General Electric Co.'s gaping pension deficit certainly standsout for its size. But the company is hardly the only one at risk ofpotentially shortchanging some employees come retirement.

All across corporate America, underfunded pensions have becomethe norm. Even now, a decade after the financial crisis, thelargest plans face a shortfall of $269 billion, right about wherethey were 10 years ago. Years of low interest rates have largelyoffset gains in the stock market. Companies haven't helped mattersby lavishing money on shareholder rewards and clinging toassumptions about returns that proved to be too rosy.

The situation isn't likely toimprove any time soon, particularly if interest rates keep falling.Even though a banner year in both stocks and bonds lifted returnson the largest pensions by 12 percent this year, their liabilitieshave grown even faster, according to consulting firm Milliman. Andwhile GE's move to freezebenefits and set aside money will help trim its $22.4 billionpension shortfall by as much as $8 billion, CEO Larry Culp saidlast month that low rates could boost those same liabilities byroughly $7 billion.