2004 Annual Report: Financial Review: Statements and Notes: Note 1 Summary of Significant Accounting Principles

Note 1

Summary of Significant Accounting Principles

Principles of Consolidation and Basis of Presentation

The Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of the Corporation and its majority-owned subsidiaries, and those variable interest entities (VIEs) where the Corporation is the primary beneficiary. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated. Results of operations of companies purchased are included from the dates of acquisition. Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to current period presentation. Assets held in an agency or fiduciary capacity are not included in the Consolidated Financial Statements. The Corporation accounts for investments in companies in which it owns a voting interest of 20 percent to 50 percent and for which it may have significant influence over operating and financing decisions using the equity method of accounting. These investments are included in Other Assets and the Corporation’s proportionate share of income or loss is included in Other Income.

The preparation of the Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect reported amounts and disclosures. Actual results could differ from those estimates and assumptions.

During the second quarter of 2004, the Corporation’s Board of Directors (the Board) approved a 2-for-1 stock split in the form of a common stock dividend effective August 27, 2004, to common shareholders of record on August 6, 2004. All prior period common share and related per common share information has been restated to reflect the 2-for-1 stock split.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In January 2003, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued FASB Interpretation No. 46, “Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities, an interpretation of ARB No. 51” (FIN 46), which provides a framework for identifying VIEs and determining when a company should include the assets, liabilities, noncontrolling interests and results of activities of a VIE in its consolidated financial statements. The Corporation adopted FIN 46 on July 1, 2003, and consolidated approximately $12.2 billion of assets and liabilities related to certain of our multi-seller asset-backed commercial paper (ABCP) conduits. On October 8, 2003, one of these entities, Ranger Funding Company (RFC) (formerly known as Receivables Capital Corporation), entered into a Subordinated Note Purchase Agreement (the Note) with an unrelated third party which reduced our exposure to this entity’s losses under liquidity and credit agreements as these agreements are senior to the Note. This Note was issued in the principal amount of $23 million, an original maturity of five years and pays interest at 23 percent. Proceeds from the issuance of the Note were deposited into a separate account and may be used to cover losses incurred by RFC. Upon RFC’s issuance of this Note, the Corporation evaluated whether the Corporation continued to be the primary beneficiary of RFC and determined that the unrelated party which purchased the Note absorbed over 50 percent of the expected losses of RFC. We determined the amount of expected loss through mathematical analysis utilizing a Monte Carlo model that incorporates the cash flows from RFC’s assets and utilizes independent loss information. The noteholder is therefore the primary beneficiary of and is required to consolidate the entity. As a result of the sale of the Note, we deconsolidated approximately $8.0 billion of the previously consolidated assets and liabilities of the entity. The impact of this transaction on the Consolidated Statement of Income was the reduction in Interest Income of approximately $1 million and the reclassification of approximately $37 million from Net Interest Income to Noninterest Income for 2003. At December 31, 2004, this entity had total assets of $10.0 billion. There was no material impact to Net Income or Tier 1 Capital as a result of the adoption of FIN 46 or the subsequent deconsolidation of this entity, and prior periods were not restated. In December 2003, the FASB issued FASB Interpretation No. 46 (Revised December 2003), “Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities, an interpretation of ARB No. 51” (FIN 46R), which is an update of FIN 46. The Corporation adopted FIN 46R as of March 31, 2004. Adoption of this rule did not have a material impact on the Corporation’s results of operations or financial condition. For additional information on VIEs, see Note 8 of the Consolidated Financial Statements.

On December 12, 2003, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants issued Statement of Position No. 03-3, “Accounting for Certain Loans or Debt Securities Acquired in a Transfer” (SOP 03-3). SOP 03-3 requires acquired impaired loans for which it is probable that the investor will be unable to collect all contractually required payments receivable to be recorded at the present value of amounts expected to be received and prohibits carrying over or creation of valuation allowances in the initial accounting for these loans. SOP 03-3 is effective for loans acquired in fiscal years beginning after December 31, 2004. SOP 03-3 is not expected to have a material impact on the Corporation’s results of operations or financial condition.

On March 9, 2004, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 105, “Application of Accounting Principles to Loan Commitments” (SAB 105), which specifies that servicing assets embedded in commitments for loans to be held-for-sale should be recognized only when the servicing asset has been contractually separated from the associated loans by sale or securitization. The adoption of SAB 105 is effective for commitments entered into after March 31, 2004. The adoption of SAB 105 had no material impact on the Corporation’s results of operations or financial condition.

On March 18, 2004, the Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF) issued EITF 03-1, “The Meaning of Other-Than-Temporary Impairment and Its Application to Certain Investments” (EITF 03-1). EITF 03-1 provides recognition and measurement guidance regarding when impairments of equity and debt securities are considered other-than-temporary thereby requiring a charge to earnings, and also requires additional annual disclosures for investments in unrealized loss positions. The additional annual disclosure requirements were previously issued by the EITF in November 2003 and were effective for the Corporation for the year ended December 31, 2003. In September 2004, the FASB issued FASB Staff Position (FSP) EITF 03-1-1, which delays the recognition and measurement provisions of EITF 03-1 pending the issuance of further implementation guidance. We are currently evaluating the effect of the recognition and measurement provisions of EITF 03-1.

In the third quarter of 2004, the Corporation adopted FSP No. FAS 106-2, “Accounting and Disclosure Requirements Related to the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003” (FSP No. 106-2), which superseded FSP No. FAS 106-1. FSP No. 106-2 provides authoritative guidance on accounting for the federal subsidy and other provisions of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 (the Medicare Act). The effects of these provisions were recognized prospectively from July 1, 2004. A remeasurement on that date resulted in a reduction of $53 million in the Corporation’s accumulated postretirement benefit obligation. In addition, the Corporation’s net periodic benefit cost for other postretirement benefits has decreased by $15 million for 2004 as a result of the remeasurement.

On December 16, 2004, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 123 (revised 2004) “Share-based Payment" (SFAS 123R) which eliminates the ability to account for share-based compensation transactions using Accounting Principles Board (APB) Opinion No. 25, "Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees," (APB 25) and generally requires that such transactions be accounted for using a fair value-based method with the resulting compensation cost recognized over the period that the employee is required to provide service in order to receive their compensation. SFAS 123R also amends SFAS No. 95, “Statement of Cash Flows,” requiring the benefits of tax deductions in excess of recognized compensation cost to be reported as a financing cash flow, rather than as an operating cash flow as currently required. The Corporation plans to adopt SFAS 123R beginning July 1, 2005, using the modified-prospective method. The Corporation adopted the fair value-based method of accounting for stock-based employee compensation prospectively as of January 1, 2003, and as a result, adoption of SFAS 123R is not expected to have a material impact on the Corporation's results of operations or financial condition.

On December 21, 2004, the FASB issued FSP No. 109-2, “Accounting and Disclosure Guidance for the Foreign Earnings Repatriation Provision within the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004” (FSP No. 109-2). FSP No. 109-2 provides accounting and disclosure guidance for the foreign earnings repatriation provision within the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 (the Act). The Act, signed into law on October 22, 2004, provided U.S. companies with the ability to elect to apply a special one-time tax deduction equal to 85 percent of certain earnings remitted from foreign subsidiaries, provided certain criteria are met. Much of the detailed guidance about how this special deduction will operate has yet to be issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Management is currently evaluating its opportunity to make this election for 2005 and expects to complete its evaluation after the release of detailed guidance, expected to occur by the third quarter of 2005. In accordance with FSP No. 109-2, the special deduction elective provision of the Act has not been considered in determining the provision for deferred U.S. income taxes on unremitted earnings of foreign subsidiaries. The range of unremitted earnings that management is considering for the special deduction election is $0 to $899 million, and the range of income tax effects that could result from remitting earnings from certain foreign subsidiaries that have been assumed to be permanently reinvested is approximately $0 to $30 million.

Stock-based Compensation

SFAS No. 148, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation —Transition and Disclosure —an amendment of FASB Statement No. 123,” (SFAS 148) was adopted prospectively by the Corporation on January 1, 2003. SFAS 148 provides alternative methods of transition for a voluntary change to the fair value-based method of accounting for stock-based employee compensation. All stock options granted under plans before the adoption date will continue to be accounted for under APB 25 unless these stock options are modified or settled subsequent to adoption. SFAS 148 was effective for all stock option awards granted in 2003 and thereafter. Under APB 25, the Corporation accounted for stock options using the intrinsic value method and no compensation expense was recognized, as the grant price was equal to the strike price. Under the fair value method, stock option compensation expense is measured on the date of grant using an option-pricing model. The option-pricing model is based on certain assumptions and changes to those assumptions may result in different fair value estimates.

In accordance with SFAS 148, the Corporation provides disclosures as if it had adopted the fair value-based method of measuring all outstanding employee stock options during 2004, 2003 and 2002. The following table presents the effect on Net Income and Earnings per Common Share had the fair value-based method been applied to all outstanding and unvested awards for 2004, 2003 and 2002.

	Year Ended December 31, 2004	Year Ended December 31, 2003	Year Ended December 31, 2002
(Dollars in millions, except per share data)	Year Ended December 31
	2004	2003	2002
Net income (as reported)	$14,143	$10,810	$9,249
Stock-based employee compensation expense recognized   during the year, net of related tax effects	161	78	-
Stock-based employee compensation expense determined   under fair value-based method, net of related tax effects (1)	(198)	(225)	(413)
Pro forma net income	$14,106	$10,663	$8,836
As reported
Earnings per common share	$  3.76	$  3.63	$ 3.04
Diluted earnings per common share	3.69	3.57	2.95
Pro forma
Earnings per common share	3.75	3.59	2.90
Diluted earnings per common share	3.69	3.52	2.82
(1) Includes all awards granted, modified or settled for which the fair value was required to be measured under SFAS 123, except restricted stock. Restricted stock expense, included in Net Income for 2004, 2003 and 2002 was $288, $276 and $250, respectively.

In determining the pro forma disclosures in the previous table, the fair value of options granted was estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model and assumptions appropriate to each plan. The Black-Scholes model was developed to estimate the fair value of traded options, which have different characteristics than employee stock options, and changes to the subjective assumptions used in the model can result in materially different fair value estimates. The weighted average grant date fair values of the options granted during 2004, 2003 and 2002 were based on the assumptions below. See Note 16 of the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion.

Compensation expense under the fair value-based method is recognized over the vesting period of the related stock options. Accordingly, the pro forma results of applying SFAS 123 in 2004, 2003 and 2002 may not be indicative of future amounts.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash on hand, cash items in the process of collection, and amounts due from correspondent banks and the Federal Reserve Bank are included in Cash and Cash Equivalents.

Securities Purchased under Agreements to Resell and Securities Sold under Agreements to Repurchase

Securities Purchased under Agreements to Resell and Securities Sold under Agreements to Repurchase are treated as collateralized financing transactions and are recorded at the amounts at which the securities were acquired or sold plus accrued interest. The Corporation’s policy is to obtain the use of Securities Purchased under Agreements to Resell. The market value of the underlying securities, which collateralize the related receivable on agreements to resell, is monitored, including accrued interest. The Corporation may require counterparties to deposit additional collateral or return collateral pledged, when appropriate.

Collateral

The Corporation has accepted collateral that it is permitted by contract or custom to sell or repledge. At December 31, 2004, the fair value of this collateral was approximately $152.5 billion of which $117.5 billion was sold or repledged. At December 31, 2003, the fair value of this collateral was approximately $86.9 billion of which $62.8 billion was sold or repledged. The primary source of this collateral is reverse repurchase agreements. The Corporation pledges securities as collateral in transactions that consist of repurchase agreements, public and trust deposits, Treasury tax and loan notes, and other short-term borrowings. This collateral can be sold or repledged by the counterparties to the transactions.

In addition, the Corporation obtains collateral in connection with its derivative activities. Required collateral levels vary depending on the credit risk rating and the type of counterparty. Generally, the Corporation accepts collateral in the form of cash, U.S. Treasury securities and other marketable securities. Based on provisions contained in legal netting agreements, the Corporation has netted cash collateral against the applicable derivative mark-to-market exposures. Accordingly, the Corporation offsets its obligation to return or its right to reclaim cash collateral against the fair value of the derivatives being collateralized.

Trading Instruments

Financial instruments utilized in trading activities are stated at fair value. Fair value is generally based on quoted market prices. If quoted market prices are not available, fair values are estimated based on dealer quotes, pricing models or quoted prices for instruments with similar characteristics. Realized and unrealized gains and losses are recognized in Trading Account Profits.

Derivatives and Hedging Activities

All derivatives are recognized on the Consolidated Balance Sheet at fair value, taking into consideration the effects of legally enforceable master netting agreements that allow the Corporation to settle positive and negative positions and offset cash collateral held with the same counterparty on a net basis. For exchange-traded contracts, fair value is based on quoted market prices. For non-exchange traded contracts, fair value is based on dealer quotes, pricing models or quoted prices for instruments with similar characteristics. The Corporation designates at inception whether the derivative contract is considered hedging or non-hedging for SFAS No. 133, “Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities” (SFAS 133) accounting purposes. Non-hedging derivatives held for trading purposes are included in the Corporation’s trading portfolio with changes in fair value reflected in Trading Account Profits. Other non-hedging derivatives for accounting purposes that are considered economic hedges are also included in the trading portfolio with changes in fair value generally recorded in Trading Account Profits. Most credit derivatives used by the Corporation do not qualify for hedge accounting under SFAS 133 and despite being effective economic hedges, changes in the fair value of these derivatives are included in Trading Account Profits.  Changes in the fair value of derivatives that serve as economic hedges of MSRs are recorded in Mortgage Banking Income.

For SFAS 133 hedges, the Corporation formally documents at inception all relationships between hedging instruments and hedged items, as well as its risk management objectives and strategies for undertaking various accounting hedges. Additionally, the Corporation uses dollar offset or regression analysis at the hedge’s inception, and quarterly thereafter, to assess whether the derivative used in its hedging transaction is expected to be or has been highly effective in offsetting changes in the fair value or cash flows of the hedged items. The Corporation discontinues hedge accounting when it is determined that a derivative is not expected to be or has ceased to be highly effective as a hedge, and then reflects changes in fair value in earnings after termination of the hedge relationship.

The Corporation uses its derivatives designated as hedging for accounting purposes as either fair value hedges, cash flow hedges or hedges of net investments in foreign operations. The Corporation manages interest rate and foreign currency exchange rate sensitivity predominantly through the use of derivatives. Fair value hedges are used to limit the Corporation’s exposure to total changes in the fair value of its fixed interest-earning assets or interest-bearing liabilities that are due to interest rate or foreign exchange volatility. Cash flow hedges are used to minimize the variability in cash flows of interest-earning assets or interest-bearing liabilities or forecasted transactions caused by interest rate or foreign exchange fluctuation. Changes in the fair value of derivatives designated for hedging activities that are highly effective as hedges are recorded in earnings or Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (OCI), depending on whether the hedging relationship satisfies the criteria for a fair value or cash flow hedge, respectively. Hedge ineffectiveness, and gains and losses on the excluded component of a derivative in assessing hedge effectiveness are recorded in earnings in the same income statement caption that is used to record hedge effectiveness. SFAS 133 retains certain concepts under SFAS No. 52, “Foreign Currency Translation,” (SFAS 52) for foreign currency exchange hedging. Consistent with SFAS 52, the Corporation records changes in the fair value of derivatives used as hedges of the net investment in foreign operations as a component of Accumulated OCI.

The Corporation, from time to time, purchases or issues financial instruments containing embedded derivatives. The embedded derivative is separated from the host contract and carried at fair value if the economic characteristics of the derivative are not clearly and closely related to the economic characteristics of the host contract. To the extent that the Corporation cannot reliably identify and measure the embedded derivative, the entire contract is carried at fair value on the Consolidated Balance Sheet with changes in fair value reflected in earnings.

If a derivative instrument in a fair value hedge is terminated or the hedge designation removed, the previous adjustments of the carrying amount of the hedged asset or liability are subsequently accounted for in the same manner as other components of the carrying amount of that asset or liability. For interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities, such adjustments are amortized to earnings over the remaining life of the respective asset or liability. If a derivative instrument in a cash flow hedge is terminated or the hedge designation is removed, related amounts in Accumulated OCI are reclassified into earnings in the same period or periods during which the hedged forecasted transaction affects earnings.

Interest Rate Lock Commitments

The Corporation enters into interest rate lock commitments (IRLCs) in connection with its mortgage banking activities to fund residential mortgage loans at specified times in the future. IRLCs that relate to the origination of mortgage loans that will be held for sale are considered derivative instruments under Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 149, “Amendment of Statement 133 on Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities” . As such, these IRLCs are recognized at fair value with changes in fair value recorded in the Consolidated Statement of Income.

Consistent with SAB 105, the Corporation does not record any unrealized gain or loss at the inception of the loan commitment, which is the time the commitment is issued to the borrower. The initial value of the loan commitment derivative is based on the consideration exchanged, if any, for entering into the commitment. In estimating the subsequent fair value of an IRLC, the Corporation assigns a probability to the loan commitment based on an expectation that it will be exercised and the loan will be funded. This probability is commonly referred to as the pull through assumption. The fair value of the commitments is derived from the fair value of related mortgage loans, which is based on a highly liquid, readily observable market. Changes to the fair value of IRLCs are recognized based on interest rate changes, changes in the probability that the commitment will be exercised and the passage of time. Changes from the expected future cash flows related to the customer relationship or loan servicing are excluded from the valuation of the IRLCs.

Outstanding IRLCs expose the Corporation to the risk that the price of the loans underlying the commitments might decline from inception of the rate lock to funding of the loan due to increases in mortgage interest rates. To protect against this risk, the Corporation utilizes forward loan sales commitments and other derivatives instruments, including options, to economically hedge the risk of potential changes in the value of the loans that would result from the commitments. The Corporation expects that the changes in the fair value of these derivative instruments will offset changes in the fair value of the IRLCs.

Securities

Debt securities are classified based on management’s intention on the date of purchase and recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheet as Securities as of the trade date. Debt securities which management has the intent and ability to hold to maturity are classified as held-to-maturity and reported at amortized cost. Debt securities that are bought and held principally for the purpose of resale in the near term are classified as trading instruments and are stated at fair value with unrealized gains and losses included in Trading Account Profits. All other debt securities are classified as available-for-sale (AFS) and carried at fair value with net unrealized gains and losses included in Accumulated OCI on an after-tax basis.

Interest on debt securities, including amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts, are included in Interest Income. Realized gains and losses from the sales of debt securities, which are included in Gains on Sales of Debt Securities, are determined using the specific identification method.

Marketable equity securities are classified based on management’s intention on the date of purchase and recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheet as of the trade date. Marketable equity securities that are bought and held principally for the purpose of resale in the near term are classified as trading instruments and are stated at fair value with unrealized gains and losses included in Trading Account Profits. Other marketable equity securities are classified as AFS and either recorded as AFS Securities if they are a component of the ALM portfolio, or otherwise recorded as Other Assets. All AFS marketable equity securities are carried at fair value with net unrealized gains and losses included in Shareholders’ Equity on an after-tax basis. Dividend income on AFS marketable equity securities is included in Interest Income. Dividend income on marketable equity securities recorded in Other Assets is included in Noninterest Income. Realized gains and losses on the sale of all AFS marketable equity securities, which are recorded in Equity Investment Gains, are determined using the weighted average method.

 Venture capital investments for which there are active market quotes are carried at estimated fair value based on market prices and recorded as Other Assets. Nonpublic and other venture capital investments for which representative market quotes are not readily available are initially valued at cost. Subsequently, these investments are reviewed semi-annually and on a quarterly basis, where appropriate, and adjusted to reflect changes in value as a result of initial public offerings, market liquidity, the investees’ financial results, sales restrictions, or other than temporary declines in value. Gains and losses on all venture capital investments, both unrealized and realized, are recorded in Equity Investment Gains.

Loans and Leases

Loans are reported at their outstanding principal balances net of any unearned income, charge-offs, unamortized deferred fees and costs on originated loans, and premiums or discounts on purchased loans. Loan origination fees and certain direct origination costs are deferred and recognized as adjustments to income over the lives of the related loans. Unearned income, discounts and premiums are amortized to income using methods that approximate the interest method.

The Corporation provides equipment financing to its customers through a variety of lease arrangements. Direct financing leases are carried at the aggregate of lease payments receivable plus estimated residual value of the leased property, less unearned income. Leveraged leases, which are a form of financing lease, are carried net of nonrecourse debt. Unearned income on leveraged and direct financing leases is amortized over the lease terms by methods that approximate the interest method.

Allowance for Credit Losses

The allowance for credit losses which includes the Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses, and the reserve for unfunded lending commitments, represents management’s estimate of probable losses inherent in our lending activities. The Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses represents our estimated probable credit losses in our funded consumer, and commercial loans and leases while our reserve for unfunded lending commitments, including standby letters of credit and binding unfunded loan commitments, represents estimated probable credit losses in these off-balance sheet credit instruments based on utilization assumptions. Credit exposures, excluding Derivative Assets and Trading Account Assets, deemed to be uncollectible are charged against these accounts. Cash recovered on previously charged off amounts are credited to these accounts.

The Corporation performs periodic and systematic detailed reviews of its lending portfolios to identify credit risks and to assess the overall collectibility of those portfolios. The allowance on certain homogeneous loan portfolios, which generally consist of consumer loans, is based on aggregated portfolio segment evaluations generally by product type. Loss forecast models are utilized for these segments which consider a variety of factors including, but not limited to, historical loss experience, estimated defaults or foreclosures based on portfolio trends, delinquencies, economic conditions and credit scores. These consumer loss forecast models are updated on a quarterly basis in order to incorporate information reflective of the current economic environment. The remaining commercial portfolios are reviewed on an individual loan basis. Loans subject to individual reviews are analyzed and segregated by risk according to the Corporation’s internal risk rating scale. These risk classifications, in conjunction with an analysis of historical loss experience, current economic conditions and performance trends within specific portfolio segments, and any other pertinent information (including individual valuations on nonperforming loans in accordance with SFAS No. 114, “Accounting by Creditors for Impairment of a Loan,” (SFAS 114)) result in the estimation of the allowance for credit losses. The historical loss experience is updated quarterly to incorporate the most recent data reflective of the current economic environment.

If necessary, a specific Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses is established for individual impaired commercial loans. A loan is considered impaired when, based on current information and events, it is probable that the Corporation will be unable to collect all amounts due, including principal and interest, according to the contractual terms of the agreement. Once a loan has been identified as individually impaired, management measures impairment in accordance with SFAS 114. Individually impaired loans are measured based on the present value of payments expected to be received, observable market prices, or for loans that are solely dependent on the collateral for repayment, the estimated fair value of the collateral. If the recorded investment in impaired loans exceeds the present value of payments expected to be received, a specific allowance is established as a component of the Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses.

Three components of the Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses are allocated to cover the estimated probable losses in each loan and lease category based on the results of the Corporation’s detailed review process described above. The first component covers those commercial loans that are either nonperforming or impaired. The second component of the allocated allowance covers consumer loans and leases, and performing commercial loans and leases. The third or general component of the Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses, determined separately from the procedures outlined above, is maintained to cover uncertainties that affect our estimate of probable losses. These uncertainties include the imprecision inherent in the forecasting methodologies, as well as domestic and global economic uncertainty and large single name defaults or event risk. Management assesses each of these components to determine the overall level of the third component. The relationship of the general component to the total Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses may fluctuate from period to period. Management evaluates the adequacy of the Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses based on the combined total of these three components.

In addition to the Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses, the Corporation also estimates probable losses related to unfunded lending commitments, such as letters of credit and financial guarantees, and binding unfunded loan commitments. Unfunded lending commitments are subject to individual review and are analyzed and segregated by risk according to the Corporation's internal risk rating scale. These risk classifications, in conjunction with an analysis of historical loss experience, current economic conditions, performance trends within specific portfolio segments and any other pertinent information, result in the estimation of the reserve for unfunded lending commitments.

The allowance for credit losses related to the loan and lease portfolio, and the reserve for unfunded lending commitments are reported on the Consolidated Balance Sheet in the Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses, and Accrued Expenses and Other Liabilities, respectively. Provision for Credit Losses related to the loans and leases portfolio, and unfunded lending commitments are both reported in the Consolidated Statement of Income in the Provision for Credit Losses.

Nonperforming Loans and Leases

Credit card loans are charged off at 180 days past due or 60 days from notification of bankruptcy filing and are not classified as nonperforming. Unsecured consumer loans and deficiencies in non-real estate secured loans and leases are charged off at 120 days past due and not classified as nonperforming. Real estate secured consumer loans and leases are placed on nonaccrual status and classified as nonperforming at 90 days past due. The amount deemed uncollectible on real estate secured loans is charged off at 180 days past due. Consumer loans are generally returned to performing status when principal or interest is less than 90 days past due.

Commercial loans and leases that are past due 90 days or more as to principal or interest, or where reasonable doubt exists as to timely collection, including loans that are individually identified as being impaired, are generally classified as nonperforming unless well-secured and in the process of collection. Loans whose contractual terms have been restructured in a manner which grants a concession to a borrower experiencing financial difficulties, without compensation on restructured loans, are classified as nonperforming until the loan is performing for an adequate period of time under the restructured agreement. In situations where the Corporation does not receive adequate compensation, the restructuring is considered a troubled debt restructuring. Interest accrued but not collected is reversed when a commercial loan is classified as nonperforming. Interest collections on commercial nonperforming loans and leases for which the ultimate collectibility of principal is uncertain are applied as principal reductions; otherwise, such collections are credited to income when received. Commercial loans and leases may be restored to performing status when all principal and interest is current and full repayment of the remaining contractual principal and interest is expected, or when the loan otherwise becomes well-secured and is in the process of collection.

Loans Held-for-Sale

Loans held-for-sale include residential mortgages, loan syndications, and to a lesser degree, commercial real estate, consumer finance and other loans, and are carried at the lower of aggregate cost or market value. Loans held-for-sale are included in Other Assets.

Premises and Equipment

Premises and Equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and amortization are recognized using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets. Estimated lives range up to 40 years for buildings, up to 12 years for furniture and equipment, and the shorter of lease term or estimated useful life for leasehold improvements.

Mortgage Servicing Rights

Pursuant to agreements between the Corporation and its counterparties, $2.2 billion of Excess Spread Certificates (the Certificates) were converted into Mortgage Servicing Rights (MSRs) on June 1, 2004. Prior to the conversion of the Certificates into MSRs, the Certificates were accounted for on a mark-to-market basis (i.e. fair value) and changes in the value were recognized as Trading Account Profits. On the date of the conversion, the Corporation recorded these MSRs at the Certificates' fair market value, and that value became their new cost basis. Subsequent to the conversion, the Corporation accounts for the MSRs at the lower of cost or market with impairment recognized as a reduction of Mortgage Banking Income. Except for Note 8 of the Consolidated Financial Statements, what are now referred to as MSRs include the Certificates for periods prior to the conversion.

During the second quarter of 2004, the Corporation entered into discussions with the Securities and Exchange Commission Staff (the Staff) regarding the accounting treatment for the Certificates and MSRs. The Corporation has concluded its discussions with the Staff regarding the prior accounting for the Certificates. Following discussions with the Staff, the conclusion was reached that the Certificates lacked sufficient separation from the MSRs to be accounted for as described above (i.e. fair value). Accordingly, the Corporation should have continued to account for the Certificates as MSRs (i.e. lower of cost or market). The effect on our previously filed Consolidated Financial Statements of following lower of cost or market accounting for the Certificates compared to fair value accounting (i.e. the prior accounting) is not material. Consequently, no revisions were made to previously filed Consolidated Financial Statements.

When applying SFAS 133 hedge accounting for derivative financial instruments that have been designated to hedge MSRs, loans underlying the MSRs being hedged are stratified into pools that possess similar interest rate and prepayment risk exposures. The Corporation has designated the hedged risk as the change in the overall fair value of these stratified pools within a daily hedge period. The Corporation performs both prospective and retrospective hedge effectiveness evaluations, using regression analyses. A prospective test is performed to determine whether the hedge is expected to be highly effective at the inception of the hedge. A retrospective test is performed at the end of the hedge period to determine whether the hedge was actually effective during the hedge period.

Other derivatives are used as economic hedges of the MSRs, but are not designated as hedges under SFAS 133. These derivatives are marked to market and recognized through Mortgage Banking Income. Securities are also used as economic hedges of MSRs, but do not qualify as hedges under SFAS 133 and, therefore, are accounted for as AFS Securities with realized gains recorded in Gains on Sales of Debt Securities and unrealized gains or losses recorded in Accumulated OCI.

Goodwill and Other Intangibles

Net assets of companies acquired in purchase transactions are recorded at fair value at the date of acquisition, as such, the historical cost basis of individual assets and liabilities are adjusted to reflect their fair value. Identified intangibles are amortized on an accelerated or straight-line basis over the period benefited. Goodwill is not amortized but is reviewed for potential impairment on an annual basis, or if events or circumstances indicate a potential impairment, at the reporting unit level. The impairment test is performed in two phases. The first step of the Goodwill impairment test compares the fair value of the reporting unit with its carrying amount, including Goodwill. If the fair value of the reporting unit exceeds its carrying amount, Goodwill of the reporting unit is considered not impaired; however, if the carrying amount of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value, an additional procedure must be performed. That additional procedure compares the implied fair value of the reporting unit’s Goodwill (as defined in SFAS No. 142, “Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets” (SFAS 142)) with the carrying amount of that Goodwill. An impairment loss is recorded to the extent that the carrying amount of Goodwill exceeds its implied fair value. In 2004, 2003 and 2002, Goodwill was tested for impairment and no impairment charges were recorded.

Other intangible assets subject to amortization are evaluated for impairment in accordance with SFAS No. 144 “Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets” (SFAS 144). An impairment loss will be recognized if the carrying amount of the intangible asset is not recoverable and exceeds fair value. The carrying amount of the intangible is considered not recoverable if it exceeds the sum of the undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use of the asset. At December 31, 2004, intangible assets included on the Consolidated Balance Sheet consist of core deposit intangibles, purchased credit card relationship intangibles and other customer-related intangibles that are amortized on an accelerated basis using an estimated range of anticipated lives of 6 to 10 years.

Special Purpose Financing Entities

In the ordinary course of business, the Corporation supports its customers’ financing needs by facilitating the customers’ access to different funding sources, assets and risks. In addition, the Corporation utilizes certain financing arrangements to meet its balance sheet management, funding, liquidity, and market or credit risk management needs. These financing entities may be in the form of corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies or trusts, and are generally not consolidated on the Corporation’s Consolidated Balance Sheet. The majority of these activities are basic term or revolving securitization vehicles for mortgages or other types of loans which are generally funded through term-amortizing debt structures. Other special purpose entities finance their activities by issuing short-term commercial paper. Both types of vehicles are designed to be paid off from the underlying cash flows of the assets held in the vehicle.

Securitizations

The Corporation securitizes, sells and services interests in residential mortgage loans, and from time to time, consumer finance, commercial and credit card loans. The accounting for these activities are governed by SFAS 140, “Accounting for Transfers and Servicing of Financial Assets and Extinguishments of Liabilities —a replacement of FASB Statement No. 125” (SFAS 140). The securitization vehicles are Qualified Special Purpose Entities (QSPEs) which, in accordance with SFAS 140, are legally isolated, bankruptcy remote and beyond the control of the seller. QSPEs are not included in the consolidated financial statements of the seller. When the Corporation securitizes assets, it may retain interest-only strips, one or more subordinated tranches and, in some cases, a cash reserve account which are generally considered residual interests in the securitized assets. The Corporation may also retain senior tranches in these securitizations. Gains and losses upon sale of the assets depend, in part, on the Corporation’s allocation of the previous carrying amount of the assets to the retained interests. Previous carrying amounts are allocated in proportion to the relative fair values of the assets sold and interests retained.

Quoted market prices are used to obtain fair values of senior retained interests. Generally, quoted market prices for retained residual interests are not available; therefore, the Corporation estimates fair values based upon the present value of the associated expected future cash flows. This may require management to estimate credit losses, prepayment speeds, forward yield curves, discount rates and other factors that impact the value of retained interests. See Note 8 of the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion.

The excess cash flows expected to be received over the amortized cost of the retained interest is recognized as Interest Income using the effective yield method. If the fair value of the retained interest has declined below its carrying amount and there has been an adverse change in estimated contractual cash flows of the underlying assets, then such decline is determined to be other-than-temporary and the retained interest is written down to fair value with a corresponding adjustment to earnings.

Other Special Purpose Financing Entities

Other special purpose financing entities are generally funded with short-term commercial paper. These financing entities are usually contractually limited to a narrow range of activities that facilitate the transfer of or access to various types of assets or financial instruments and provide the investors in the transaction protection from creditors of the Corporation in the event of bankruptcy or receivership of the Corporation. In certain situations, the Corporation provides liquidity commitments and/or loss protection agreements.

The Corporation determines whether these entities should be consolidated by evaluating the degree to which it maintains control over the financing entity and will receive the risks and rewards of the assets in the financing entity. In making this determination, the Corporation considers whether the entity is a QSPE, which is generally not required to be consolidated by the seller or investors in the entity. For non-QSPE structures or VIEs, the Corporation assesses whether it is the primary beneficiary of the entity. In accordance with FIN 46R, the primary beneficiary is the party that consolidates a VIE based on its assessment that it will absorb a majority of the expected losses or expected residual returns of the entity, or both. For additional information on other special purpose financing entities, see Note 8 of the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Income Taxes

The Corporation accounts for income taxes in accordance with SFAS No. 109, “Accounting for Income Taxes” (SFAS 109), resulting in two components of Income Tax Expense: current and deferred.  Current income tax expense approximates taxes to be paid or refunded for the current period. Deferred income tax expense results from changes in deferred tax assets and liabilities between periods. These gross deferred tax assets and liabilities represent decreases or increases in taxes expected to be paid in the future because of future reversals of temporary differences in the bases of assets and liabilities as measured by tax laws and their bases as reported in the financial statements.

Deferred tax assets have also been recognized for net operating loss carryforwards and tax credit carryforwards. Valuation allowances are then recorded to reduce deferred tax assets to the amounts management concludes are more likely than not to be realized.

Retirement Benefits

The Corporation has established qualified retirement plans covering substantially all full-time and certain part-time employees. Pension expense under these plans is charged to current operations and consists of several components of net pension cost based on various actuarial assumptions regarding future experience under the plans.

In addition, the Corporation has established unfunded supplemental benefit plans and supplemental executive retirement plans for selected officers of the Corporation and its subsidiaries that provide benefits that cannot be paid from a qualified retirement plan due to Internal Revenue Code restrictions. These plans are nonqualified under the Internal Revenue Code and assets used to fund benefit payments are not segregated from other assets of the Corporation; therefore, in general, a participant’s or beneficiary’s claim to benefits under these plans is as a general creditor.

In addition, the Corporation has established several postretirement healthcare and life insurance benefit plans.

Other Comprehensive Income

The Corporation records unrealized gains and losses on AFS Securities, foreign currency translation adjustments, related hedges of net investments in foreign operations, and gains and losses on cash flow hedges in Accumulated OCI. Gains and losses on AFS Securities are reclassified to Net Income as the gains or losses are realized upon sale of the securities. Other-than-temporary impairment charges are reclassified to Net Income at the time of the charge. Translation gains or losses on foreign currency translation adjustments are reclassified to Net Income upon the sale or liquidation of investments in foreign operations. Gains or losses on derivatives accounted for as hedges are reclassified to Net Income in the same caption of the Consolidated Income Statement that was affected by the hedged item.

Earnings Per Common Share

Earnings per Common Share is computed by dividing Net Income Available to Common Shareholders by the weighted average common shares issued and outstanding. For Diluted Earnings per Common Share, Net Income Available to Common Shareholders can be affected by the conversion of the registrant’s convertible preferred stock. Where the effect of this conversion would have been dilutive, Net Income Available to Common Shareholders is adjusted by the associated preferred dividends. This adjusted Net Income is divided by the weighted average number of common shares issued and outstanding for each period plus amounts representing the dilutive effect of stock options outstanding, restricted stock units and the dilution resulting from the conversion of the registrant’s convertible preferred stock, if applicable. The effects of convertible preferred stock, restricted stock units and stock options are excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per common share in periods in which the effect would be antidilutive. Dilutive potential common shares are calculated using the treasury stock method.

Foreign Currency Translation

Assets, liabilities and operations of foreign branches and subsidiaries are recorded based on the functional currency of each entity. For certain of the foreign operations, the functional currency is the local currency, in which case the assets, liabilities and operations are translated, for consolidation purposes, at current exchange rates from the local currency to the reporting currency, the U.S. dollar. The resulting unrealized gains or losses are reported as a component of Accumulated OCI on an after-tax basis. When the foreign entity is not a free-standing operation or is in a hyperinflationary economy, the functional currency used to measure the financial statements of a foreign entity is the U.S. dollar. In these instances, the resulting realized gains or losses are included in income.

Co-Branding Credit Card Arrangements

The Corporation has co-brand arrangements that entitle a cardholder to receive benefits based on purchases made with the card. These arrangements have remaining terms generally not exceeding five years. The Corporation may pay one-time fees which would be deferred ratably over the term of the arrangement. The Corporation makes monthly payments to the co-brand partners based on the volume of cardholders’ purchases and on the number of points awarded to cardholders. Such payments are expensed as incurred and are recorded as contra-revenue.