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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 


 

FORM 10-K

 

þ Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004

 

or

 

¨ Transition Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

Commission File No. 1-7410

 

MELLON FINANCIAL CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Pennsylvania   25-1233834

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

  (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

 

One Mellon Center

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15258-0001

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code - (412) 234-5000

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class


 

Name of each exchange on which registered


Common Stock, $0.50 Par Value   New York Stock Exchange
Stock Purchase Rights   New York Stock Exchange

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

(Title of Class)

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. þ Yes ¨ No

 

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ¨

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). þ Yes ¨ No

 

As of June 30, 2004, 419,339,405 shares, of the total outstanding shares of 424,003,220, of the registrant’s outstanding voting common stock, $0.50 par value per share, having a market value of $12,299,224,749, were held by nonaffiliates.

 

As of January 31, 2005, 423,665,925 shares of the registrant’s voting common stock, $0.50 par value per share, were outstanding.

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

 

Portions of the following documents are incorporated by reference in the following parts of this Annual Report:

 

Mellon Financial Corporation 2005 Proxy Statement-Part III

 

Mellon Financial Corporation 2004 Financial Annual Report to Shareholders-Parts I, II, III and IV

 



Available Information

 

The Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) contains the Exhibits listed on the Index to Exhibits beginning on page 28, including the Financial Review, Financial Statements and Notes, and Corporate Information section from the Corporation’s 2004 Financial Annual Report to Shareholders. For a free copy of the Corporation’s 2004 Summary Annual Report to Shareholders, the 2004 Financial Annual Report to Shareholders or the Proxy Statement for its 2005 Annual Meeting, as filed with the SEC, send a written request to the Secretary of the Corporation, Room 4826 One Mellon Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15258-0001. The Corporation’s 2004 Summary and Financial Annual Reports to Shareholders are, and the Proxy Statement for its 2005 Annual Meeting upon filing with the SEC will be, available on the Corporation’s Internet site at www.mellon.com. The Corporation also makes available, free of charge, on its Internet site, the Corporation’s annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports as soon as reasonably practicable after it electronically files such materials with, or furnishes them to, the SEC. The contents of the Corporation’s Internet site are not part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The following materials are available, free of charge, on the Corporation’s Internet site at www.mellon.com under “Investor Relations/Corporate Governance” and are also available in print by written request from the Secretary of the Corporation at Room 4826 One Mellon Center, Pittsburgh PA 15258-0001:

 

    the Corporation’s Code of Ethics for Senior Financial Officers which is applicable to the Chief Executive Officer, Senior Vice Chairman, Chief Financial Officer and Controller;

 

    the Corporation’s Board Policies which represent its corporate governance guidelines;

 

    the Charters of all Committees of the Board of Directors; and

 

    the Corporation’s Code of Conduct which is applicable to all employees.

 

Cautionary Statement

 

See pages 58 through 60 of the Corporation’s 2004 Financial Annual Report to Shareholders for the Cautionary Statement. Those pages are incorporated herein by reference. This Form 10-K contains statements relating to future results of the Corporation that are considered “forward-looking statements.” These statements, which may be expressed in a variety of ways, including the use of future or present tense language, relate to, among other things: the effect of changes in applicable laws or regulations; intentions as to capital ratios; the effects of potential changes in risk-based capital guidelines; the timing of the review of options for Human Resources & Investor Solutions; and litigation results. These statements, and other forward-looking statements contained in other public disclosures of the Corporation which make reference to the cautionary factors contained in this Form 10-K, are based on assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties and that are subject to change based on various important factors (some of which are beyond the Corporation’s control). Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied as a result of these risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to the following:

 

The nature of any new capital accords to be adopted by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision and implemented by the U.S. federal bank regulatory agencies will affect the Corporation’s future capital requirements.

 

Uncertainties inherent in the litigation process.

 

Such forward-looking statements are also subject to risks and uncertainties identified in the information incorporated by reference under Item 7 of this Form 10-K.

 

All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which such statements are made, and the Corporation undertakes no obligation to update any statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

 


 

MELLON FINANCIAL CORPORATION

Form 10-K Index

 

          Page

     PART I     
Item 1.    Business:     
     Description of Business    3
     Supervision and Regulation    4
     Competition    11
     Employees    11
     Statistical Disclosure by Bank Holding Companies    11
Item 2.    Properties    18
Item 3.    Legal Proceedings    20
Item 4.    Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders    20
     PART II     
Item 5.    Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities    20
Item 6.    Selected Financial Data    21
Item 7.    Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations    21
Item 7A.    Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk    21
Item 8.    Financial Statements and Supplementary Data    21
Item 9.    Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure    22
Item 9A.    Controls and Procedures    22
Item 9B.    Other Information    22
     PART III     
Item 10.    Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant    22
Item 11.    Executive Compensation    25
Item 12.    Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters    25
Item 13.    Certain Relationships and Related Transactions    25
Item 14.    Principal Accountant Fees and Services    25
     PART IV     
Item 15.    Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules    26

Signatures    27
Index to Exhibits    28

 

2


PART I

 

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

 

Description of Business

 

Mellon Financial Corporation (the “Corporation”) is a global financial services company headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with approximately $4.0 trillion in assets under management, administration or custody, including $707 billion under management. For a further discussion of its products, see “Nature of operations” in Note 1 of Notes to Financial Statements in the Corporation’s 2004 Financial Annual Report to Shareholders, which paragraphs are incorporated herein by reference. See “Available Information” on page 1 of this Report for access to financial and other information regarding the Corporation.

 

The Corporation was originally formed as a holding company for Mellon Bank, N.A. (“Mellon Bank”), which has its executive offices in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With its predecessors, Mellon Bank has been in business since 1869. The Corporation’s banking subsidiaries include Mellon Trust of New England, National Association, headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts; Mellon United National Bank, headquartered in Miami, Florida; and Mellon 1st Business Bank, National Association, headquartered in Los Angeles, California, in addition to Mellon Bank. They engage in trust and custody activities, investment management services, banking services and various securities-related activities. The deposits of the banking subsidiaries are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) to the extent provided by law.

 

The Corporation’s businesses are divided into two overall reportable groups — Asset Management and Corporate & Institutional Services. The Asset Management group is comprised of the Institutional Asset Management, Mutual Funds and Private Wealth Management sectors. The Corporate & Institutional Services group is comprised of the Asset Servicing, Human Resources & Investor Solutions and Treasury Services sectors.

 

The Corporation’s asset management subsidiaries, which include The Dreyfus Corporation (“Dreyfus”), Newton Investment Management (“Newton”), Founders Asset Management LLC (“Founders”) and Standish Mellon Asset Management Company LLC (“Standish Mellon”), as well as a number of additional investment management boutiques, provide investment products in many asset classes and investment styles. Dreyfus, headquartered in New York, New York, serves primarily as an investment adviser and manager of mutual funds. Newton is a leading U.K.-based investment manager that provides investment management services to institutional, private and retail clients. Founders, headquartered in Denver, Colorado, is a manager of growth-oriented equity mutual funds and other investment portfolios. Standish Mellon is a Boston-based provider of investment management services to institutional clients.

 

Further information regarding the Corporation’s six core business sectors, as well as “Other Activity” is presented in the Business Sectors section found on pages 20 through 32 of the Corporation’s 2004 Financial Annual Report to Shareholders, which pages are incorporated herein by reference. Information on international operations is presented in the Corporation’s 2004 Financial Annual Report to Shareholders in “Foreign outstandings” on page 38, in “Currency rate fluctuations” on page 60 and in Note 32 of Notes to Financial Statements, which are incorporated herein by reference.

 

Principal Entities

 

Exhibit 21.1 to this Annual Report on Form 10-K presents a list of the primary subsidiaries of the Corporation as of Dec. 31, 2004.

 

3


ITEM 1. BUSINESS (continued)

 

Description of Business (continued)

 

Discontinued operations

 

As discussed in Note 4 of Notes to Financial Statements in the Corporation’s 2004 Financial Annual Report to Shareholders, the Corporation is reporting its results using the discontinued operations method of accounting. This Note is incorporated herein by reference. All information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including all supplemental information, reflects continuing operations unless otherwise noted.

 

Supervision and Regulation

 

The Corporation and its bank subsidiaries are subject to an extensive system of banking laws and regulations that are intended primarily for the protection of the customers and depositors of the Corporation’s bank subsidiaries rather than holders of the Corporation’s securities. These laws and regulations govern such areas as permissible activities, reserves, loans and investments, and rates of interest that can be charged on loans. Similarly, the Corporation’s subsidiaries engaged in investment advisory and other securities related activities are subject to various U.S. federal and state laws and regulations that are intended to benefit clients of investment advisors and shareholders in mutual funds rather than holders of the Corporation’s securities. In addition, the Corporation and its subsidiaries are subject to general U.S. federal laws and regulations and to the laws and regulations of the states or countries in which they conduct their businesses. Described below are the material elements of selected laws and regulations applicable to the Corporation and its subsidiaries. The descriptions are not intended to be complete and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the full text of the statutes and regulations described. Changes in applicable law or regulation, and in their application by regulatory agencies, cannot be predicted, but they may have a material effect on the business and results of the Corporation and its subsidiaries.

 

Regulated Entities of the Corporation

 

The Corporation is regulated as a bank holding company and a financial holding company under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended by the 1999 financial modernization legislation known as the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (the “BHC Act”). As such it is subject to the supervision of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve Board”). In general, the BHC Act limits the business of bank holding companies that are financial holding companies to banking, managing or controlling banks, performing certain servicing activities for subsidiaries, and as a result of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act amendments to the BHC Act, engaging in any activity, or acquiring and retaining the shares of any company engaged in any activity, that is either (1) financial in nature or incidental to such financial activity (as determined by the Federal Reserve Board in consultation with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (the “OCC”)) or (2) complementary to a financial activity and does not pose a substantial risk to the safety and soundness of depository institutions or the financial system generally (as solely determined by the Federal Reserve Board). Activities that are financial in nature include securities underwriting and dealing, insurance underwriting and making merchant banking investments in commercial and financial companies. They also include activities that the Federal Reserve Board had determined, by order or regulation in effect prior to the enactment of the BHC Act, to be so closely related to banking or managing or controlling banks as to be a proper incident thereto.

 

In order for a bank holding company to engage in the broader range of activities that are permitted by the BHC Act for bank holding companies that are also financial holding companies, (1) all of its depository institutions must be well-capitalized and well-managed and (2) it must file a declaration with the Federal Reserve Board that it elects to be a “financial holding company.” In addition, to commence any new activity permitted by the BHC Act and to acquire any company engaged in any new activities permitted by the BHC Act, each insured depository institution of the financial holding company must have received at least a “satisfactory” rating in its most recent examination under the Community Reinvestment Act. The Corporation’s election to become a financial holding company became effective on March 13, 2000.

 

4


ITEM 1. BUSINESS (continued)

 

Supervision and Regulation (continued)

 

The Corporation’s national bank subsidiaries are subject to primary supervision, regulation and examination by the OCC. Mellon Securities Trust Company, The Dreyfus Trust Company and Mellon Trust of New York are New York trust companies and are supervised by the New York State Department of Banking. Mellon Trust of California is a California trust company and is supervised by the State of California Department of Financial Institutions. Mellon Trust of Washington is a Washington trust company and is supervised by the Division of Banks of the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions.

 

The Corporation’s non-bank subsidiaries engaged in securities related activities are regulated by the SEC. The Corporation operates a number of broker-dealers that engage in securities underwriting and other broker-dealer activities. These companies are registered broker-dealers and members of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., a securities industry self-regulatory organization.

 

Certain subsidiaries of the Corporation are registered investment advisors under the Investment Advisors Act of 1940 and, as such, are supervised by the SEC. They are also subject to various U.S. federal and state laws and regulations and to the laws of any countries in which they conduct business. These laws and regulations generally grant supervisory agencies broad administrative powers, including the power to limit or restrict the carrying on of business for failure to comply with such laws and regulations. Subsidiaries of the Corporation advise both public investment companies which are registered with the SEC under the Investment Company Act of 1940, including the Dreyfus/Founders family of mutual funds, and private investment companies which are not so registered. The shares of most investment companies advised by the Corporation’s subsidiaries are qualified for sale in all states in the United States and the District of Columbia, except for investment companies that offer products only to residents of a particular state or of a foreign country and except for certain investment companies which are exempt from such registration or qualification.

 

Certain of the Corporation’s United Kingdom incorporated subsidiaries are authorized to conduct investment business in the UK pursuant to the UK Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (“FSMA 2000”). Their investment management advisory activities and their sale and marketing of retail investment products are regulated by the Financial Services Authority (“FSA”). In addition to broad supervisory powers, the FSA may discipline the businesses it regulates. Disciplinary powers include the power to temporarily or permanently revoke the authorization to carry on regulated business following a breach of FSMA 2000 and/or regulatory rules, the suspension of registered employees and censures and fines for both regulated businesses and their registered employees. Certain UK investment funds, including Mellon Investment Funds, an open-ended investment company with variable capital advised by UK regulated subsidiaries of the Corporation, are registered with the FSA and are offered for retail sale in the UK.

 

Certain of the Corporation’s public finance activities are regulated by the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board. Mellon Bank and certain of the Corporation’s other subsidiaries are registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”) as commodity pool operators or commodity trading advisors and, as such, are subject to CFTC regulation.

 

The types of activities in which the foreign branches of the Corporation’s banking subsidiaries and the international subsidiaries of the Corporation may engage are subject to various restrictions imposed by the Federal Reserve Board. Those foreign branches and international subsidiaries are also subject to the laws and regulatory authorities of the countries in which they operate.

 

5


ITEM 1. BUSINESS (continued)

 

Supervision and Regulation (continued)

 

Dividend Restrictions

 

The Corporation is a legal entity separate and distinct from its bank and other subsidiaries. Its principal sources of funds to make capital contributions or loans to Mellon Funding Corporation, to pay service on its own debt, to honor its guarantee of debt issued by Mellon Funding Corporation or of trust-preferred securities issued by a trust or to pay dividends on its own equity securities, are dividends and interest from its subsidiaries. Various federal and state statutes and regulations limit the amount of dividends that may be paid to the Corporation by its bank subsidiaries without regulatory approval. For a further discussion of restrictions on dividends, see the first three paragraphs of Note 24 of Notes to Financial Statements in the Corporation’s 2004 Financial Annual Report to Shareholders, which paragraphs are incorporated herein by reference.

 

If, in the opinion of the applicable federal regulatory agency, a depository institution under its jurisdiction is engaged in or is about to engage in an unsafe or unsound practice (which, depending on the financial condition of the bank, could include the payment of dividends), the regulator may require, after notice and hearing, that the bank cease and desist from such practice. The OCC and the FDIC have indicated that the payment of dividends would constitute an unsafe and unsound practice if the payment would deplete a depository institution’s capital base to an inadequate level. Moreover, under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, as amended (the “FDI Act”), an insured depository institution may not pay any dividend if the institution is undercapitalized or if the payment of the dividend would cause the institution to become undercapitalized. In addition, the federal bank regulatory agencies have issued policy statements which provide that FDIC-insured depository institutions and their holding companies should generally pay dividends only out of their current operating earnings.

 

The ability of the Corporation’s bank subsidiaries to pay dividends to the Corporation may also be affected by various minimum capital requirements for banking organizations, as described below. In addition, the right of the Corporation to participate in the assets or earnings of a subsidiary are subject to the prior claims of creditors of the subsidiary.

 

Transactions with Affiliates

 

There are certain restrictions on the ability of the Corporation and certain of its non-bank affiliates to borrow from, and engage in other transactions with, its bank subsidiaries and on the ability of such bank subsidiaries to pay dividends to the Corporation. In general, these restrictions require that any extensions of credit must be secured by designated amounts of specified collateral and are limited, as to any one of the Corporation or such non-bank affiliates, to 10% of the lending bank’s capital stock and surplus, and, as to the Corporation and all such non-bank affiliates in the aggregate, to 20% of such lending bank’s capital stock and surplus. These restrictions, other than the 10% of capital limit on covered transactions with any one affiliate, are also applied to transactions between national banks and their financial subsidiaries. In addition, certain transactions with affiliates must be on terms and conditions, including credit standards, that are substantially the same, or at least as favorable to the institution, as those prevailing at the time for comparable transactions involving other non-affiliated companies or, in the absence of comparable transactions, on terms and conditions, including credit standards, that in good faith would be offered to, or would apply to, non-affiliated companies.

 

Unsafe and Unsound Practices

 

The OCC has authority under the Financial Institutions Supervisory Act to prohibit national banks from engaging in any activity which, in the OCC’s opinion, constitutes an unsafe or unsound practice in conducting their businesses. The Federal Reserve Board has similar authority with respect to the Corporation and the Corporation’s non-bank subsidiaries, including Mellon Securities Trust Company, a member of the Federal Reserve System.

 

6


ITEM 1. BUSINESS (continued)

 

Supervision and Regulation (continued)

 

Deposit Insurance

 

Substantially all of the deposits of the bank subsidiaries of the Corporation are insured up to applicable limits by the Bank Insurance Fund (“BIF”) of the FDIC and are subject to deposit insurance assessments to maintain the BIF. The FDIC utilizes a risk-based assessment system which imposes insurance premiums based upon a matrix that takes into account a bank’s capital level and supervisory rating. Such premiums now range from 0 cents for each $100 of domestically-held deposits for well-capitalized and well-managed banks to 27 cents for each $100 of domestically-held deposits for the weakest institutions. The Corporation’s bank subsidiaries currently are not required to pay insurance premiums to the FDIC. In addition, the Deposit Insurance Fund Act of 1996 authorizes the Financing Corporation (“FICO”) to impose assessments on BIF assessable deposits in order to service the interest on FICO’s bond obligations. The FICO current annual assessment on these deposits is approximately 1.44 cents for each $100 of domestically-held deposits. The FDIC is authorized to raise insurance premiums in certain circumstances.

 

Under the FDI Act, insurance of deposits may be terminated by the FDIC upon a finding that the institution has engaged in unsafe and unsound practices, is in an unsafe or unsound condition to continue operations or has violated any applicable law, regulation, rule, order or condition imposed by a bank’s federal regulatory agency.

 

Liability of Commonly Controlled Institutions and Related Matters

 

The FDI Act contains a “cross-guarantee” provision that could result in any insured depository institution owned by the Corporation being assessed for losses incurred by the FDIC in connection with assistance provided to, or the failure of, any other insured depository institution owned by the Corporation. Also, under the BHC Act and Federal Reserve Board policy, the Corporation is expected to act as a source of financial and managerial strength to each of its bank subsidiaries and to commit resources to support each such bank in circumstances where such bank might not be in a financial position to support itself.

 

Any capital loans by a bank holding company to any of its bank subsidiaries are subordinate in right of payment to deposits and to certain other indebtedness of such bank subsidiaries. In the event of a bank holding company’s bankruptcy, any commitment by the bank holding company to a federal bank regulatory agency to maintain the capital of a subsidiary bank will be assumed by the bankruptcy trustee and entitled to a priority of payment.

 

In addition, under the National Bank Act, if the capital stock of a national bank is impaired by losses or otherwise, the OCC is authorized to require payment of the deficiency by assessment upon the bank’s shareholders, pro rata, and to the extent necessary, if any such assessment is not paid by any shareholder after three months notice, to sell the stock of such shareholder to make good the deficiency.

 

Regulatory Capital

 

The Federal Reserve Board and the OCC have substantially similar risk-based capital and leverage ratio guidelines for banking organizations. The guidelines are intended to ensure that banking organizations have adequate capital given the risk levels of their assets and off-balance sheet financial instruments.

 

The risk-based capital ratio is determined by classifying assets and certain off-balance sheet financial instruments into weighted categories, with higher levels of capital being required for those categories perceived as representing greater risk. Under the capital guidelines, a banking organization’s total capital is divided into tiers. “Tier I capital” consists of (1) common equity, (2) qualifying noncumulative perpetual preferred stock, (3) a limited amount of qualifying cumulative perpetual preferred stock and (4) minority interests in the equity accounts of consolidated subsidiaries (including trust-preferred securities), less goodwill and certain other intangible assets. Not more than 25% of qualifying Tier I capital may consist of trust-preferred securities. As

 

7


ITEM 1. BUSINESS (continued)

 

Supervision and Regulation (continued)

 

discussed in Note 15 of Notes to Financial Statements in the Corporation’s 2004 Financial Annual Report to Shareholders, commencing Dec. 31, 2003 the Corporation deconsolidated the statutory business trusts which have issued trust-preferred securities. As a result, the junior subordinated debentures held by the trusts are now reported on the Corporation’s consolidated balance sheet. This note is incorporated herein by reference. The Federal Reserve Board has confirmed the continued qualification of trust-preferred securities as Tier I capital notwithstanding the change in accounting treatment. In May 2004 the Federal Reserve Board issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would impose stricter quantitative limits and qualitative standards for trust-preferred securities and other restricted core capital elements. The Corporation is currently reviewing the impact of the proposal and intends to maintain its capital ratios above the well-capitalized guidelines. Tier II capital” consists of hybrid capital instruments, perpetual debt, mandatory convertible debt securities, a limited amount of subordinated debt, preferred stock that does not qualify as Tier I capital, a limited amount of the allowance for loan and lease losses and a limited amount of unrealized gains on equity securities. Tier III capital” consists of qualifying unsecured subordinated debt. The sum of Tier II and Tier III capital may not exceed the amount of Tier I capital.

 

The risk-based capital guidelines include capital charges for equity investments in nonfinancial companies. The guidelines require a series of marginal capital charges on covered equity investments that increase with the level of those investments as a percentage of Tier I capital. With certain exceptions, including investments grandfathered under the guidelines, the guidelines require that the Corporation and its bank subsidiaries deduct from Tier I capital the appropriate percentage set out below:

 

Aggregate Carrying Value
of Covered Nonfinancial
Equity Investments as a
percentage of Tier I Capital


   Required Deduction From
Tier I Capital as a
Percentage of the Carrying
Value of the Investments


 

<15%

   8 %

³15% but <25%

   12 %

³25%

   25 %

 

The risk-based capital requirements identify concentration of credit risk and certain risks arising from non-traditional activities, and the management of those risks, as important factors to consider in assessing an institution’s overall capital adequacy. In addition, the risk-based capital guidelines incorporate a measure for market risk in foreign exchange and commodity activities and in the trading of debt and equity instruments. The market risk-based capital guidelines require banking organizations with large trading activities to maintain capital for market risk in an amount calculated by using the banking organizations’ own internal value-at-risk models, subject to parameters set by the regulators.

 

Under the Federal Reserve Board’s risk-based capital guidelines for bank holding companies, the required minimum ratio of “Total capital” (the sum of Tier I, Tier II and Tier III capital) to risk-adjusted assets (including certain off-balance sheet items, such as standby letters of credit) is currently 8%. The required minimum ratio of Tier I capital to risk-adjusted assets is 4%. At Dec. 31, 2004, the Corporation’s Total capital and Tier I capital to risk-adjusted assets ratios were 16.47% and 10.54%, respectively.

 

The U.S. federal bank regulatory agencies’ risk-based capital guidelines are based upon the 1988 capital accord of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (the “BIS”). The BIS is a committee of central banks and bank supervisors/regulators from the major industrialized countries that develops broad policy guidelines that each country’s supervisors can use to determine the supervisory policies they apply. The BIS has been working for a number of years on revisions to the 1988 capital accord and in June 2004 released the final version of its proposed new capital framework (“BIS II”). BIS II provides two approaches for setting capital standards for

 

8


ITEM 1. BUSINESS (continued)

 

Supervision and Regulation (continued)

 

credit risk – an internal ratings-based approach tailored to individual institutions’ circumstances (which for many asset classes is itself broken into a “foundation approach” and an “advanced approach” the availability of which is subject to additional restrictions) and a standardized approach that bases risk weightings on external credit assessments to a much greater extent than permitted in existing risk-based capital guidelines. BIS II also would set capital requirements for operational risk and refine the existing capital requirements for market risk exposures. The U.S. banking and thrift agencies are developing proposed revisions to their existing capital adequacy regulations and standards based on BIS II. They have indicated that they expect to publish proposed BIS II-related revisions in mid-year 2005 and adopt final revisions in mid-2006, with an effective date for the final revisions in Jan. 2008. The agencies expect that BIS II will apply to only a small number of large internationally active U.S. banking organizations, and the Corporation cannot predict at this time whether the new guidelines will lead to an increase or decrease in its required capital. The Corporation is not required to adopt the new framework, but has formed a working group that is analyzing the potential impact of BIS II on its risk-based capital.

 

The Federal Reserve Board also requires bank holding companies to comply with minimum Leverage ratio guidelines. The Leverage ratio is the ratio of a bank holding company’s Tier I capital to its total consolidated quarterly average assets (as defined for regulatory purposes), net of the loan loss reserve, goodwill and certain other intangible assets. The guidelines require a minimum Leverage ratio of 3% for bank holding companies that either have the highest supervisory rating or have implemented the Federal Reserve Board’s risk-adjusted measure for market risk. All other bank holding companies are required to maintain a minimum Leverage ratio of 4%. The Federal Reserve Board has not advised the Corporation of any specific minimum Leverage ratio applicable to it. At Dec. 31, 2004, the Corporation’s Leverage ratio was 7.87%.

 

The Federal Reserve Board’s capital guidelines provide that banking organizations experiencing internal growth or making acquisitions are expected to maintain strong capital positions substantially above the minimum supervisory levels, without significant reliance on intangible assets. Also, the guidelines indicate that the Federal Reserve Board will consider a “tangible Tier I leverage ratio” in evaluating proposals for expansion or new activities. The tangible Tier I leverage ratio is the ratio of a banking organization’s Tier I capital (excluding intangibles) to total assets (excluding intangibles).

 

Prompt Corrective Action

 

The FDI Act requires federal banking regulators to take prompt corrective action with respect to depository institutions that do not meet minimum capital requirements. The FDI Act identifies the following capital tiers for financial institutions: well capitalized, adequately capitalized, undercapitalized, significantly undercapitalized and critically undercapitalized.

 

Rules adopted by the federal banking agencies provide that an institution is deemed to be: “well capitalized” if the institution has a Total risk-based capital ratio of 10.0% or greater, a Tier I risk-based capital ratio of 6.0% or greater, and a Leverage ratio of 5.0% or greater, and the institution is not subject to an order, written agreement, capital directive, or prompt corrective action directive to meet and maintain a specific level for any capital measure; “adequately capitalized” if the institution has a Total risk-based capital ratio of 8.0% or greater, a Tier I risk-based capital ratio of 4.0% or greater, and a Leverage ratio of 4.0% or greater (or a Leverage ratio of 3.0% or greater if the institution is rated composite 1 in its most recent report of examination, subject to appropriate Federal banking agency guidelines), and the institution does not meet the definition of a well capitalized institution; “undercapitalized” if the institution has a Total risk-based capital ratio that is less than 8.0%, a Tier I risk-based capital ratio that is less than 4.0% or a Leverage ratio that is less than 4.0% (or a Leverage ratio that is less than 3.0% if the institution is rated composite 1 in its most recent report of examination, subject to appropriate Federal banking agency guidelines) and the institution does not meet the definition of a significantly undercapitalized or critically undercapitalized institution; “significantly undercapitalized” if the institution has a

 

9


ITEM 1. BUSINESS (continued)

 

Supervision and Regulation (continued)

 

Total risk-based capital ratio that is less than 6.0%, a Tier I risk-based capital ratio that is less than 3.0%, or a Leverage ratio that is less than 3.0% and the institution does not meet the definition of a critically undercapitalized institution; and “critically undercapitalized” if the institution has a ratio of tangible equity to total assets that is equal to or less than 2.0%. The FDI Act imposes progressively more restrictive constraints on operations, management and capital distributions, depending on the capital category in which an institution is classified.

 

At Dec. 31, 2004, all of the Corporation’s bank subsidiaries were well capitalized based on the ratios and guidelines noted previously. A bank’s capital category, however, is determined solely for the purpose of applying the prompt corrective action rules and may not constitute an accurate representation of the bank’s overall financial condition or prospects.

 

The appropriate federal banking agency may, under certain circumstances, reclassify a well capitalized insured depository institution as adequately capitalized. The appropriate agency is also permitted to require an adequately capitalized or undercapitalized institution to comply with the supervisory provisions as if the institution were in the next lower category (but not treat a significantly undercapitalized institution as critically undercapitalized) based on supervisory information other than the capital levels of the institution.

 

The FDI Act provides that an institution may be reclassified if the appropriate federal banking agency determines (after notice and opportunity for hearing) that the institution is in an unsafe or unsound condition or deems the institution to be engaging in an unsafe or unsound practice.

 

Anti-Money Laundering Initiatives and the USA Patriot Act

 

A major focus of governmental policy on financial institutions in recent years has been aimed at combating money laundering and terrorist financing. The USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 (the “USA Patriot Act”) substantially broadened the scope of U.S. anti-money laundering laws and regulations by imposing significant new compliance and due diligence obligations, creating new crimes and penalties and expanding the extra-territorial jurisdiction of the United States. The U.S. Treasury Department has issued a number of implementing regulations which apply various requirements of the USA Patriot Act to financial institutions such as the Corporation’s bank, broker-dealer and investment adviser subsidiaries and mutual funds and private investment companies advised or sponsored by the Corporation’s subsidiaries. Those regulations impose obligations on financial institutions to maintain appropriate policies, procedures and controls to detect, prevent and report money laundering and terrorist financing and to verify the identity of their customers. Failure of a financial institution to maintain and implement adequate programs to combat money laundering and terrorist financing could have serious legal and reputational consequences for the institution.

 

Depositor Preference Statute

 

Under federal law, depositors and certain claims for administrative expenses and employee compensation against an insured depository institution would be afforded a priority over other general unsecured claims against such an institution, including federal funds and letters of credit, in the “liquidation or other resolution” of such an institution by any receiver.

 

Privacy

 

The privacy provisions of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act generally prohibit financial institutions, including the Corporation, from disclosing nonpublic personal financial information of consumer customers to third parties for certain purposes (primarily marketing) unless customers have the opportunity to “opt out” of the disclosure. The

 

10


ITEM 1. BUSINESS (continued)

 

Supervisions and Regulation (continued)

 

Fair Credit Reporting Act restricts information sharing among affiliates and was amended in December 2003 to further restrict affiliate sharing of information for marketing purposes.

 

Community Reinvestment Act

 

The Community Reinvestment Act requires banks to help serve the credit needs of their communities, including credit to low and moderate income individuals and geographies. Should the Corporation or its bank subsidiaries fail to adequately serve the community, potential penalties are regulatory denials to expand branches, relocate, add subsidiaries and affiliates, expand into new financial activities and merge with or purchase other financial institutions.

 

Legislative Initiatives

 

Various legislative initiatives are from time to time introduced in Congress. The Corporation cannot determine the ultimate effect that any such potential legislation, if enacted, would have upon its financial condition or operations.

 

Competition

 

The Corporation and its subsidiaries continue to be subject to intense competition in all aspects and areas of their businesses. The Corporation’s Asset Management Group experiences competition from asset management firms; mutual funds; investment banking companies; bank and financial holding companies; banks, including trust banks; brokerage firms and insurance companies. In its Corporate & Institutional Services Group, the Corporation competes with domestic and foreign banks offering institutional trust and custody products and cash management products, benefit consultants and a wide range of technologically capable service providers, such as data processing, shareholder services and outsourcing firms. As a result of industry consolidation as well as increased competition from the technology services sector and consideration of the level of continued investment required and the extension of the timetable to reach acceptable profitability, the Corporation continues to review the options for Human Resources & Investor Solutions. The Corporation expects that review to be completed prior to the end of the first quarter 2005.

 

Many of the Corporation’s competitors, with the particular exception of bank and financial holding companies and banks, are not subject to regulation as extensive as that described under the “Supervision and Regulation” section and, as a result, may have a competitive advantage over the Corporation in certain respects.

 

As part of its business strategy, the Corporation seeks to distinguish itself from its competitors by the level of service delivered to its clients. The Corporation also believes that technological innovation is an important competitive factor and for this reason has made and continues to make substantial investments in this area. Since the events of Sept. 11, 2001, the ability to recover quickly from unexpected events is a competitive factor, and the Corporation has devoted significant resources to this.

 

Employees

 

At Dec. 31, 2004, the Corporation and its subsidiaries employed approximately 19,400 persons.

 

Statistical Disclosure by Bank Holding Companies

 

The Securities Act of 1933 Industry Guide 3 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Industry Guide 3 (together “Guide 3”), require that the following statistical disclosures be made in Annual Reports on Form 10-K filed by bank holding companies.

 

11


ITEM 1. BUSINESS (continued)

 

Statistical Disclosure by Bank Holding Companies (continued)

 

I. Distribution of Assets, Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity; Interest Rates and Interest Differential

 

Information required by this section of Guide 3 is presented in the Rate/Volume Variance Analysis below. Required information is also presented in the Corporation’s 2004 Financial Annual Report to Shareholders in the Consolidated Balance Sheet — Average Balances and Interest Yields/Rates on pages 16 and 17, and in Net Interest Revenue on page 15, which are incorporated herein by reference.

 

Rate/Volume Variance Analysis

 

     Year ended Dec. 31,

 
     2004 over (under) 2003

    2003 over (under) 2002

 
     Due to change in

          Due to change in

       

(in millions)


   Rate

    Volume

    Net
change


    Rate

    Volume

   

Net

change


 

Increase (decrease) in interest revenue from interest-earning assets:

                                                

Interest-bearing deposits with banks (primarily foreign)

   $ 9     $ 5     $ 14     $ (14 )   $ 11     $ (3 )

Federal funds sold and securities under resale agreements

     2       1       3       (3 )     3       —    

Other money market investments

     —         —         —         (1 )     1       —    

Trading account securities

     2       (9 )     (7 )     5       —         5  

Securities:

                                                

U.S. Treasury and agency securities (a)

     (61 )     —         (61 )     (61 )     93       32  

Obligations of states and political subdivisions

     1       5       6       —         9       9  

Other

     (54 )     46       (8 )     46       (86 )     (40 )

Loans (includes loan fees)

     (2 )     (17 )     (19 )     (40 )     (77 )     (117 )

Funds allocated to discontinued operations

     —         —         —         —         (4 )     (4 )
    


 


 


 


 


 


Total

     (103 )     31       (72 )     (68 )     (50 )     (118 )

Increase (decrease) in interest expense on interest-bearing liabilities:

                                                

Deposits in domestic offices:

                                                

Demand, money market and other savings accounts

     (1 )     14       13       (30 )     7       (23 )

Savings certificates

     —         —         —