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Regulatory Capital and Other Regulatory Matters
 3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2023
Broker-Dealer, Net Capital Requirement, SEC Regulation [Abstract]  
Regulatory Capital and Other Regulatory Matters Regulatory Capital and Other Regulatory Matters
Ally is subject to enhanced prudential standards that have been established by the FRB under the Dodd-Frank Act, as amended by the EGRRCP Act and as applied to Category IV firms under the Tailoring Rules. As a Category IV firm, Ally is (1) subject to supervisory stress testing on a two-year cycle, (2) required to submit an annual capital plan to the FRB, (3) exempted from company-run capital stress testing requirements, (4) required to maintain a buffer of unencumbered highly liquid assets to meet projected net stressed cash outflows over a 30-day planning horizon, (5) exempted from the requirements of the LCR and the net stable funding ratio (provided that our average wSTWF continues to remain under $50 billion), and (6) exempted from the requirements of the supplementary leverage ratio, the countercyclical capital buffer, and single-counterparty credit limits. Even so, we are subject to rules enabling the FRB to conduct supervisory stress testing on a more or less frequent basis based on our financial condition, size, complexity, risk profile, scope of operations, or activities or based on risks to the U.S. economy. Further, we are subject to rules requiring the resubmission of our capital plan if we determine that there has been or will be a material change in our risk profile, financial condition, or corporate structure since we last submitted the capital plan or if the FRB determines that (a) our capital plan is incomplete or our capital plan or internal capital adequacy process contains material weaknesses, (b) there has been, or will likely be, a material change in our risk profile (including a material change in our business strategy or any risk exposure), financial condition, or corporate structure, or (c) the BHC stress scenario(s) are not appropriate for our business model and portfolios, or changes in the financial markets or the macroeconomic outlook that could have a material impact on our risk profile and financial condition require the use of updated scenarios. While a resubmission is pending, without prior approval of the FRB, we would generally be prohibited from paying dividends, repurchasing our common stock, or making other capital distributions. In addition, to satisfy the FRB in its review of our capital plan, we may be required to further cease or limit these capital distributions or to issue capital instruments that could be dilutive to stockholders. The FRB also may prevent us from maintaining or expanding lending or other business activities.
Basel Capital Framework
The FRB and other U.S. banking agencies have adopted risk-based and leverage capital rules that establish minimum capital-to-asset ratios for BHCs, like Ally, and depository institutions, like Ally Bank.
The risk-based capital ratios are based on a banking organization’s RWAs, which are generally determined under the standardized approach applicable to Ally and Ally Bank by (1) assigning on-balance-sheet exposures to broad risk-weight categories according to the counterparty or, if relevant, the guarantor or collateral (with higher risk weights assigned to categories of exposures perceived as representing greater risk), and (2) multiplying off-balance-sheet exposures by specified credit conversion factors to calculate credit equivalent amounts and assigning those credit equivalent amounts to the relevant risk-weight categories. The leverage ratio, in contrast, is based on an institution’s average unweighted on-balance-sheet exposures.
Under U.S. Basel III, Ally and Ally Bank must maintain a minimum Common Equity Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 4.5%, a minimum Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 6%, and a minimum total risk-based capital ratio of 8%. On top of the minimum risk-based capital ratios, Ally and Ally Bank are subject to a capital conservation buffer requirement, which must be satisfied entirely with capital that qualifies as
Common Equity Tier 1 capital. Failure to maintain more than the full amount of the capital conservation buffer requirement would result in automatic restrictions on the ability of Ally and Ally Bank to make capital distributions, including dividend payments and stock repurchases and redemptions, and to pay discretionary bonuses to executive officers. U.S. Basel III also subjects Ally and Ally Bank to a minimum Tier 1 leverage ratio of 4%. While the capital conservation buffer requirement for Ally Bank is fixed at 2.5% of RWAs, the capital conservation buffer requirement for a Category IV firm like Ally is equal to its stress capital buffer requirement. The stress capital buffer requirement for Ally, in turn, is the greater of 2.5% and the result of the following calculation: (1) the difference between Ally’s starting and minimum projected Common Equity Tier 1 capital ratios under the severely adverse scenario in the supervisory stress test, plus (2) the sum of the dollar amount of Ally’s planned common stock dividends for each of the fourth through seventh quarters of its nine-quarter capital planning horizon, as a percentage of RWAs. As of March 31, 2023, the stress capital buffer requirement for Ally was 2.5%.
Ally and Ally Bank are subject to the U.S. Basel III standardized approach for counterparty credit risk but not to the U.S. Basel III advanced approaches for credit risk or operational risk. Ally is also not subject to the U.S. market-risk capital rule, which applies only to banking organizations with significant trading assets and liabilities. Since Ally and Ally Bank are not subject to the advanced approaches risk-based capital rules, we elected to apply a one-time option to exclude most components of accumulated other comprehensive income from regulatory capital. As of March 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022, Ally had $3.8 billion and $4.1 billion of accumulated other comprehensive losses, net of applicable income taxes, that were excluded from Common Equity Tier 1 capital. Refer to Note 15 for additional details about our accumulated other comprehensive loss.
Failure to satisfy regulatory-capital requirements could result in significant sanctions—such as bars or other limits on capital distributions and discretionary bonuses to executive officers, limitations on acquisitions and new activities, restrictions on our acceptance of brokered deposits, a loss of our status as an FHC, or informal or formal enforcement and other supervisory actions—and could have a significant adverse effect on the Consolidated Financial Statements or the business, results of operations, financial condition, or prospects of Ally and Ally Bank.
The risk-based capital ratios and the Tier 1 leverage ratio play a central role in PCA, which is an enforcement framework used by the U.S. banking agencies to constrain the activities of depository institutions based on their levels of regulatory capital. Five categories have been established using thresholds for the Common Equity Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio, the Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio, the total risk-based capital ratio, and the Tier 1 leverage ratio: well capitalized, adequately capitalized, undercapitalized, significantly undercapitalized, and critically undercapitalized. FDICIA generally prohibits a depository institution from making any capital distribution, including any payment of a cash dividend or a management fee to its BHC, if the depository institution would become undercapitalized after the distribution. An undercapitalized institution is also subject to growth limitations and must submit and fulfill a capital restoration plan. Although BHCs are not subject to the PCA framework, the FRB is empowered to compel a BHC to take measures—such as the execution of financial or performance guarantees—when PCA is required in connection with one of its depository-institution subsidiaries. At both March 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022, Ally Bank met the capital ratios required to be well capitalized under the PCA framework.
Under FDICIA and the PCA framework, insured depository institutions such as Ally Bank must be well capitalized or, with a waiver from the FDIC, adequately capitalized in order to accept brokered deposits, and even adequately capitalized institutions are subject to some restrictions on the rates they may offer for brokered deposits. Brokered deposits totaled $13.8 billion at March 31, 2023, which represented 9.0% of Ally Bank’s total deposits.
The following table summarizes our capital ratios under U.S. Basel III.
March 31, 2023December 31, 2022Required minimum (a)Well-capitalized minimum
($ in millions)AmountRatioAmountRatio
Capital ratios
Common Equity Tier 1 (to risk-weighted assets)
Ally Financial Inc.$14,540 9.23 %$14,592 9.27 %4.50 %(b)
Ally Bank17,121 11.43 17,011 11.38 4.50 6.50 %
Tier 1 (to risk-weighted assets)
Ally Financial Inc.$16,803 10.66 %$16,867 10.72 %6.00 %6.00 %
Ally Bank17,121 11.43 17,011 11.38 6.00 8.00 
Total (to risk-weighted assets)
Ally Financial Inc.$19,626 12.46 %$19,209 12.21 %8.00 %10.00 %
Ally Bank19,007 12.69 18,888 12.64 8.00 10.00 
Tier 1 leverage (to adjusted quarterly average assets) (c)
Ally Financial Inc.$16,803 8.54 %$16,867 8.65 %4.00 %(b)
Ally Bank17,121 9.18 17,011 9.23 4.00 5.00 %
(a)In addition to the minimum risk-based capital requirements for the Common Equity Tier 1 capital, Tier 1 capital, and total capital ratios, Ally and Ally Bank were required to maintain a minimum capital conservation buffer of 2.5% at both March 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022.
(b)Currently, there is no ratio component for determining whether a BHC is “well-capitalized.”
(c)Federal regulatory reporting guidelines require the calculation of adjusted quarterly average assets using a daily average methodology.
On January 1, 2020, we adopted CECL. Refer to Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in our 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information about our allowance for loan losses accounting policy. Under a rule finalized by the FRB and other U.S. banking agencies in 2020, we delayed recognizing the estimated impact of CECL on regulatory capital until after a two-year deferral period, which for us extended through December 31, 2021. Beginning on January 1, 2022, we were required to phase in 25% of the previously deferred estimated capital impact of CECL, with an additional 25% to be phased in at the beginning of each subsequent year until fully phased in by the first quarter of 2025. The estimated impact of CECL on regulatory capital that we deferred and began phasing in on January 1, 2022, is generally calculated as the entire day-one impact at adoption plus 25% of the subsequent change in allowance during the two-year deferral period. As of March 31, 2023, the total deferred impact on Common Equity Tier 1 capital related to our adoption of CECL was $591 million.
In December 2017, the Basel Committee approved revisions to the global Basel III capital framework (commonly known as the Basel III endgame or as Basel IV), many of which—if adopted in the United States—could heighten regulatory capital standards. While these revisions were planned for implementation by member countries by January 1, 2023, the U.S. banking agencies have yet to propose rules to do so. At this time, how the revisions will be harmonized and finalized in the United States remains unclear, although officials of the U.S. banking agencies have indicated that regulatory capital standards are expected to become more exacting. In addition, in the wake of the failures of SVB and Signature, President Biden on March 30, 2023, urged the U.S. banking agencies to roll back many of the Tailoring Rules for Category IV firms like Ally, including by (1) imposing regulatory capital standards currently applicable to the largest banking organizations, such as the minimum total-loss absorbing capacity (TLAC) requirement and the inclusion of accumulated other comprehensive income and loss in regulatory capital, (2) reinstating the LCR and requiring more rigorous liquidity stress testing, (3) returning to supervisory stress testing on an annual cycle, and (4) resuming resolution planning for Ally and its significant legal entities under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code and other applicable insolvency laws. On April 28, 2023, in a statement accompanying the review of the FRB’s supervision and regulation of SVB, FRB Vice Chair for Supervision Barr highlighted a plan to revisit the Tailoring Rules and develop stronger capital, liquidity, stress-testing, and other standards for Category IV firms like Ally.
Capital Planning and Stress Tests
Under the Tailoring Rules, we are generally subject to supervisory stress testing on a two-year cycle and exempted from mandated company-run capital stress testing requirements. We are also required to submit an annual capital plan to the FRB. Our annual capital plan must include an assessment of our expected uses and sources of capital and a description of all planned capital actions over a nine-quarter planning horizon, including any issuance of a debt or equity capital instrument, any dividend or other capital distribution, and any similar action that the FRB determines could have an impact on our capital. The plan must also include a detailed description of our process for assessing capital adequacy, including a discussion of how we, under expected and stressful conditions, will maintain capital commensurate with our risks and above the minimum regulatory capital ratios, will serve as a source of strength to Ally Bank, and will maintain sufficient capital to continue our operations by maintaining ready access to funding, meeting our obligations to creditors and other counterparties, and continuing to serve as a credit intermediary.
The Tailoring Rules align capital planning, supervisory stress testing, and stress capital buffer requirements for large banking organizations like Ally. As a Category IV firm, Ally is expected to have the ability to elect to participate in the supervisory stress test—and receive a correspondingly updated stress capital buffer requirement—in a year in which Ally would not generally be subject to the supervisory stress test. Refer to the section titled Basel Capital Framework above for further discussion about our stress capital buffer requirements. During a year in which Ally does not undergo a supervisory stress test, we would receive an updated stress capital buffer requirement only to reflect our updated planned common-stock dividends. Ally was subject to the 2022 supervisory stress test and did not elect to participate in the 2023 supervisory stress test.
On January 10, 2022, our Board authorized a stock-repurchase program, permitting us to repurchase up to $2.0 billion of our common stock from time to time from the first quarter of 2022 through the fourth quarter of 2022 subject to restrictions imposed by the FRB, and an increase in our cash dividend on common stock from $0.25 per share for the fourth quarter of 2021 to $0.30 per share for the first quarter of 2022. During the year ended December 31, 2022, we repurchased $1.65 billion of common stock under our stock-repurchase program. Since the commencement of our initial stock-repurchase program in the third quarter of 2016, we have reduced the number of outstanding shares of our common stock by 38%, from 484 million as of June 30, 2016, to 301 million as of March 31, 2023. At this time, the Board has not authorized a stock-repurchase program for 2023.
We submitted our 2022 capital plan to the FRB on April 5, 2022. Ally received an updated preliminary stress capital buffer requirement from the FRB in June 2022, which was determined to be 2.5% and reflected a decline of 100 basis points relative to our prior requirement. The updated 2.5% stress capital buffer requirement was finalized in August 2022 and became effective on October 1, 2022. In February 2023, we accessed the unsecured debt capital markets and issued $500 million of additional subordinated notes, which qualify as Tier 2 capital for Ally under U.S. Basel III. We submitted our 2023 capital plan to the FRB on April 5, 2023.
Our ability to make capital distributions, including our ability to pay dividends or repurchase shares of our common stock, will continue to be subject to the FRB’s review and our internal governance requirements, including approval by our Board. The amount and size of any future dividends and share repurchases also will be subject to various factors, including Ally’s capital and liquidity positions, accounting and regulatory considerations (including any restrictions that may be imposed by the FRB), the taxation of share repurchases, financial and operational performance, alternative uses of capital, common-stock price, and general market conditions, and may be extended, modified, or discontinued at any time.
The following table presents information related to our common stock and distributions to our common stockholders.
Common stock repurchased during period (a)Number of common shares outstandingCash dividends declared per common share (b)
($ in millions, except per share data; shares in thousands)Approximate dollar valueNumber of sharesBeginning of periodEnd of period
2022
First quarter$584 12,548 337,941 327,306 $0.30 
Second quarter600 15,031 327,306 312,781 0.30 
Third quarter415 12,468 312,781 300,335 0.30 
Fourth quarter51 1,731 300,335 299,324 0.30 
2023
First quarter$27 836 299,324 300,821 $0.30 
(a)Includes shares of common stock withheld to cover income taxes owed by participants in our share-based incentive plans.
(b)On April 14, 2023, our Board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.30 per share on all common stock, payable on May 15, 2023, to stockholders of record at the close of business on May 1, 2023. Refer to Note 24 for further information regarding this common-stock dividend.