The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors (the Committee) is comprised of the eight directors named below. Each member of the Committee is an independent director as defined by New York Stock Exchange rules. The Committee has adopted a written charter which has been approved by the Board of Directors, and which is set forth in Appendix A of this Proxy Statement. The Committee has reviewed and discussed the Company’s audited financial statements with management, which has primary responsibility for the financial statements. KPMG LLP, the Company’s independent auditors for 2000, are responsible for expressing an opinion on the conformity of the Company’s audited financial statements with generally accepted accounting principles. The Committee has discussed with KPMG the matters that are required to be discussed by Statement on Auditing Standards No. 61 (Communication With Audit Committees). KPMG have provided to the Committee the written disclosures and the letter required by Independence Standards Board Standard No. 1 (Independence Discussions with Audit Committees), and the Committee discussed with KPMG that firm’s independence. The Committee also considered whether KPMG’s provision of non-audit services, including financial information systems design and implementation services, to GE and its affiliates is compatible with KPMG’s independence.

Based on the considerations referred to above, the Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that the audited financial statements be included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for 2000 and that KPMG be appointed independent auditors for the Company for 2001. The foregoing report is provided by the following independent directors, who constitute the Audit Committee:

Gertrude G. Michelson (Chairman) Silas S. Cathcart Ann M. Fudge Claudio X. Gonzalez

Roger S. Penske Frank H.T. Rhodes Andrew C. Sigler Douglas A. Warner III