News release: “The Federal Reserve Board on Wednesday issued guidelines for evaluating proposals by large bank holding companies (BHCs) to undertake capital actions in 2011, such as increasing dividend payments or repurchasing or redeeming stock. The criteria provide a common, conservative approach to ensure that BHCs hold adequate capital to maintain ready access to funding, continue operations, and continue to serve as credit intermediaries, even under adverse conditions. The criteria for evaluating capital distributions are outlined in a revised temporary addendum to Supervision and Regulation letter 09-4, Dividend Increases and Other Capital Distributions for the 19 Supervisory Capital Assessment Program Firms.”