Cash, Loan and Dividend Restrictions

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2019

Disclosure of Restrictions on Dividends, Loans and Advances Disclosure [Abstract]

Note 3: Cash, Loan and Dividend Restrictions

Cash and cash equivalents may be restricted as to usage or withdrawal. FRB regulations require that each of our subsidiary banks maintain reserve balances on deposit with the Federal Reserve Banks. Table 3.1 provides a summary of restrictions on cash equivalents in addition to the FRB reserve cash balance requirements.

Table 3.1: Nature of Restrictions on Cash Equivalents



(in millions)	Jun 30, 2019		Dec 31, 2018
Average required reserve balance for FRB (1)	$	11,179	12,428
Reserve balance for non-U.S. central banks	556		517
Segregated for benefit of brokerage customers under federal and other brokerage regulations	956		1,135
Related to consolidated variable interest entities (VIEs) that can only be used to settle liabilities of VIEs	19		147


(1)	FRB required reserve balance represents average for the first half of 2019 and for the year ended December 31, 2018.

We have a state-chartered subsidiary bank that is subject to state regulations that limit dividends. Under these provisions and regulatory limitations, our national and state-chartered subsidiary banks could have declared additional dividends of $7.6 billion at June 30, 2019, without obtaining prior regulatory approval. Our nonbank subsidiaries are also limited by certain federal and state statutory provisions and regulations covering the amount of dividends that may be paid in any given year. In addition, under a Support Agreement dated June 28, 2017, as amended and restated on June 26, 2019, among Wells Fargo & Company, the parent holding company (the “Parent”), WFC Holdings, LLC, an intermediate holding company and subsidiary of the Parent (the “IHC”), Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, and certain other direct and indirect subsidiaries of the Parent designated as material entities for resolution planning purposes or identified as related support entities in our resolution plan, the IHC may be restricted from making dividend payments to the Parent if certain liquidity and/or capital metrics fall below defined triggers or if the Parent's board of directors authorizes it to file a case under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Based on retained earnings at June 30, 2019, our nonbank subsidiaries could have declared additional dividends of $25.1 billion at June 30, 2019, without obtaining prior regulatory approval. For additional information see Note 3 (Cash, Loan and Dividend Restrictions) in our 2018 Form 10-K.

The FRB’s Capital Plan Rule (codified at 12 CFR 225.8 of Regulation Y) establishes capital planning and prior notice and approval requirements for capital distributions including dividends by certain large bank holding companies. The FRB has also published guidance regarding its supervisory expectations for capital planning, including capital policies regarding the process relating to common stock dividend and repurchase decisions in the FRB’s SR Letter 15-18. The effect of this guidance is to require the approval of the FRB (or specifically under the Capital Plan Rule, a notice of non-objection) for the Company to repurchase or redeem common or perpetual preferred stock as well as to raise the per share quarterly dividend from its current level of $0.51 per share as declared by the Company’s Board of Directors on July 23, 2019, payable on September 1, 2019.