (ii) to a relevant person, or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions, specified in Section 275 of the SFA, or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA.

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Where the additional notes are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 by a relevant person which is:

 

(a)

 

a corporation (which is not an accredited investor) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or

 

(b)

 

a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary of the trust is an accredited investor, shares, debentures and units of shares and debentures of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest in that trust shall not be transferable for six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the additional notes under Section 275 except: (1) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the SFA or to a relevant person, or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions, specified in Section 275 of the SFA; (2) where no consideration is given for the transfer; or (3) by operation of law.

Singapore Securities and Futures Act Product Classification

Solely for the purposes of its obligations pursuant to sections 309B(1)(a) and 309B(1)(c) of the SFA, the Company has determined, and hereby notifies all relevant persons (as defined in Section 309A of the SFA) that the additional notes are “prescribed capital markets products” (as defined in the Securities and Futures (Capital Markets Products) Regulations 2018) and Excluded Investment Products (as defined in MAS Notice SFA 04-N12: Notice on the Sale of Investment Products and MAS Notice FAA-N16: Notice on Recommendations on Investment Products).

Switzerland

This document is not intended to constitute an offer or solicitation to purchase or invest in the additional notes. The additional notes may not be publicly offered, directly or indirectly, in Switzerland within the meaning of the Swiss Financial Services Act (“FinSA”) and no application has or will be made to admit the additional notes to trading on any trading venue (exchange or multilateral trading facility) in Switzerland. Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the additional notes constitutes a prospectus pursuant to the FinSA, and neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the additional notes may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.

Australia

No placement document, prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document (including as defined in the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (“Corporations Act”)) has been or will be lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (“ASIC”) or any other governmental agency, in relation to the offering. This document does not constitute a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document for the purposes of Corporations Act, and does not purport to include the information required for a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act. No action has been taken which would permit an offering of the additional notes in circumstances that would require disclosure under Parts 6D.2 or 7.9 of the Corporations Act.

The additional notes may not be offered for sale, nor may application for the sale or purchase or any additional notes be invited in Australia (including an offer or invitation which is received by a person in Australia) and neither this document nor any other offering material or advertisement relating to the additional notes may be distributed or published in Australia unless, in each case:

 

(a)

 

the aggregate consideration payable on acceptance of the offer or invitation by each offeree or invitee is at least A$500,000 (or its equivalent in another currency, in either case, disregarding moneys lent by the person offering the additional notes or making the invitation or its associates) or the offer or invitation otherwise does not require disclosure to investors in accordance with Part 6D.2 or 7.9 of the Corporations Act;

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(b)

 

the offer, invitation or distribution complied with the conditions of the Australian financial services license of the person making the offer, invitation or distribution or an applicable exemption from the requirement to hold such license;

 

(c)

 

the offer, invitation or distribution complies with all applicable Australian laws, regulations and directives (including, without limitation, the licensing requirements set out in Chapter 7 of the Corporations Act);

 

(d)

 

the offer or invitation does not constitute an offer or invitation to a person in Australia who is a “retail client” as defined for the purposes of Section 761G of the Corporations Act; and

 

(e)

 

such action does not require any document to be lodged with ASIC or the ASX.

Taiwan

The additional notes have not been and will not be registered or filed with, or approved by, the Financial Supervisory Commission of Taiwan and/or any other regulatory authorities of Taiwan pursuant to relevant securities laws and regulations of Taiwan and may not be sold, issued or offered within Taiwan through a public offering or in circumstances that constitute an offer or a solicitation of an offer within the meaning of the Securities and Exchange Act or relevant laws and regulations of Taiwan that requires a registration, filing or approval of the Financial Supervisory Commission of Taiwan and/or any other regulatory authorities of Taiwan. No person or entity in Taiwan has been authorized to offer, sell, give advice regarding or otherwise intermediate the offering and sale of the additional notes in Taiwan.

Price Stabilization and Short Positions

In connection with the offering, the underwriter is permitted to engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the market price of the additional notes. Such transactions consist of bids or purchases to peg, fix or maintain the price of the additional notes. If an underwriter creates a short position in the additional notes in connection with the offering, i.e., if it sells more additional notes than are on the cover page of this prospectus supplement, the underwriter may reduce that short position by purchasing additional notes in the open market. Finally, the underwriter may reclaim selling concessions allowed for distributing the additional notes in the offering of the additional notes, if the underwriter repurchases previously distributed additional notes in covering transactions, stabilization transactions or otherwise.

Purchases of a security to stabilize the price or to reduce a short position could cause the price of the security to be higher than it might be in the absence of such purchases.

Neither we nor the underwriter make any representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of the additional notes. In addition, neither we nor the underwriter make any representation that the underwriter will engage in these transactions or that these transactions, once commenced, will not be discontinued without notice.

Other Relationships

The underwriter and its affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, principal investment, hedging, financing and brokerage activities. The underwriter and its affiliates have provided, and may in the future provide, a variety of these services to us and to persons and entities with relationships with us, for which they received or will receive customary fees and expenses. In addition, Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, Inc., an affiliate of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, the sole underwriter, served and is serving as a joint bookrunner and joint lead arranger and documentation agent for our Three-Year Credit Agreement, dated as of April 17, 2020, as amended. The sole underwriter in this offering is also acting as the sole initial purchaser in the concurrent offering of Additional GE Capital Notes.

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In the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriter and its affiliates, officers, directors and employees may purchase, sell or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade securities, derivatives, loans, commodities, currencies, credit default swaps and other financial instruments for their own account and for the accounts of their customers, and such investment and trading activities may involve or relate to our assets, securities and/or instruments (directly, as collateral securing other obligations or otherwise) and/or persons and entities with relationships with us. The underwriter or its affiliates may hedge their credit exposure to us consistent with their customary risk management policies. Typically, the underwriter and its affiliates would hedge such exposure by entering into transactions which consist of either the purchase of credit default swaps or the creation of short positions in our securities, including potentially the additional notes offered hereby. Any such credit default swaps or short positions could adversely affect future trading prices of the additional notes offered hereby. The underwriter and its affiliates may also communicate independent investment recommendations, market color or trading ideas and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such assets, securities or instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to clients that they should acquire, long and/or short positions in such assets, securities and instruments.

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VALIDITY OF THE NOTES

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, New York, New York will provide opinions regarding the authorization and validity of the additional notes for us. Certain legal matters will be passed upon for the underwriter by Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, New York, New York.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements of GE as of December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 and for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2019, and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting (which is included in Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting) as of December 31, 2019 have been incorporated by reference herein in reliance upon the report of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated by reference herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

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PROSPECTUS

General Electric Company

Debt Securities
Preferred Stock
Common Stock
Warrants to Purchase Securities
Delayed Delivery Contracts
Guarantees

We may offer from time to time:

 

 

senior or subordinated debt securities,

 

 

shares of our preferred stock, par value $1.00 per share,

 

 

shares of our common stock, par value $0.06 per share,

 

 

warrants to purchase any of the other securities that may be sold under this prospectus,

 

 

delayed delivery contracts for the purchase or sale of certain specified securities, and

 

 

senior or subordinated guarantees.

We will provide specific terms of any offering in supplements to this prospectus. The securities may be offered separately or together in any combination and as separate series. You should read this prospectus and any prospectus supplement carefully before you invest.

Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “GE.”

The mailing address of our principal executive offices is 41 Farnsworth Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210. Our telephone number is 617-443-3000.

Investing in our securities involves risk. See “Risk Factors” on page 3 of this prospectus.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus supplement. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

We may sell these securities on a continuous or delayed basis directly, through agents, dealers or underwriters as designated from time to time, or through a combination of these methods. We reserve the sole right to accept, and together with any agents, dealers and underwriters, reserve the right to reject, in whole or in part, any proposed purchase of securities. If any agents, dealers or underwriters are involved in the sale of any securities, the applicable prospectus supplement will set forth any applicable commissions or discounts. Our net proceeds from the sale of securities also will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Prospectus dated February 26, 2019.


 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Prospectus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Page

 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

 

 

 

1

 

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

 

 

 

1

 

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

 

 

2

 

THE COMPANY

 

 

 

4

 

RISK FACTORS

 

 

 

4

 

USE OF PROCEEDS

 

 

 

4

 

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

 

 

 

5

 

DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

 

 

 

5

 

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED STOCK

 

 

 

19

 

DESCRIPTION OF COMMON STOCK

 

 

 

19

 

DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

 

 

 

19

 

DESCRIPTION OF DELAYED DELIVERY CONTRACTS

 

 

 

20

 

DESCRIPTION OF GUARANTEES

 

 

 

20

 

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

 

 

 

21

 

VALIDITY OF THE SECURITIES

 

 

 

24

 

EXPERTS

 

 

 

24

 


 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of an automatically effective shelf registration statement that we have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). By using a shelf registration statement, we may sell, at any time and from time to time, in one or more offerings, any combination of the securities described in this prospectus. For further information about our business and the securities, you should refer to the registration statement on Form S-3 and its exhibits. The exhibits to our registration statement contain the full text of certain contracts and other important documents we have summarized in this prospectus. Since these summaries may not contain all the information that you may find important in deciding whether to purchase the securities we offer, you should review the full text of these documents. The registration statement and the exhibits can be obtained from the SEC as indicated under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.”

This prospectus provides you with only a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we sell securities, we will file with the SEC a prospectus supplement that contains specific information about the terms of those securities. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with the additional information described below under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.”

We have not authorized anyone to provide any information other than that contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or in any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. We are not making an offer of these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or a prospectus supplement is accurate as of any date other than their respective dates.

Except as otherwise indicated, references in this prospectus to “GE,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to General Electric Company and its subsidiaries.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public from the SEC’s web site at http://www.sec.gov. Our common stock is listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Information about us, including our SEC filings, is also available at our Internet site at https://www.ge.com. However, the information on our Internet site is not a part of this prospectus or any prospectus supplement.

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” into this prospectus the information in other documents that we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be a part of this prospectus, and information in documents that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede information contained in documents filed earlier with the SEC or contained in this prospectus. We incorporate by reference in this prospectus the documents listed below and any future filings that we may make with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), prior to the termination of the offering under this prospectus; provided, however, that we are not incorporating, in each case, any documents or information deemed to have been furnished and not filed in accordance with SEC rules:

 

 

The Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 that we filed with the SEC on February 26, 2019;

 

 

The Current Reports on Form 8-K that we filed with the SEC on January 14, 2019, February 4, 2019, February 8, 2019 and February 25, 2019; and

 

 

The description of our common stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act including any amendment or report updating such description.

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You may obtain documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus at no cost by writing or telephoning us at the following address:

General Electric Company
41 Farnsworth Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02210
Attn: Investor Communications
(617) 443-3400

Copies of these filings are also available without charge on our website at www.ge.com. The contents of our website have not been incorporated into and do not form a part of this prospectus.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus, any prospectus supplement and the documents incorporated by reference contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. In this context, forward-looking statements often address our expected future business and financial performance and financial condition, and often contain words such as “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “seek,” “see,” “will,” “would,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “target,” “preliminary,” or “range.”

Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain, such as statements about potential business or asset dispositions, including plans to separate GE Healthcare into a standalone company, the timing, structure and form for that separation, the characteristics of the business to be separated and the expected benefits to GE; plans to exit our equity ownership position in Baker Hughes, a GE company (BHGE) and the expected benefits to GE; capital allocation plans; GE’s and GE Capital’s capital structure, liquidity and access to funding; our de-leveraging plans, including leverage ratios and targets, the timing and nature of specific actions to reduce indebtedness, credit ratings and credit outlooks; divestiture proceeds expectations; future charges and capital contributions that may be required in connection with GE Capital’s run-off insurance operations or other GE Capital portfolio actions; revenues; organic growth; cash flows and cash conversion, including the impact of working capital, contract assets and pension funding contributions; earnings per share; future business growth and productivity gains; profit margins; the benefits of restructuring and other transformational internal actions; our businesses’ cost structures and plans to reduce costs; restructuring, goodwill impairment or other financial charges; tax rates; or returns on capital and investment.

For us, particular uncertainties that could cause our actual results to be materially different than those expressed in our forward-looking statements include: our success in executing and completing, including obtaining regulatory approvals and satisfying other closing conditions for, announced GE Industrial and GE Capital business or asset dispositions or other transactions, including our planned separation of GE Healthcare and dispositions of GE Transportation and BHGE, the structure and form, pricing, gain or loss recognition, timing, and anticipated proceeds from those or other transactions and potential trailing liabilities; our capital allocation plans, as such plans may change including with respect to de-leveraging actions, the timing and amount of GE dividends, organic investments, and other priorities; further downgrades of our current short-and long-term credit ratings or ratings outlooks, or changes in rating application or methodology, and the related impact on our liquidity, funding profile, costs and competitive position; GE’s liquidity and the amount and timing of our GE Industrial cash flows and earnings, which may be impacted by customer, competitive, contractual and other dynamics and conditions; GE Capital’s capital and liquidity needs, including in connection with GE Capital’s run-off insurance operations, the amount and timing of required capital contributions, strategic actions that we may pursue, WMC-related claims, liabilities and payments, the impact of conditions in the financial and credit markets on GE Capital’s ability to sell financial assets, GE Capital’s leverage and credit ratings, the availability and cost of GE Capital funding and GE Capital’s exposure to counterparties; customer actions or market developments such as secular and cyclical pressures in our Power business, pricing pressures in the renewable energy market, other shifts in the competitive landscape for our products and services, changes in economic conditions, including oil prices, early aircraft retirements and other factors that may affect the level

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of demand and financial performance of the major industries and customers we serve; operational execution by our businesses, including our ability to improve the operations and execution of our Power business, and the continued strength of our Aviation business; changes in law, economic and financial conditions, including the effect of enactment of U.S. tax reform or other tax law changes, trade policy and tariffs, interest and exchange rate volatility, commodity and equity prices and the value of financial assets; our decisions about investments in new products, services and platforms, and our ability to launch new products in a cost-effective manner; our ability to increase margins through implementation of operational changes, restructuring and other cost reduction measures; the impact of regulation and regulatory, investigative and legal proceedings and legal compliance risks, including the impact of WMC, Alstom, SEC and other investigative and legal proceedings; our success in integrating acquired businesses and operating joint ventures, and our ability to realize revenue and cost synergies from announced transactions, acquired businesses and joint ventures; the impact of potential product failures and related reputational effects; the impact of potential information technology, cybersecurity or data security breaches; the other factors that are described in “Forward-Looking Statements” in BHGE’s most recent earnings release or SEC filings; and the other factors that are described in the Risk Factors section in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K. These or other uncertainties may cause our actual future results to be materially different than those expressed in our forward-looking statements. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements.

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THE COMPANY

We are a leading global high-tech industrial company. With products and services ranging from aircraft engines, power generation and oil and gas production equipment to medical imaging, financing and industrial products, we serve customers in over 180 countries and employ approximately 283,000 worldwide. Manufacturing operations are carried out at 162 manufacturing plants located in 34 states in the United States and Puerto Rico and at 297 manufacturing plants located in 41 other countries. Since our incorporation in 1892, we have developed or acquired new technologies and services that have considerably broadened and changed the scope of our activities.

GE’s address is 1 River Road, Schenectady, NY 12345-6999; we also maintain executive offices at 41 Farnsworth Street, Boston, MA 02210.

RISK FACTORS

Investing in our securities involves risks. You should carefully consider the risks described under “Risk Factors” in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in the other documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus (which risk factors are incorporated by reference herein), as well as the other information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or in any prospectus supplement hereto before making a decision to invest in our securities. See “Where You Can Find More Information,” above.

USE OF PROCEEDS

Unless otherwise specified in a prospectus supplement, we intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities to which this prospectus relates for general corporate purposes. General corporate purposes may include repayment of debt, acquisitions, additions to working capital, capital expenditures and investments in our subsidiaries. Net proceeds may be temporarily invested prior to use.

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GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

We may offer and sell, at any time and from time to time:

 

 

our debt securities, in one or more series, which may be senior debt securities or subordinated debt securities,

 

 

shares of our preferred stock, par value $1.00 per share,

 

 

shares of our common stock, par value $0.06 per share,

 

 

warrants to purchase any of the other securities that may be sold under this prospectus,

 

 

delayed delivery contracts for the purchase or sale of certain specified securities,

 

 

senior or subordinated guarantees, or

 

 

any combination of these securities.

The terms of any securities we offer will be determined at the time of sale. We may issue debt securities that are exchangeable for or convertible into common stock or any of the other securities that may be sold under this prospectus. When particular securities are offered, a supplement to this prospectus will be filed with the SEC, which will describe the terms of the offering and sale of the offered securities.

DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

General

The debt securities offered by this prospectus will be issued under one of two separate indentures between us and The Bank of New York Mellon, as Trustee: the senior note indenture, dated as of October 9, 2012, between us and The Bank of New York Mellon and a form of subordinated note indenture to be entered into later between us and The Bank of New York Mellon. We have incorporated by reference the senior note indenture and the form of subordinated note indenture as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. The senior note indenture and the subordinated note indenture are sometimes referred to in this prospectus individually as an “indenture” and collectively as the “indentures.” The debt securities will be obligations of GE and will be either senior or subordinated debt. We have summarized selected provisions of the indentures and the debt securities below. This summary is not complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the indentures. References to section numbers in this prospectus, unless otherwise indicated, are references to section numbers of the applicable indenture. For purposes of this summary, the terms “we,” “our,” “ours” and “us” refer only to General Electric Company and not to any of its subsidiaries.

We may issue debt securities at any time and from time to time in one or more series under the indentures. The indentures give us the ability to reopen a previous issue of a series of debt securities and issue additional debt securities of the same series, subject to compliance with the applicable requirements set forth in the indentures. Neither indenture limits the amount of debt securities or other secured or unsecured debt that we or our subsidiaries may issue. We will describe the particular terms of each series of debt securities we offer in a supplement to this prospectus. If any particular terms of the debt securities described in a prospectus supplement differ from any of the terms described in this prospectus, then the terms described in the applicable prospectus supplement will supersede the terms described in this prospectus. The terms of our debt securities will include those set forth in the indentures and those made a part of the indentures by the Trust Indenture Act of 1939. You should carefully read the summary below, the applicable prospectus supplement and the provisions of the indentures that may be important to you before investing in our debt securities.

Ranking

The senior debt securities offered by this prospectus will:

 

 

be general obligations,

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rank equally with all other unsubordinated indebtedness of GE (except to the extent such other indebtedness is secured by collateral that does not also secure the senior debt securities offered by this prospectus), and

 

 

with respect to the assets and earnings of our subsidiaries, effectively rank below all of the liabilities of our subsidiaries.

The subordinated debt securities offered by this prospectus will:

 

 

be general obligations,

 

 

rank subordinated and junior in right of payment, to the extent set forth in the subordinated note indenture, to all Senior Debt (as defined herein), and

 

 

with respect to the assets and earnings of our subsidiaries, effectively rank below all of the liabilities of our subsidiaries.

A substantial portion of our assets are owned through our subsidiaries, many of which have significant debt or other liabilities of their own which will be structurally senior to the debt securities. None of our subsidiaries will have any obligations with respect to the debt securities. Therefore, GE’s rights and the rights of GE’s creditors, including holders of debt securities, to participate in the assets of any subsidiary upon any such subsidiary’s liquidation may be subject to the prior claims of the subsidiary’s other creditors.

Subject to the exceptions, and subject to compliance with the applicable requirements set forth in the indentures, we may discharge our obligations under the indentures with respect to our debt securities as described below under “—Defeasance.”

Terms

We will describe the specific terms of the series of debt securities being offered in a supplement to this prospectus. These terms will include some or all of the following:

 

 

the title of the debt securities,

 

 

whether the debt securities will be senior or subordinated debt,

 

 

any limit on the total principal amount of the debt securities,

 

 

the date or dates on which the principal of the debt securities will be payable or the method used to determine or extend those dates,

 

 

any interest rate on the debt securities, any date from which interest will accrue, any interest payment dates and regular record dates for interest payments, or the method used to determine any of the foregoing, and the basis for calculating interest if other than a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months,

 

 

the place or places where payments on the debt securities will be payable, the debt securities may be presented for registration of transfer or exchange, and notices and demands to or upon us relating to the debt securities may be made, if other than the corporate trust office of the Trustee,

 

 

any provisions for redemption of the debt securities,

 

 

any provisions that would allow or obligate us to redeem or purchase the debt securities prior to their maturity pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provision or at the option of the holder,

 

 

the denominations in which we will issue the debt securities, if other than denominations of an integral multiple of $1,000,

 

 

any provisions that would determine payments on the debt securities by reference to an index or a formula,

 

 

any foreign currency, currencies or currency units in which payments on the debt securities will be payable and the manner for determining the equivalent amount in U.S. dollars,

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any provisions for payments on the debt securities in one or more currencies or currency units other than those in which the debt securities are stated to be payable,

 

 

the portion of the principal amount of the debt securities that will be payable if the maturity of the debt securities is accelerated, if other than the entire principal amount,

 

 

if the principal amount to be paid at the stated maturity of the debt securities is not determinable as of one or more dates prior to the stated maturity, the amount that will be deemed to be the principal amount as of any such date for any purpose,

 

 

any variation of the defeasance and covenant defeasance sections of the indentures and the manner in which our election to defease the debt securities will be evidenced, if other than by a board resolution,

 

 

whether we will issue the debt securities in the form of temporary or permanent global securities, the depositaries for the global securities, and provisions for exchanging or transferring the global securities,

 

 

whether the interest rate of the debt securities may be reset,

 

 

whether the stated maturity of the debt securities may be extended,

 

 

any deletion or addition to or change in the events of default for the debt securities and any change in the rights of the Trustee or the holders of the debt securities arising from an event of default including, among others, the right to declare the principal amount of the debt securities due and payable,

 

 

any addition to or change in the covenants in the indentures,

 

 

any additions or changes to the indentures necessary to issue the debt securities in bearer form, registrable or not registrable as to principal, and with or without interest coupons,

 

 

the appointment of any paying agents for the debt securities, if other than the Trustee,

 

 

the terms of any right to convert or exchange the debt securities into any other securities or property,

 

 

the terms and conditions, if any, pursuant to which the debt securities of a series are secured,

 

 

any restriction or condition on the transferability of the debt securities,

 

 

in the case of subordinated debt securities, any subordination provisions and related definitions which may be applicable in addition to, or in lieu of, those contained in the subordinated note indenture,

 

 

the exchanges, if any, on which the debt securities may be listed, and

 

 

any other terms of the debt securities consistent with the indentures. (Section 301)

Any limit on the maximum total principal amount for any series of the debt securities may be increased by resolution of our board of directors. (Section 301) We may sell the debt securities, including original issue discount securities, at a substantial discount below their stated principal amount. If there are any special U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to debt securities we sell at an original issue discount, we will describe them in the prospectus supplement. In addition, we will describe in the prospectus supplement any special U.S. federal income tax considerations and any other special considerations for any debt securities we sell which are denominated in a currency or currency unit other than U.S. dollars.

Form, Exchange and Transfer

We will issue the debt securities in registered form, without coupons. Unless we inform you otherwise in the prospectus supplement, we will only issue debt securities in denominations of integral multiples of $1,000. (Section 302)

Holders generally will be able to exchange debt securities for other debt securities of the same series with the same total principal amount and the same terms but in different authorized denominations. (Section 305)

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Holders may present debt securities for exchange or for registration of transfer at the office of the security registrar or at the office of any transfer agent we designate for that purpose. The security registrar or designated transfer agent will exchange or transfer the debt securities if it is satisfied with the documents of title and identity of the person making the request. We will not charge a service charge for any exchange or registration of transfer of debt securities. However, we and the security registrar may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable for the registration of transfer or exchange. Unless we inform you otherwise in the prospectus supplement, we will appoint the Trustee as security registrar. We will identify any transfer agent in addition to the security registrar in the prospectus supplement. (Section 305)

At any time we may:

 

 

designate additional transfer agents,

 

 

rescind the designation of any transfer agent, or

 

 

approve a change in the office of any transfer agent.

However, we are required to maintain a transfer agent in each place of payment for the debt securities at all times. (Sections 305 and 1002)

If we elect to redeem a series of debt securities, neither we nor the Trustee will be required:

 

 

to issue, register the transfer of or exchange any debt securities of that series during the period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before the day we mail the notice of redemption for the series and ending at the close of business on the day the notice is mailed, or

 

 

to register the transfer or exchange of any debt security of that series so selected for redemption, except for any portion not to be redeemed. (Section 305)

Payment and Paying Agents

Under the indentures, we will pay interest on the debt securities to the persons in whose names the debt securities are registered at the close of business on the regular record date for each interest payment. However, unless we inform you otherwise in the prospectus supplement, we will pay the interest payable on the debt securities at their stated maturity to the persons to whom we pay the principal amount of the debt securities. The initial payment of interest on any series of debt securities issued between a regular record date and the related interest payment date will be payable in the manner provided by the terms of the series, which we will describe in the prospectus supplement. (Section 307)

Unless we inform you otherwise in the prospectus supplement, we will pay principal, premium, if any, and interest on the debt securities at the offices of the paying agents we designate. However, except in the case of a global security, we may pay interest:

 

 

by check mailed to the address of the person entitled to the payment as it appears in the security register, or

 

 

by wire transfer in immediately available funds to the place and account designated in writing at least fifteen days prior to the interest payment date by the person entitled to the payment as specified in the security register.

We will designate the Trustee as the sole paying agent for the debt securities unless we inform you otherwise in the prospectus supplement. If we initially designate any other paying agents for a series of debt securities, we will identify them in the prospectus supplement. At any time, we may designate additional paying agents or rescind the designation of any paying agents. However, we are required to maintain a paying agent in each place of payment for the debt securities at all times. (Sections 307 and 1002)

Any money deposited with the Trustee or any paying agent in trust for the payment of principal, premium, if any, or interest on the debt securities that remains unclaimed for one year after the date the payments became due, may be repaid to us upon our request. After we have been

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repaid, holders entitled to those payments may only look to us for payment as our unsecured general creditors. The Trustee and any paying agents will not be liable for those payments after we have been repaid. (Section 1003)

Restrictive Covenants

We will describe any restrictive covenants for any series of debt securities in the prospectus supplement.

Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets

Under the indentures, we may not consolidate with or merge into, or convey, transfer or lease our properties and assets substantially as an entirety to, any person (as defined below), referred to as a “successor person” unless:

 

 

the successor person expressly assumes our obligations with respect to the debt securities and the indentures,

 

 

immediately after giving effect to the transaction, no event of default shall have occurred and be continuing (and, in the case of subordinated debt securities, no default in the performance of or breach, in any material respect, of any covenant or condition under the subordinated debt indenture shall have occurred and be continuing, for which notice of such failure or breach has been given to us and the Trustee by the holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the outstanding subordinated debt securities (a “covenant event”)), and no event which, after notice or lapse of time or both, would become an event of default (or, in the case of subordinated debt securities, a covenant event), shall have occurred and be continuing, and

 

 

we have delivered to the Trustee the certificates and opinions required under the respective indenture. (Section 801)

As used in the indentures, the term “person” means any individual, corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, unincorporated organization, government or agency or political subdivision thereof.

Events of Default

Senior Debt Securities

Unless we inform you otherwise in the prospectus supplement, each of the following will be an event of default under the senior debt indenture with respect to any series of debt securities:

 

 

our failure to pay principal or premium, if any, on that series of debt securities when such principal or premium, if any, becomes due,

 

 

our failure to pay any interest on that series of debt securities for 30 days after such interest becomes due,

 

 

our failure to deposit any sinking fund payment for 30 days after such payment is due by the terms of that series of debt securities,

 

 

our failure to perform, or our breach, in any material respect, of any other covenant or warranty in the senior debt indenture with respect to that series of debt securities, other than a covenant or warranty included in the senior debt indenture solely for the benefit of another series of debt securities, for 90 days after either the Trustee has given us or holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series have given us and the Trustee written notice of such failure to perform or breach in the manner required by the senior debt indenture,

 

 

specified events involving our bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization, or

 

 

any other event of default we may provide for that series of debt securities,

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provided, however, that no event described in the fourth bullet point above will be an event of default until an officer of the Trustee responsible for the administration of the senior debt indenture has actual knowledge of the event or until the Trustee receives written notice of the event at its corporate trust office. (Section 501)

An event of default under one series of debt securities does not necessarily constitute an event of default under any other series of debt securities. If an event of default for a series of debt securities occurs and is continuing, either the Trustee or the holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series may declare the principal amount of all the debt securities of that series due and immediately payable by a notice in writing to us (and to the Trustee if given by the holders). Upon such declaration, we will be obligated to pay the principal amount of that series of debt securities.

The right described in the preceding paragraph does not apply if an event of default occurs as described in the sixth bullet point above which applies to all outstanding series of debt securities. If such an event of default occurs and is continuing, either the Trustee or holders of at least 25% in principal amount of all of the debt securities then outstanding, treated as one class, may declare the principal amount of all of the debt securities then outstanding to be due and payable immediately by a notice in writing to us (and to the Trustee if given by the holders). Upon such declaration, we will be obligated to pay the principal amount of the debt securities.

Subordinated Debt Securities

Unless we inform you otherwise in the prospectus supplement, each of the following will be an event of default under the subordinated debt indenture with respect to any series of debt securities:

 

 

our failure to pay principal or premium, if any, on that series of debt securities when such principal or premium, if any, becomes due,

 

 

our failure to pay any interest on that series of debt securities for 30 days after such interest becomes due,

 

 

our failure to deposit any sinking fund payment for 30 days after such payment is due by the terms of that series of debt securities,

 

 

specified events involving our bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization, or

 

 

any other event of default we may provide for that series of debt securities. (Section 501)

An event of default under one series of debt securities does not necessarily constitute an event of default under any other series of debt securities. If an event of default described in the fourth bullet point above for a series of debt securities occurs and is continuing, either the Trustee or the holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series may declare the principal amount of all the debt securities of that series due and immediately payable by a notice in writing to us (and to the Trustee if given by the holders). Upon such declaration, we will be obligated to pay the principal amount of that series of debt securities.

Terms Applicable to All Debt Securities

After any declaration of acceleration of a series of debt securities, but before a judgment or decree for payment has been obtained, the event of default giving rise to the declaration of acceleration will, without further act, be deemed to have been waived, and such declaration and its consequences will, without further act, be deemed to have been rescinded and annulled if:

 

 

we have paid or deposited with the Trustee a sum sufficient to pay:

 

 

all overdue interest,

 

 

the principal and premium, if any, due otherwise than by the declaration of acceleration and any interest on such amounts,

 

 

any interest on overdue interest, to the extent legally permitted, and

 

 

all amounts due to the Trustee under the indentures, and

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all events of default (or, in the case of the subordinated debt securities, all covenant events) with respect to that series of debt securities, other than the nonpayment of the principal which became due solely by virtue of the declaration of acceleration, have been cured or waived. (Section 502)

If an event of default (or, in the case of the subordinated debt securities, a covenant event) occurs and is continuing, the Trustee will generally have no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under the indentures at the request or direction of any of the holders, unless the holders offer reasonable indemnity to the Trustee. (Section 603) The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series will generally have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the Trustee for the debt securities of that series, provided that:

 

 

the direction is not in conflict with any law or the indentures,

 

 

the Trustee may take any other action it deems proper which is not inconsistent with the direction, and

 

 

the Trustee will generally have the right to decline to follow the direction if an officer of the Trustee determines, in good faith, that the proceeding would involve the Trustee in personal liability or would otherwise be contrary to applicable law. (Section 512)

A holder of a debt security of any series may only pursue a remedy under the indentures if:

 

 

the holder gives the Trustee written notice of a continuing event of default (or, in the case of the subordinated debt securities, a covenant event) for that series,

 

 

holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series make a written request to the Trustee to institute proceedings with respect to such event of default (or, in the case of the subordinated debt securities, such covenant event),

 

 

the holders offer reasonable indemnity to the Trustee,

 

 

the Trustee fails to pursue that remedy within 60 days after receipt of the notice, request and offer of indemnity, and

 

 

during that 60-day period, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the debt securities of that series do not give the Trustee a direction inconsistent with the request. (Section 507)

However, these limitations do not apply to a suit by a holder of a debt security demanding payment of the principal, premium, if any, or interest on a debt security on or after the date the payment is due. (Section 508)

We will be required to furnish to the Trustee annually a statement by some of our officers regarding our performance or observance of any of the terms of the indentures and specifying all of our known defaults, if any. (Section 1004)

Modification and Waiver

When authorized by a board resolution, we may enter into one or more supplemental indentures with the Trustee without the consent of the holders of the debt securities in order to:

 

 

evidence the succession of another person to us, or successive successions, and the assumption of our covenants, agreements and obligations by the successor,

 

 

add to our covenants for the benefit of the holders of any series of debt securities or to surrender any of our rights or powers,

 

 

add any additional events of default for any series of debt securities for the benefit of the holders of any series of debt securities,

 

 

add to or change any provision of the indentures to the extent necessary to issue debt securities in bearer form or uncertificated

 

 

add to, change or eliminate any provision of the indentures applying to one or more series of debt securities, provided that if such action adversely affects the interests of any holder of any

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series of debt securities in any material respect, such addition, change or elimination will become effective with respect to that series only when no such security of that series remains outstanding,

 

 

convey, transfer, assign, mortgage or pledge any property to or with the Trustee or to surrender any right or power conferred upon us by the indentures,

 

 

establish the forms or terms of any series of debt securities,

 

 

provide for uncertificated securities in addition to certificated securities,

 

 

evidence and provide for successor Trustees and to add to or change any provisions of the indentures to the extent necessary to appoint a separate Trustee or Trustees for a specific series of debt securities,

 

 

correct any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency under the indentures,

 

 

make other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the indentures, provided that such action does not adversely affect the interests of the holders of any series of debt securities in any material respect,

 

 

supplement any provisions of the indentures necessary to defease and discharge any series of debt securities, provided that such action does not adversely affect the interests of the holders of any series of debt securities in any material respect,

 

 

comply with the rules or regulations of any securities exchange or automated quotation system on which any debt securities are listed or traded,

 

 

add to, change or eliminate any provisions of the indentures in accordance with any amendments to the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, provided that such action does not adversely affect the rights or interests of any holder of debt securities in any material respect, or

 

 

provide for the payment by us of additional amounts in respect of taxes imposed on certain holders and for the treatment of such additional amounts as interest and for all matters incidental thereto. (Section 901)

When authorized by a board resolution, we may enter into one or more supplemental indentures with the Trustee in order to add to, change or eliminate provisions of the indentures or to modify the rights of the holders of one or more series of debt securities under such indentures if we obtain the consent of the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of all series affected by such supplemental indenture, treated as one class. However, without the consent of the holders of each outstanding debt security affected by the supplemental indenture, we may not enter into a supplemental indenture that:

 

 

except with respect to the reset of the interest rate or extension of maturity pursuant to the terms of a particular series, changes the stated maturity of the principal of, or any installment of principal of or interest on, any debt security, or reduces the principal amount of, or any premium or rate of interest on, any debt security,

 

 

reduces the amount of principal of an original issue discount security or any other debt security payable upon acceleration of the maturity thereof,

 

 

changes the place or currency of payment of principal, premium, if any, or interest,

 

 

impairs the right to institute suit for the enforcement of any payment on or after such payment becomes due for any security,

 

 

reduces the percentage in principal amount of outstanding debt securities of any series, the consent of whose holders is required for modification of the indentures, for waiver of compliance with certain provisions of the indentures or for waiver of certain defaults of the indentures,

 

 

makes certain modifications to the provisions for modification of the indentures and for certain waivers, except to increase the principal amount of debt securities necessary to consent to any such change or to provide that certain other provisions of the indentures cannot be

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modified or waived without the consent of the holders of each outstanding debt security affected by such change,

 

 

makes any change that adversely affects in any material respect the right to convert or exchange any convertible or exchangeable debt security or decreases the conversion or exchange rate or increases the conversion price of such debt security, unless such decrease or increase is permitted by the terms of such debt securities, or

 

 

changes the terms and conditions pursuant to which any series of debt securities are secured in a manner adverse to the holders of such debt securities in any material respect. (Section 902)

In addition, the subordinated note indenture may not be amended without the consent of each holder of subordinated debt securities affected thereby to modify the subordination of the subordinated debt securities issued under that indenture in a manner adverse to the holders of the subordinated debt securities in any material respect.

Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may waive past defaults or noncompliance with restrictive provisions of the indentures. However, the consent of holders of each outstanding debt security of a series is required to:

 

 

waive any default in the payment of principal, premium, if any, or interest, or

 

 

waive any covenants and provisions of an indenture that may not be amended without the consent of the holder of each outstanding debt security of the series affected. (Sections 513 and 1006)

In order to determine whether the holders of the requisite principal amount of the outstanding debt securities have taken an action under an indenture as of a specified date:

 

 

the principal amount of an “original issue discount security” that will be deemed to be outstanding will be the amount of the principal that would be due and payable as of that date upon acceleration of the maturity to that date,

 

 

if, as of that date, the principal amount payable at the stated maturity of a debt security is not determinable, for example, because it is based on an index, the principal amount of the debt security deemed to be outstanding as of that date will be an amount determined in the manner prescribed for the debt security,

 

 

the principal amount of a debt security denominated in one or more foreign currencies or currency units that will be deemed to be outstanding will be the U.S.-dollar equivalent, determined as of that date in the manner prescribed for the debt security, of the principal amount of the debt security or, in the case of a debt security described in the two preceding bullet points, of the amount described above, and

 

 

debt securities owned by us or any other obligor upon the debt securities or any of our or their affiliates will be disregarded and deemed not to be outstanding.

An “original issue discount security” means a debt security issued under the indentures which provides for an amount less than the principal amount thereof to be due and payable upon a declaration of acceleration of maturity. Some debt securities, including those for the payment or redemption of which money has been deposited or set aside in trust for the holders, and those which have been legally defeased under the indentures, will not be deemed to be outstanding.

We will generally be entitled to set any day as a record date for determining the holders of outstanding debt securities of any series entitled to give or take any direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action under an indenture. In limited circumstances, the Trustee will be entitled to set a record date for action by holders of outstanding debt securities. If a record date is set for any action to be taken by holders of a particular series, the action may be taken only by persons who are holders of outstanding debt securities of that series on the record date. To be effective, the action must be taken by holders of the requisite principal amount of debt securities within a specified period following the record date. For any particular record date, this period will be 180 days or such shorter period as we may specify, or the Trustee may specify, if it sets the record date. This period may be shortened or lengthened by not more than 180 days. (Section 104)

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Conversion and Exchange Rights

The debt securities of any series may be convertible into or exchangeable for other securities of GE or another issuer or property or cash on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Defeasance

When we use the term defeasance, we mean discharge from some or all of our obligations under either indenture. Unless we inform you otherwise in the prospectus supplement, if we deposit with the Trustee funds or government securities sufficient to make payments on the debt securities of a series on the dates those payments are due and payable and comply with all other conditions to defeasance set forth in the indentures, then, at our option, either of the following will occur:

 

 

we will be discharged from our obligations with respect to the debt securities of that series (“legal defeasance”), or

 

 

we will no longer have any obligation to comply with the restrictive covenants under the indentures, and the related events of default (or, in the case of the subordinated debt securities, covenant events) will no longer apply to us, but some of our other obligations under the indentures and the debt securities of that series, including our obligation to make payments on those debt securities, will survive (“covenant defeasance”).

If we legally defease a series of debt securities, the holders of the debt securities of the series affected will not be entitled to the benefits of the indentures, except for:

 

 

the rights of holders of that series of debt securities to receive, solely from a trust fund, payments in respect of such debt securities when payments are due,

 

 

our obligation to register the transfer or exchange of debt securities,

 

 

our obligation to replace mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen debt securities, and

 

 

our obligation to maintain paying agencies and hold moneys for payment in trust.

We may legally defease a series of debt securities notwithstanding any prior exercise of our option of covenant defeasance in respect of such series.

In addition, the subordinated note indenture provides that if we choose to have the legal defeasance provision applied to the subordinated debt securities, the subordination provisions of the subordinated note indenture will become ineffective. The subordinated note indenture also provides that if we choose to have covenant defeasance apply to any series of debt securities issued pursuant to the subordinated note indenture we need not comply with the provisions relating to subordination.

Unless we inform you otherwise in the prospectus supplement, we will be required to deliver to the Trustee an opinion of counsel that the deposit and related defeasance would not cause the holders of the debt securities to recognize gain or loss for federal income tax purposes and that the holders would be subject to federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the deposit and related defeasance had not occurred. If we elect legal defeasance, that opinion of counsel must be based upon a ruling from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service or a change in law to that effect. (Sections 1401-1404)

Satisfaction and Discharge

We may discharge our obligations under the indentures while securities remain outstanding if (1) all outstanding debt securities issued under the indentures have become due and payable, (2) all outstanding debt securities issued under the indentures will become due and payable at their stated maturity within one year of the date of deposit or (3) all outstanding debt securities issued under the indentures are scheduled for redemption in one year, and in each case, we have deposited with the Trustee an amount sufficient to pay and discharge all outstanding debt securities issued under the indentures on the date of their scheduled maturity or the scheduled date of the redemption and paid all other amounts payable under the indentures. (Section 401). The subordinated note indenture

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provides that if we choose to discharge our obligations with respect to the subordinated debt securities, the subordination provisions of the subordinated note indenture will become ineffective. (Section 1610)

Global Notes, Delivery and Form

Unless otherwise specified in a prospectus supplement, the debt securities will be issued in the form of one or more fully registered Global Notes (as defined below) that will be deposited with, or on behalf of, The Depository Trust Company, New York, New York (the “Depository”) and registered in the name of the Depository’s nominee. Global Notes are not exchangeable for definitive note certificates except in the specific circumstances described below. For purposes of this prospectus, “Global Note” refers to the Global Note or Global Notes representing an entire issue of debt securities.

Except as set forth below, a Global Note may be transferred by the Depository, in whole and not in part, only to a nominee of the Depository or by a nominee of the Depository to the Depository or another nominee of the Depository.

The Depository has advised us as follows:

 

 

The Depository is:

 

 

a limited purpose trust company organized under the laws of the State of New York,

 

 

a “banking organization” within the meaning of the New York banking law,

 

 

a member of the Federal Reserve System,

 

 

a “clearing corporation” within the meaning of the New York Uniform Commercial Code, and

 

 

a “clearing agency” registered pursuant to the provisions of Section 17A of the Exchange Act.

 

 

The Depository was created to hold securities of its participants and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among its participants through electronic book entry changes in accounts of its participants, eliminating the need for physical movements of securities certificates.

 

 

The Depository participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and others, some of whom own the Depository.

 

 

Access to the Depository book-entry system is also available to others that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a participant, either directly or indirectly.

 

 

Where we issue a Global Note in connection with the sale thereof to an underwriter or underwriters, the Depository will immediately credit the accounts of participants designated by such underwriter or underwriters with the principal amount of the debt securities purchased by such underwriter or underwriters.

 

 

Ownership of beneficial interests in a Global Note and the transfers of ownership will be effected only through records maintained by the Depository (with respect to participants), by the participants (with respect to indirect participants and certain beneficial owners) and by the indirect participants (with respect to all other beneficial owners). The laws of some states require that certain purchasers of securities take physical delivery in definitive form of securities they purchase. These laws may limit your ability to transfer beneficial interests in a Global Note.

So long as a nominee of the Depository is the registered owner of a Global Note, such nominee for all purposes will be considered the sole owner or holder of such debt securities under the indentures. Except as provided below, you will not be entitled to have debt securities registered in your name, will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of debt securities in definitive form, and will not be considered the owner or holder thereof under the indentures.

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Each person owning a beneficial interest in a Global Note must rely on the procedures of the Depository and, if that person is not a participant, on the procedures of the participant through which that person owns its interest, to exercise any rights of a holder under the indentures. We understand that under existing industry practices, if we request any action of holders or if an owner of a beneficial interest in any Global Note desires to give or take any action which a holder is entitled to give or take under the indentures, the Depository would authorize the participants holding the relevant beneficial interests to give or take that action, and the participants would authorize beneficial owners owning through these participants to give or take that action or would otherwise act upon the instructions of beneficial owners owning through them.

Redemption notices shall be sent to the Depository. If less than all of the debt securities within an issue are being redeemed, the Depository’s practice is to determine by lot the amount of the interest of each participant in such issue to be redeemed.

We will make payment of principal of, and interest on, debt securities represented by a Global Note to the Depository or its nominee, as the case may be, as the registered owner and holder of the Global Note representing those debt securities.

The Depository has advised us that upon receipt of any payment of principal of, or interest on, a Global Note, the Depository will immediately credit accounts of participants with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in the principal amount of that Global Note, as shown in the records of the Depository. Standing instructions and customary practices will govern payments by participants to owners of beneficial interests in a Global Note held through those participants, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in “street name.” Those payments will be the sole responsibility of those participants, subject to any statutory or regulatory requirements that may be in effect from time to time.

Neither we, the Trustee nor any of our respective agents will be responsible for any aspect of the records of the Depository, any nominee or any participant relating to, or payments made on account of, beneficial interests in a Global Note or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any of the records of the Depository, any nominee or any participant relating to those beneficial interests.

As described above, we will issue debt securities in definitive form in exchange for a Global Note only in the following situations:

 

 

if the Depository is at any time unwilling or unable to continue as depositary, defaults in the performance of its duties as depositary, ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act, and, in each case, a successor depositary is not appointed by us within 90 days after notice thereof, or

 

 

if, subject to the rules of the Depository, we choose to issue definitive debt securities.

In either instance, an owner of a beneficial interest in a Global Note will be entitled to have debt securities equal in principal amount to such beneficial interest registered in its name and will be entitled to physical delivery of debt securities in definitive form. Debt securities in definitive form will be issued in denominations of $1,000 and integral multiples thereof and will be issued in registered form only, without coupons. We will maintain in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, one or more offices or agencies where debt securities may be presented for payment and may be transferred or exchanged. You will not be charged a fee for any transfer or exchange of such debt securities, but we may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection therewith.

Highly Leveraged Transaction

The general provisions of the indentures do not afford holders of the debt securities protection in the event of a highly leveraged or other transaction involving GE that may adversely affect holders of the debt securities.

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Subordination

Any subordinated debt securities issued under the subordinated note indenture will be subordinate and junior in right of payment to all Senior Debt of GE whether existing at the date of the subordinated note indenture or subsequently incurred. Upon any payment or distribution of assets of GE to creditors upon any:

 

 

liquidation,

 

 

dissolution,

 

 

winding-up,

 

 

receivership,

 

 

reorganization,

 

 

assignment for the benefit of creditors,

 

 

marshalling of assets, or

 

 

bankruptcy, insolvency or similar proceedings of GE,

the holders of Senior Debt will first be entitled to receive payment in full of the principal of and premium, if any, and interest on such Senior Debt before the holders of the subordinated debt securities will be entitled to receive or retain any payment in respect of the principal of and any premium or interest on the subordinated debt securities.

Upon the acceleration of the maturity of any subordinated debt securities, the holders of all Senior Debt outstanding at the time of such acceleration will first be entitled to receive payment in full of all amounts due thereon, including any amounts due upon acceleration, before the holders of subordinated debt securities will be entitled to receive or retain any payment in respect of the principal (including redemption payments), or premium, if any, or interest on the subordinated debt securities.

No payments on account of principal (including redemption payments), or premium, if any, or interest, in respect of the subordinated debt securities may be made if:

 

 

there has occurred and is continuing a default in any payment with respect to Senior Debt, or

 

 

there has occurred and is continuing a default with respect to any Senior Debt resulting in the acceleration of the maturity thereof.

“Debt” means, with respect to any person:

 

 

all indebtedness of such person for borrowed money,

 

 

all obligations of such person evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes or other similar instruments, including obligations incurred in connection with the acquisition of property, assets or businesses,

 

 

all obligations of such person with respect to letters of credit, bankers’ acceptances or similar facilities issued for the account of such person,

 

 

all obligations of such person to pay the deferred purchase price of property or services, but excluding accounts payable or any other indebtedness or monetary obligations to trade creditors arising in the ordinary course of business in connection with the acquisition of goods or services,

 

 

all capital lease obligations of such person,

 

 

all Debt of others secured by a lien on any asset by such person,

 

 

all Debt and dividends of others guaranteed by such person to the extent such Debt and dividends are guaranteed by such person, and

 

 

all obligations for claims in respect of derivative products.

“Senior Debt” means the principal of, and premium, if any, and interest on Debt of GE, whether created, incurred or assumed on, before or after the date of the subordinated note

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indenture, unless the instrument creating or evidencing the Debt provides that such Debt is subordinated to or pari passu with the subordinated debt securities.

The indentures place no limitation on the amount of additional Senior Debt that may be incurred by GE.

Notices

Holders will receive notices by mail at their addresses as they appear in the security register. (Section 106)

Title

We may treat the person in whose name a debt security is registered on the applicable record date as the owner of the debt security for all purposes, whether or not it is overdue. (Section 309)

Governing Law

New York law governs the indentures and the debt securities. (Section 112)

Regarding the Trustee

GE, our subsidiary GE Capital International Funding Company Unlimited Company (“FinCo”) and other affiliates of GE maintain various commercial and investment banking relationships with The Bank of New York Mellon and its affiliates in their ordinary course of business.

The Bank of New York Mellon acts as trustee, fiscal agent and paying agent under certain indentures and funding arrangements with GE, FinCo and other affiliates of GE.

If an event of default occurs under the indentures and is continuing, the Trustee will be required to use the degree of care and skill of a prudent person in the conduct of that person’s own affairs. The Trustee will become obligated to exercise any of its powers under the indentures at the request of any of the holders of any debt securities issued under the indentures only after those holders have offered the Trustee indemnity satisfactory to it.

If the Trustee becomes one of our creditors, its rights to obtain payment of claims in specified circumstances, or to realize for its own account on certain property received in respect of any such claim as security or otherwise will be limited under the terms of the indentures. (Section 613) The Trustee may engage in certain other transactions; however, if the Trustee acquires any conflicting interest (within the meaning specified under the Trust Indenture Act), it will be required to eliminate the conflict or resign. (Section 608)

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DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED STOCK

Our Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, authorizes our Board of Directors, or the “Board,” to create and provide for the issuance of one or more series of preferred stock, par value $1.00 per share, without the approval of our shareowners. The Board can also determine the terms, including the designations, powers, preferences and rights (including conversion, voting and other rights) and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions, of any preferred stock. Currently, 50,000,000 shares of our capital stock are classified as preferred stock under our Certificate of Incorporation. As of January 31, 2019, we have 5,939,875 shares of preferred stock outstanding, including 90,866 shares of Fixed-to-Floating Rate Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series A, 64,149 shares of Fixed-to-Floating Rate Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series B, 90,367 shares of Fixed-to-Floating Rate Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series C and 5,694,493 shares of Fixed-to-Floating Rate Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series D.

DESCRIPTION OF COMMON STOCK

Set forth below is a description of GE’s common stock. The following description of GE common stock is a summary and is subject to the provisions of our Certificate of Incorporation, our By-laws and the relevant provisions of the law of the State of New York.

We are currently authorized to issue up to 13,200,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.06 per share. As of January 31, 2019, we had approximately 8,705,080,100 shares of our common stock outstanding.

Each share of GE common stock entitles the holder of record to one vote at all meetings of shareowners, and the votes are noncumulative. The GE common stock is not redeemable, has no subscription or conversion rights and does not entitle the holder to any preemptive rights.

Holders of GE common stock are entitled to share ratably in any dividends and in any assets available for distribution on liquidation, dissolution or winding-up, subject to the preferential rights of the holders of any preferred stock that may be issued.

Dividends may be paid on GE common stock out of funds legally available for dividends, when and if declared by the Board.

EQ Shareowner Services is the transfer agent and registrar for GE common stock.

DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

We may issue warrants, in one or more series, for the purchase of debt securities, shares of GE common stock or shares of GE preferred stock. Warrants may be issued independently or together with our debt securities, common stock or preferred stock and may be attached to or separate from any offered securities. In addition to this summary, you should refer to the detailed provisions of the specific warrant agreement for complete terms of the warrants and the warrant agreement. Unless otherwise specified in a prospectus supplement accompanying this prospectus, each warrant agreement will be between GE and a banking institution organized under the laws of the United States or a state thereof as warrant agent. A form of warrant agreement will be filed with the SEC as an exhibit to the registration statement by post-effective amendment or a Current Report on Form 8-K.

The warrants will be evidenced by warrant certificates. Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement, the warrant certificates may be traded separately from the debt securities, common stock or preferred stock, if any, with which the warrant certificates were issued. Warrant certificates may be exchanged for new warrant certificates of different denominations at the office of an agent that we will appoint. Until a warrant is exercised, the holder of a warrant does not have any of the rights of a holder of our debt securities, common stock or preferred stock and is not entitled to any payments on any debt securities, common stock or preferred stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants.

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A prospectus supplement accompanying this prospectus relating to a particular series of warrants to issue debt securities, common stock or preferred stock will describe the terms of those warrants, including:

 

 

the title and the aggregate number of warrants,

 

 

the debt securities, common stock or preferred stock for which each warrant is exercisable,

 

 

the date or dates on which the right to exercise such warrants commence and expire,

 

 

the price or prices at which such warrants are exercisable,

 

 

the currency or currencies in which such warrants are exercisable,

 

 

the periods during which and places at which such warrants are exercisable,

 

 

the terms of any mandatory or optional call provisions,

 

 

the price or prices, if any, at which the warrants may be redeemed at the option of the holder or will be redeemed upon expiration,

 

 

the identity of the warrant agent, and

 

 

the exchanges, if any, on which such warrants may be listed.

You may exercise warrants by paying our warrant agent the exercise price, in each case in such currency or currencies as are specified in the warrant, and giving your identity and the number of warrants to be exercised. Once you pay our warrant agent and deliver the properly completed and executed warrant certificate to our warrant agent at the specified office, our warrant agent will, as soon as practicable, forward securities to you in authorized denominations or share amounts. If you exercise less than all of the warrants evidenced by your warrant certificate, you will be issued a new warrant certificate for the remaining amount of warrants.

DESCRIPTION OF DELAYED DELIVERY CONTRACTS

We may issue delayed delivery contracts for the purchase or sale of our debt securities or equity securities or securities of third parties including any of our affiliates, a basket of such securities, an index or indices of such securities or any combination of the above as specified in the applicable prospectus supplement.

We may issue delayed delivery contracts obligating holders to purchase from us, and obligating us to sell to holders, at a future date, a specified or varying number of securities at a purchase price, which may be based on a formula. Alternatively, we may issue delayed delivery contracts obligating us to purchase from holders, and obligating holders to sell to us, at a future date, a specified or varying number of securities at a purchase price, which may be based on a formula. We may satisfy our obligations, if any, with respect to any delayed delivery contract by delivering the subject securities or by delivering the cash value of such delayed delivery contract or the cash value of the property otherwise deliverable, as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. The applicable prospectus supplement will specify the methods by which the holders may purchase or sell such securities and any acceleration, cancellation or termination provisions or other provisions relating to the settlement of a delayed delivery contract.

The delayed delivery contracts may require us to make periodic payments to the holders thereof or vice versa, and these payments may be unsecured or prefunded and may be paid on a current or deferred basis. The delayed delivery contracts may require holders thereof to secure their obligations under the contracts in a specified manner to be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. Alternatively, delayed delivery contracts may require holders to satisfy their obligations thereunder when the delayed delivery contracts are issued as described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

DESCRIPTION OF GUARANTEES

Any guarantees that we issue from time to time for the benefit of holders of specified underlying securities will include the following terms and conditions, plus any additional terms specified in the accompanying prospectus supplement.

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A guarantee will provide that we unconditionally guarantee the due and punctual payment of the principal, interest (if any), premium (if any) and all other amounts due under the applicable underlying securities when the same shall become due and payable, whether at maturity, pursuant to mandatory or optional prepayments, by acceleration or otherwise, in each case after any applicable grace periods or notice requirements, according to the terms of the applicable underlying securities. Any guarantee shall be unconditional irrespective of the validity or enforceability of the applicable underlying security, any change or amendment thereto or any other circumstances that may otherwise constitute a legal or equitable discharge or defense of a guarantor. However, we will not waive presentment or demand of payment or notice with respect to the applicable underlying security unless otherwise provided in the accompanying prospectus supplement.

We shall be subrogated to all rights of the holders of the applicable underlying securities in respect of any amounts paid by us pursuant to the provisions of a guarantee, except to the extent otherwise stated in a prospectus supplement. The guarantee shall continue to be effective or reinstated, as the case may be, if at any time any payment made by the issuer of the applicable underlying security is rescinded or must otherwise be returned upon the insolvency, bankruptcy or reorganization of GE, the issuer of the applicable underlying security or otherwise.

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We may sell the securities offered through this prospectus in any one or more of the following ways:

 

 

directly to investors, including through a specific bidding, auction or other process,

 

 

to investors through agents,

 

 

directly to agents,

 

 

to or through brokers or dealers,

 

 

to the public through underwriting syndicates led by one or more managing underwriters,

 

 

to one or more underwriters acting alone for resale to investors or to the public, and

 

 

through a combination of any such methods of sale.

Our common stock may be issued upon conversion of debt securities. Securities may also be issued upon exercise of warrants. We reserve the right to sell securities directly to investors on our own behalf in those jurisdictions where we are authorized to do so.

The securities may be distributed at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed, market prices prevailing at the time of sale, prices related to the prevailing market prices, or negotiated prices. The prospectus supplement will disclose, where applicable:

 

 

the terms of the offering,

 

 

any underwriters, dealers or agents,

 

 

any managing underwriter or underwriters and the respective amounts of securities underwritten or purchased by them,

 

 

the purchase price of the securities,

 

 

the net proceeds from the sale of the securities,

 

 

any delayed delivery arrangements,

 

 

any underwriting discounts, commissions and other items constituting underwriters’ compensation,

 

 

any initial public offering price,

 

 

any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers, and

 

 

any commissions paid to agents.

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Sale Through Underwriters or Dealers

If underwriters are used in the sale, the underwriters will acquire the securities for their own account, including through underwriting, purchase, security lending or repurchase agreements with us. The underwriters may resell the securities from time to time in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions. Underwriters may sell the securities in order to facilitate transactions in any of our other securities (described in this prospectus or otherwise), including other public or private transactions and short sales. Underwriters may offer securities to the public either through underwriting syndicates represented by one or more managing underwriters or directly by one or more firms acting as underwriters. Unless otherwise indicated in the prospectus supplement, the obligations of the underwriters to purchase the securities will be subject to certain conditions, and the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all the offered securities if they purchase any of them. The underwriters may change from time to time any initial public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers.

If dealers are used in the sale of securities offered through this prospectus, we will sell the securities to them as principals. They may then resell those securities to the public at varying prices determined by the dealers at the time of resale. Transactions through brokers or dealers may include block trades in which brokers or dealers will attempt to sell securities as agent but may position and resell as principal to facilitate the transaction or in crosses, in which the same broker or dealer acts as agent on both sides of the trade. Any such dealer may be deemed an underwriter, as such term is defined in the Securities Act, of the securities offered and sold. The prospectus supplement will include the names of the dealers and the terms of the transaction.

Direct Sales and Sales Through Agents

Offers to purchase securities may be solicited directly by us. In this case, no underwriters or agents would be involved. Such securities may also be sold through agents designated from time to time. The prospectus supplement will name any agent involved in the offer or sale of the offered securities and will describe any commissions payable to the agent. Unless otherwise indicated in the prospectus supplement, any agent will agree to use its reasonable best efforts to solicit purchases for the period of its appointment.

We may sell the securities directly to institutional investors or others who may be deemed to be underwriters within the meaning of the Securities Act with respect to any sale of those securities. The terms of any such sales will be described in the prospectus supplement.

Delayed Delivery Contracts

If the applicable prospectus supplement so indicates, we may authorize agents, underwriters or dealers to solicit offers from certain types of institutions to purchase securities at the public offering price under delayed delivery contracts. These contracts would provide for payment and delivery on a specified date in the future. The contracts would be subject only to those conditions described in the prospectus supplement. The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the commissions payable for solicitation of those contracts.

“At the Market” Offering

We may from time to time engage a firm to act as our agent for one or more offerings of our securities. We sometimes refer to this agent as our “offering agent.” If we reach an agreement with an offering agent with respect to a specific offering, including the number of securities and any minimum price below which sales may not be made, then the offering agent will try to sell such securities on the agreed terms. The offering agent could make sales in privately negotiated transactions or any other method permitted by law, including sales deemed to be an “at the market” offering as defined in Rule 415 promulgated under the Securities Act, including sales made directly on the New York Stock Exchange, or sales made to or through a market maker other than on an exchange. The offering agent will be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act with respect to any sales effected through an “at the market” offering.

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Market Making, Stabilization and Other Transactions

Unless the applicable prospectus supplement states otherwise, each series of offered securities will be a new issue and will have no established trading market. We may elect to list any series of offered securities on an exchange. Any underwriters that we use in the sale of offered securities may make a market in such securities, but may discontinue such market making at any time without notice. Therefore, we cannot assure you that the securities will have a liquid trading market.

Any underwriter may also engage in stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids in accordance with Rule 104 of Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Stabilizing transactions involve bids to purchase the underlying security in the open market for the purpose of pegging, fixing or maintaining the price of the securities. Syndicate covering transactions involve purchases of the securities in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover syndicate short positions.

Penalty bids permit the underwriters to reclaim a selling concession from a syndicate member when the securities originally sold by the syndicate member are purchased in a syndicate covering transaction to cover syndicate short positions. Stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids may cause the price of the securities to be higher than it would be in the absence of the transactions. The underwriters may, if they commence these transactions, discontinue them at any time.

Derivative Transactions and Hedging

We, the underwriters or other agents may engage in derivative transactions involving the securities. These derivatives may consist of short sale transactions and other hedging activities. The underwriters or agents may acquire a long or short position in the securities, hold or resell securities acquired and purchase options or futures on the securities and other derivative instruments with returns linked to or related to changes in the price of the securities. In order to facilitate these derivative transactions, we may enter into security lending or repurchase agreements with the underwriters or agents. The underwriters or agents may effect the derivative transactions through sales of the securities to the public, including short sales, or by lending the securities in order to facilitate short sale transactions by others. The underwriters or agents may also use the securities purchased or borrowed from us or others (or, in the case of derivatives, securities received from us in settlement of those derivatives) to directly or indirectly settle sales of the securities or close out any related open borrowings of the securities.

Electronic Auctions

We may also make sales through the Internet or through other electronic means. Since we may from time to time elect to offer securities directly to the public, with or without the involvement of agents, underwriters or dealers, utilizing the Internet or other forms of electronic bidding or ordering systems for the pricing and allocation of such securities, you will want to pay particular attention to the description of that system we will provide in a prospectus supplement.

Such electronic system may allow bidders to directly participate, through electronic access to an auction site, by submitting conditional offers to buy that are subject to acceptance by us, and which may directly affect the price or other terms and conditions at which such securities are sold. These bidding or ordering systems may present to each bidder, on a so-called “real-time” basis, relevant information to assist in making a bid, such as the clearing spread at which the offering would be sold, based on the bids submitted, and whether a bidder’s individual bids would be accepted, prorated or rejected. For example, in the case of a debt security, the clearing spread could be indicated as a number of “basis points” above an index treasury note. Of course, many pricing methods can and may also be used.

Upon completion of such an electronic auction process, securities will be allocated based on prices bid, terms of bid or other factors. The final offering price at which securities would be sold and the allocation of securities among bidders would be based in whole or in part on the results of the Internet or other electronic bidding process or auction.

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General Information

Agents, underwriters, and dealers may be entitled, under agreements entered into with us, to indemnification by us against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Our agents, underwriters, and dealers, or their affiliates, may be customers of, engage in transactions with or perform services for us, in the ordinary course of business.

Underwriters, broker-dealers or agents may receive compensation in the form of commissions, discounts or concessions from us. Underwriters, broker-dealers or agents may also receive compensation from the purchasers of securities for whom they act as agents or to whom they sell as principals, or both. Compensation as to a particular underwriter, broker-dealer or agent might be in excess of customary commissions and will be in amounts to be negotiated in connection with transactions. In effecting sales, broker-dealers engaged by us may arrange for other broker-dealers to participate in the resales.

Agents, underwriters and dealers may engage in transactions with, or perform services for, us and our respective subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business.

The place and time of delivery for the securities will be set forth in the accompanying prospectus supplement for such securities.

VALIDITY OF THE SECURITIES

Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement accompanying this prospectus, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, New York, New York, will provide opinions regarding the authorization and validity of the securities for us.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements of GE as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, and for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2018, and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2018 have been incorporated by reference herein in reliance upon the reports of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated by reference herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

The audit report covering the December 31, 2018 financial statements refers to a change in the accounting method for revenue recognition in 2018 due to the adoption of ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers and the related amendments.

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General Electric Company

$   4.350% Notes due 2050

 

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

 

 , 2020

Sole Underwriter

Morgan Stanley