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Regulatory Matters
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2011
Regulatory Matters  
Regulatory Matters

Note 7 - Regulatory Matters

Regulatory Capital Requirements. Banks and bank holding companies are subject to various regulatory capital requirements administered by state and federal banking agencies. Capital adequacy guidelines and, additionally for banks, prompt corrective action regulations, involve quantitative measures of assets, liabilities, and certain off-balance-sheet items calculated under regulatory accounting practices. Capital amounts and classifications are also subject to qualitative judgments by regulators about components, risk weighting and other factors.

Quantitative measures established by regulations to ensure capital adequacy require the maintenance of minimum amounts and ratios (set forth in the table below) of total and Tier 1 capital (as defined in the regulations) to risk-weighted assets (as defined), and of Tier 1 capital to adjusted quarterly average assets (as defined).

Cullen/Frost's and Frost Bank's Tier 1 capital consists of shareholders' equity excluding unrealized gains and losses on securities available for sale, the accumulated gain or loss on effective cash flow hedging derivatives, the net actuarial gain/loss on the Corporation's defined benefit post-retirement benefit plans, goodwill and other intangible assets. Tier 1 capital for Cullen/Frost also includes $120 million of trust preferred securities issued by an unconsolidated subsidiary trust. Cullen/Frost's and Frost Bank's total capital is comprised of Tier 1 capital for each entity plus a permissible portion of the allowance for loan losses. The Corporation's aggregate $100 million of 5.75% fixed-to-floating rate subordinated notes are not included in Tier 1 capital but are included in total capital of Cullen/Frost.

The Tier 1 and total capital ratios are calculated by dividing the respective capital amounts by risk-weighted assets. Risk-weighted assets are calculated based on regulatory requirements and include total assets, excluding goodwill and other intangible assets, allocated by risk weight category, and certain off-balance-sheet items (primarily loan commitments). The leverage ratio is calculated by dividing Tier 1 capital by adjusted quarterly average total assets, which exclude goodwill and other intangible assets.

 

Actual and required capital ratios for Cullen/Frost and Frost Bank were as follows:

 

     Actual     Minimum Required
for Capital Adequacy
Purposes
    Required to be Well
Capitalized Under
Prompt Corrective
Action Regulations
 
     Capital
Amount
     Ratio     Capital
Amount
     Ratio     Capital
Amount
     Ratio  

June 30, 2011

               

Total Capital to Risk-Weighted Assets

               

Cullen/Frost

   $ 1,784,505         16.42   $ 869,328         8.00     N/A         N/A   

Frost Bank

     1,608,202         14.81        868,684         8.00      $ 1,085,856         10.00

Tier 1 Capital to Risk-Weighted Assets

               

Cullen/Frost

     1,561,794         14.37        434,664         4.00        N/A         N/A   

Frost Bank

     1,485,461         13.68        434,342         4.00        651,513         6.00   

Leverage Ratio

               

Cullen/Frost

     1,561,794         8.94        698,459         4.00        N/A         N/A   

Frost Bank

     1,485,461         8.51        697,921         4.00        872,401         5.00   

December 31, 2010

               

Total Capital to Risk-Weighted Assets

               

Cullen/Frost

   $ 1,720,691         15.91   $ 865,081         8.00     N/A         N/A   

Frost Bank

     1,558,977         14.43        864,318         8.00      $ 1,080,397         10.00

Tier 1 Capital to Risk-Weighted Assets

               

Cullen/Frost

     1,494,375         13.82        432,540         4.00        N/A         N/A   

Frost Bank

     1,432,661         13.26        432,159         4.00        648,238         6.00   

Leverage Ratio

               

Cullen/Frost

     1,494,375         8.68        688,880         4.00        N/A         N/A   

Frost Bank

     1,432,661         8.33        688,196         4.00        860,246         5.00   

Cullen/Frost believes that, as of June 30, 2011, its bank subsidiary, Frost Bank, was "well capitalized" based on the ratios presented above.

Cullen/Frost is subject to the regulatory capital requirements administered by the Federal Reserve, while Frost Bank is subject to the regulatory capital requirements administered by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Regulatory authorities can initiate certain mandatory actions if Cullen/Frost or Frost Bank fail to meet the minimum capital requirements, which could have a direct material effect on the Corporation's financial statements. Management believes, as of June 30, 2011, that Cullen/Frost and Frost Bank meet all capital adequacy requirements to which they are subject.

Dividend Restrictions. In the ordinary course of business, Cullen/Frost is dependent upon dividends from Frost Bank to provide funds for the payment of dividends to shareholders and to provide for other cash requirements. Banking regulations may limit the amount of dividends that may be paid. Approval by regulatory authorities is required if the effect of dividends declared would cause the regulatory capital of Frost Bank to fall below specified minimum levels. Approval is also required if dividends declared exceed the net profits for that year combined with the retained net profits for the preceding two years. Under the foregoing dividend restrictions and while maintaining its "well capitalized" status, at June 30, 2011, Frost Bank could pay aggregate dividends of up to $255.2 million to Cullen/Frost without prior regulatory approval.

Trust Preferred Securities. In accordance with the applicable accounting standard related to variable interest entities, the accounts of the Corporation's wholly owned subsidiary trust, Cullen/Frost Capital Trust II, have not been included in the Corporation's consolidated financial statements. However, the $120.0 million in trust preferred securities issued by this subsidiary trust have been included in the Tier 1 capital of Cullen/Frost for regulatory capital purposes pursuant to guidance from the Federal Reserve. On July 21, 2010, financial regulatory reform legislation entitled the "Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act" (the "Dodd-Frank Act") was signed into law. Certain provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act will require the Corporation to deduct, over three years beginning on January 1, 2013, all trust preferred securities from the Corporation's Tier 1 capital. Nonetheless, excluding trust preferred securities from Tier 1 capital at June 30, 2011 would not affect the Corporation's ability to meet all capital adequacy requirements to which it is subject.