General Electric Co., the biggest maker of power-generationequipment, sold $7 billion of debt in the parent company's firstoffering for almost five years.

GE issued $2 billion of 0.85 percent, three-year notes thatyield 55 basis points more than similar-maturity Treasuries, $3billion of 2.7 percent, 10-year bonds at a spread of 110 basispoints and $2 billion of 4.125 percent, 30-year securities at 135basis points, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Proceeds will be used to repay debt, including all or a portionof $5 billion of 5 percent notes due 2013 and for general corporatepurposes, the Fairfield, Connecticut-based company said today in aregulatory filing.

The sale is the largest offering in the U.S. sinceAnheuser-Busch InBev NV issued $7.5 billion in July for itsacquisition of Grupo Modelo SAB de CV, Bloomberg data show.

GE's parent company last sold debt in November 2007, issuing $4billion of 5.25 percent bonds maturing in December 2017, Bloombergdata show. Those notes traded at 118.7 cents on the dollar Sept. 28to yield 1.48 percent with an 87.8 basis- point spread, accordingto Trace, the bond-price reporting system of the Financial IndustryRegulatory Authority.

The new bonds are rated Aa3 by Moody's Investors Service, itsfourth-highest level, and two steps higher at AA+ by Standard &Poor's, the ratings companies said in separate statementstoday.

Barclays Plc, Citigroup Inc., Deutsche Bank AG, Goldman SachsGroup Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Morgan Stanley managed thesale, Bloomberg data show.

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