Pressed by Obama,BP weighs options on dividend

The discussions came as Obama was on his way to the Gulf Coast on Monday,his fourth trip to the region since the disaster struck,and as the company said that it would increase the amount of oil they would recover from the damaged well daily. A person with direct knowledge of the boards discussions said Monday that the board was considering three possible options: suspending payment of the dividend for two quarters,paying the dividend in bonus shares or escrowing the amount of the dividend while paying for the cleanup. Under the last option,BP would use cash generated from revenues to pay for the cleanup and would not tap the fund unless it was needed. This option,the person said,could offer some reassurance to both Washington and to shareholders that BP will pay for the cleanup while also trying to accommodate shareholders.