GE reassures over finance unit

General Electric on Thursday sought to allay fears that the Obama administration’s plan for financial regulatory reform would force a spin-off of its finance arm, reiterating its commitment to “retaining GE Capital”. GE, whose shares have dropped more than 6% in the past two days, also took aim at a proposal in the regulatory plan, arguing that erecting a firewall between financial and non-banking activities at the same company would be “unnecessary and unwise”.