GE Capital Retail Bank Helps Home Improvement Professionals Think Outside the Toolbox to Build Busin

GE Capital Retail Bank Helps Home Improvement Professionals Think Outside the Toolbox to Build Business

Customized Training Path Supports Contractors in Reaching Full Business Potential

STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- GE Capital Retail Bank, which provides financial solutions to retailers to help grow their customer sales, announces Think Outside the Toolbox, a new business-building program for home improvement, HVAC, outdoor living and other home specialty industry contractors, business owners and customer facing personnel.

Think Outside the Toolbox is the result of in-depth research and insight gathered from successful GE Capital clients in the Home Improvement, HVAC and Outdoor Living industries. By completing a complimentary, five-minute Growth Assessment Survey, available at toolbox.gogecapital.com, home specialty professionals will receive a customized training path, consisting of two 30-minute, on-demand webinars to guide them in reaching sales goals, improving customer loyalty and gaining insights and best practices of other industry-related businesses. Contractors do not need to be an existing GE Capital client to participate, and may be eligible for a gift card or other item upon completing the webinars and questionnaire(s).

For many consumers, home-related projects are the result of extensive planning; translating to 94 days on average spent researching, according to GE Capital Retail Bank's Major Purchase Study*. Yet many homeowners are faced with unplanned repairs, some requiring emergency help from an experienced contractor. Whether it's a long-planned upgrade or an unforeseen replacement on a holiday, these professional craftspeople deliver more than just a service; they provide solutions that can transform a homeowner's living space and make a lasting impact on the enjoyment and comfort of one's home. The important relationship between homeowners and home improvement contractors is highlighted in GE Capital's Heroes with Toolbelts. Think Outside the Toolbox is designed to enable professionals to enhance these relationships and drive continued growth and customer satisfaction.

"Over the decades that we've been in the home segment, we've seen the commitment of these business owners to their clients' needs. Our goal is to support these professionals in building more successful businesses and delivering great customer experiences," said Bruce Christensen, general manager of Home Improvement, GE Capital's Retail Finance business. "Think Outside the Toolbox is an effective new addition to our growing suite of tools and resources that can help businesses reach their full potential."

For 80 years, GE Capital's Retail Finance business has provided billions of dollars in consumer financing through major retailers and more than 200,000 small- and mid-sized businesses throughout the United States. It has been a leading provider of financing solutions in the Home Improvement segment for more than 20 years. The company helps merchants build their businesses through consumer financing programs that drive business growth and customer satisfaction, and supports its clients with proprietary online technology, comprehensive training, and retail insights and analytics. GE Capital provides its cardholders with a suite of digital tools to manage their accounts, including the online Consumer Center and mService, a mobile servicing platform available on iOS, Android, Blackberry and Windows devices.

*The GE Capital Retail Finance Annual Major Purchase Shopper Study surveyed more than 3,000 shoppers nationwide, comprised of 2,000 GE Capital Retail Bank (GECRB) accountholders and 1,000 random shoppers who recently made a major purchase on a single item of $500 or more in seven segments, including home improvement.

About GE Capital's Retail Finance business

GE Capital's Retail Finance business is among the country's most successful retail lenders, with 80 years of experience in consumer financing. The business, with its lending entity GE Capital Retail Bank, provides customized credit programs to retailers and consumers in the United States and Canada that help drive sales. This includes private label and bankcard credit programs to major national, regional and independent retailers in the U.S., as well as private label credit programs, promotional and installment lending, bankcards and financial services for consumers through dealers; contractors; manufacturers; healthcare practices; and service providers across nearly 20 industries. More information can be found at www.gogecapital.com and twitter.com/GoGECapital.

GE Capital is one of the world's largest providers of credit. For over one million businesses, large and small, GE Capital provides financing to purchase, lease and distribute equipment, as well as capital for real estate and corporate acquisitions, refinancings and restructurings. For our 100+ million consumer customers, GE Capital offers credit cards, sales finance programs, home, car and personal loans and credit insurance. For more information, visit www.gecapital.com or follow company news via Twitter @GECapital.

GE (NYS: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.

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For GE:
Cristy Williams, 678-518-2596
cristy.williams@ge.com

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