As recently as February, General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) had hopes of maintaining its dividend payout.  “We’ve got the cash flow to pay the dividend,” GE Chief Executive Officer Jeffery Immelt said in a Feb. 5 interview with The Wall Street Journal.

NBER: U.S. in Recession Since Dec. 2007; Fed Reserve Could Buy T-Bills; JP Morgan Sees 0% Interest Rates; Pilgrim’s Pride Files for Bankruptcy Protection; Consumer Credit Crunch in the Making; Crude Slides on Recession Outlook; J&J to Buy Mentor