Excerpt: The ongoing financial crisis drove the 100 largest corporate pension plans to a record $300 billion loss of funded status in 2008. Asset losses fueled a decrease in funded status from about 106% at the end of 2007 to less than 80% at the end of 2008. Losses continued into 2009 with a $30 billion decrease in funded status in the first two months. At the end of February, the funded status of these 100 pension plans stood at 74%, the lowest level since May 2003.