10-K 1 d10k.htm FORM 10-K Form 10-K
Table of Contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-K

 

Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004

Commission file number 001-09718

 

THE PNC FINANCIAL SERVICES GROUP, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Pennsylvania         25-1435979
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
        (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

 

One PNC Plaza

249 Fifth Avenue

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-2707

(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code - (412) 762-2000

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

 

Title of Each Class


 

Name of Each Exchange
on Which Registered


Common Stock, par value $5.00

  New York Stock Exchange

$1.60 Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock-Series C, par value $1.00

  New York Stock Exchange

$1.80 Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock-Series D, par value $1.00

  New York Stock Exchange

Series G Junior Participating Preferred Share Purchase Rights

  New York Stock Exchange

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

$1.80 Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock—Series A, par value $1.00

$1.80 Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock—Series B, par value $1.00

8.25% Convertible Subordinated Debentures Due 2008

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  x    No  ¨

 

Indicate by check mark if the disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.    x

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).    Yes  x    No  ¨

 

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s outstanding voting common stock held by nonaffiliates on June 30, 2004, determined using the per share closing price on that date on the New York Stock Exchange of $53.08, was approximately $14.9 billion. There is no non-voting common equity of the registrant outstanding.

 

Number of shares of registrant’s common stock outstanding at February 28, 2005: 282,985,715

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

 

Portions of the definitive Proxy Statement of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A for the annual meeting of shareholders to be held on April 26, 2005 (“Proxy Statement”) are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K. The incorporation by reference herein of portions of the Proxy Statement shall not be deemed to specifically incorporate by reference the information referred to in Items 306(c), 306(d) and 402(a)(8) and (9) of Regulation S-K.

 



Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

PART I

       Page

Item 1

 

Business.

   2

Item 2

 

Properties.

   8

Item 3

 

Legal Proceedings.

   8

Item 4

 

Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.

   10
   

Executive Officers of the Registrant

   10
   

Directors of the Registrant

   11

PART II

        

Item 5

 

Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

   12

Item 6

 

Selected Financial Data.

   13

Item 7

 

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

   15

Item 7A

 

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.

   62

Item 8

 

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

   63

Item 9

 

Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.

   115

Item 9A

 

Controls and Procedures.

   115

Item 9B

 

Other Information.

   116

PART III

        

Item 10

 

Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant.

   116

Item 11

 

Executive Compensation.

   117

Item 12

 

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.

   117

Item 13

 

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions.

   118

Item 14

 

Principal Accounting Fees and Services.

   118

PART IV

        

Item 15

 

Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules.

   118

SIGNATURES

   119

EXHIBIT INDEX

   E-1

 


Table of Contents

PART I

 

Forward-Looking Statements: From time to time The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (“PNC” or “Corporation”) has made and may continue to make written or oral forward-looking statements regarding our outlook or expectations for earnings, revenues, expenses, capital levels, asset quality or other future financial or business performance, strategies or expectations, or the impact of legal, regulatory or supervisory matters on our business operations or performance. This Annual Report on Form 10-K (“Report” or “Form 10-K”) also includes forward-looking statements. With respect to all such forward-looking statements, you should review our Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information included in Item 7 of this Report.

 

ITEM 1 – BUSINESS

 

BUSINESS OVERVIEW

We are one of the largest diversified financial services companies in the United States, operating businesses engaged in regional community banking, wholesale banking, wealth management, asset management, and global fund processing services. We operate directly and through numerous subsidiaries, providing many of our products and services nationally and others in our primary geographic markets in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Ohio and Kentucky. We also provide certain asset management and global fund processing services internationally. At December 31, 2004, our consolidated total assets, deposits and shareholders’ equity were $79.7 billion, $53.3 billion and $7.5 billion, respectively.

 

We were incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1983 with the consolidation of Pittsburgh National Corporation and Provident National Corporation. Since 1983, we have diversified our geographical presence, business mix and product capabilities through internal growth and strategic bank and non-bank acquisitions and the formation of various non-banking subsidiaries.

 

We include information on significant recent acquisitions and a pending acquisition in Note 3 Acquisitions and Note 31 Subsequent Events and include information on divestitures in Note 6 Discontinued Operations of the Notes To Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Report and here by reference.

 

REVIEW OF LINES OF BUSINESS

In addition to the following information relating to our lines of business, we incorporate information under the captions Line of Business Highlights, Product Revenue, Cross-border Leases and Related Tax Matters, Vehicle and Aircraft Leasing Businesses and Review of Businesses in Item 7 of this Report here by reference. Also, we include financial and other information by business in Note 25 Segment Reporting of the Notes To Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Report here by reference.

 

We operate five major businesses engaged in providing banking, asset management and global fund processing products and services. Banking businesses include regional community banking, wholesale banking and wealth management. Assets, revenue and earnings attributable to foreign activities were not material in the periods presented.

 

Regional Community Banking

Regional Community Banking provides deposit, lending, and cash management services, and investment services through PNC Investments, LLC, to approximately 2.2 million consumer and small business customers within PNC’s primary geographic footprint.

 

Our goal is to generate sustainable revenue growth by consistently increasing our customer base. We seek additional revenue growth by attempting to sell additional products and services to these customers.

 

In addition, we are focused on optimizing our network of branches by opening stand-alone and in-store branches in attractive sites while consolidating or selling branches with less opportunity for growth.

 

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We completed our acquisition of United National Bancorp, Inc. (“United National”) on January 1, 2004. United National shareholders received an aggregate of approximately $321 million in cash and 6.6 million shares of our common stock valued at $360 million. As a result of the acquisition, we added $3.7 billion of assets (including $.6 billion of goodwill), $2.3 billion of deposits, $1.0 billion of borrowed funds and $.4 billion of shareholders’ equity to our Average Consolidated Balance Sheet for the quarter ended March 31, 2004.

 

Wholesale Banking

Wholesale Banking provides lending, treasury management, capital markets-related products and services, and commercial loan servicing to mid-sized corporations, government entities and selectively to large corporations. Lending products include secured and unsecured loans, letters of credit and equipment leases. Treasury management services include cash and investment management, receivables management, disbursement services, funds transfer services, information reporting and global trade services. Capital markets products include foreign exchange, derivatives, loan syndications and securities underwriting and distribution. Wholesale Banking provides products and services generally within our primary geographic markets and provides certain products and services nationally.

 

Wholesale Banking is focused on becoming a trusted business advisor for its customers and on acquiring new customers while retaining and growing its existing customer base. Wholesale Banking’s primary goals are market share growth and high-quality loan growth.

 

PNC Advisors

PNC Advisors provides a broad range of tailored investment, trust and private banking products and services to affluent individuals and families, including services to the ultra-affluent through its Hawthorn unit and provides full-service brokerage through J.J.B. Hilliard, W.L. Lyons, Inc. (“Hilliard Lyons”). PNC Advisors also serves as investment manager and trustee for employee benefit plans and charitable and endowment assets and provides nondiscretionary defined contribution plan services and investment options through our Vested Interest® product. PNC Advisors provides services to individuals and corporations primarily within our primary geographic markets.

 

PNC Advisors is focused on creating enduring relationships with its clients by offering individualized solutions to help meet their financial goals and aspirations.

 

BlackRock

BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”) is one of the largest publicly traded investment management firms in the United States, with approximately $342 billion of assets under management at December 31, 2004. BlackRock manages assets on behalf of institutional and individual investors worldwide through a variety of fixed income, liquidity and equity mutual funds, separate accounts and alternative investment products. Mutual funds include the flagship fund families, BlackRock Funds and BlackRock Liquidity Funds (formerly BlackRock Provident Institutional Funds). In addition, BlackRock provides risk management, investment analytics and enterprise investment system services and products to institutional investors through its BlackRock Solutions® product line and strategic advisory services through its Advisory Services Group.

 

The ability of BlackRock to grow assets under management is the key driver of increases in revenue, earnings and, ultimately, shareholder value. BlackRock’s strategies for growth in assets under management include a focus on achieving client investment performance objectives while maintaining stringent risk controls and providing best in class client service. The business dedicates significant resources to attracting and retaining talented professionals and to the ongoing enhancement of its investment technology and operating capabilities to deliver on its strategy.

 

BlackRock is approximately 71% owned by PNC and is consolidated into PNC’s financial statements. Accordingly, approximately 29% of BlackRock’s earnings are recognized as minority interest expense in our Consolidated Statement of Income.

 

Effective January 31, 2005, BlackRock acquired SSRM Holdings, Inc. (“SSRM”), the holding company of State Street Research & Management Company and SSR Realty Advisors Inc., from MetLife, Inc. SSRM, through its subsidiaries, actively manages stock, bond, balanced and real estate portfolios for both institutional and individual investors with approximately $55 billion in assets under management at December 31, 2004. At closing, MetLife, Inc. received approximately $285 million in cash and approximately 550,000 shares of BlackRock restricted class A common stock. The transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to BlackRock’s earnings. Additional cash consideration, which could increase the purchase price by up to 25%, may be paid over 5 years contingent on certain measures.

 

You should also review Note 31 Subsequent Events of the Notes To Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Report regarding the transfer of BlackRock from PNC Bank, N.A. to PNC Bancorp, Inc. and the related impact on our first quarter 2005 earnings.

 

PFPC

PFPC is among the largest providers of mutual fund transfer agency and accounting and administration services in the United States, offering a wide range of fund processing services to the investment management industry and providing processing solutions to the international marketplace through its Ireland and Luxembourg operations.

 

PFPC focuses technological resources on driving efficiency through streamlining operations and developing flexible systems architecture and client-focused servicing solutions.

 

SUBSIDIARIES

Our corporate legal structure at December 31, 2004 consisted of two subsidiary banks, including their subsidiaries, and over 40 active non-bank subsidiaries. PNC Bank, National Association (“PNC Bank, N.A.”) headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is our principal bank subsidiary. At December 31, 2004, PNC Bank, N.A. had total consolidated assets representing approximately 93% of our consolidated assets. Our other bank subsidiary is PNC Bank, Delaware. For additional information on our subsidiaries, you may review Exhibit 21 to this Report.

 

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STATISTICAL DISCLOSURE BY BANK HOLDING COMPANIES

The following statistical information is included on the indicated pages of this Report and is incorporated herein by reference:

 

    Form 10-K
page

Average Consolidated Balance Sheet And Net Interest Analysis

  112

Analysis Of Year-To-Year Changes In Net Interest Income

  111

Book Values Of Securities

  24-25 and 82-83

Maturities And Weighted-Average Yield Of Securities

  84

Loan Types

  22 and 85

Selected Loan Maturities And Interest Sensitivity

  114

Nonaccrual, Past Due And Restructured Loans And Other Nonperforming Assets

  44,45,71, and 86

Potential Problem Loans And Loans Held For Sale

  25,44,45

Summary Of Loan Loss Experience

  45-47, and 113

Assignment Of Allowance For Loan and Lease Losses

  45-47, and 113

Average Amount And Average Rate Paid On Deposits

  112

Time Deposits Of $100,000 Or More

  89 and 114

Selected Consolidated Financial Data

  13-14

Short-Term Borrowings

  114

 

SUPERVISION AND REGULATION

 

Overview

PNC is a bank holding company registered under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 as amended (“BHC Act”) and a financial holding company under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (“GLB Act”).

 

We are subject to numerous governmental regulations, some of which are highlighted below. You should also read Note 4 Regulatory Matters of the Notes To Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Report for additional information regarding our regulatory issues. Applicable laws and regulations restrict permissible activities and investments and require compliance with protections for loan, deposit, brokerage, fiduciary, mutual fund and other customers, among other things. They also restrict our ability to repurchase stock or to receive dividends from bank subsidiaries and impose capital adequacy requirements. The consequences of noncompliance can include substantial monetary and nonmonetary sanctions.

 

In addition, we are subject to comprehensive examination and supervision by, among other regulatory bodies, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (“Federal Reserve”) and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”). We are subject to examination by these regulators, which results in examination reports and ratings (which are not publicly available) that can impact the conduct and growth of our businesses. These examinations consider not only compliance with applicable laws and regulations, but also capital levels, asset quality and risk, management ability and performance, earnings, liquidity, and various other factors. An examination downgrade by any of our federal bank regulators potentially can result in the imposition of significant limitations on our activities and growth.

 

These regulatory agencies generally have broad discretion to impose restrictions and limitations on the operations of a regulated entity where the agencies determine, among other things, that such operations are unsafe or unsound, fail to comply with applicable law or are otherwise inconsistent with laws and regulations or with the supervisory policies of these agencies. This supervisory framework could materially impact the conduct, growth and profitability of our operations.

 

We are also subject to regulation by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) by virtue of our status as a public company and due to the nature of some of our businesses.

 

As a regulated financial services firm, our relationships and good standing with regulators are of fundamental importance to the continuation and growth of our businesses. The Federal Reserve, OCC, SEC, and other domestic and foreign regulators have broad enforcement powers, and powers to approve, deny, or refuse to act upon our applications or notices to conduct new activities, acquire or divest businesses or assets, or reconfigure existing operations.

 

Over the last several years, there has been an increasing regulatory focus on compliance with anti-money laundering laws and regulations, resulting in, among other things, several significant publicly announced enforcement actions, including those relating to Riggs National Corporation. In response to this environment, we are working to enhance our procedures for compliance with these laws and regulations.

 

There are numerous rules governing the regulation of financial services institutions and their holding companies. Accordingly, the following discussion is general in nature and does not purport to be complete or to describe all of the laws and regulations that apply to us.

 

Bank Regulation

As a bank holding company and a financial holding company, we are subject to supervision and regular inspection by the Federal Reserve. Our subsidiary banks and their subsidiaries are subject to supervision and examination by applicable federal and state banking agencies, principally the OCC with respect to PNC Bank, N.A. and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) and the Office of the State Bank Commissioner of Delaware with respect to PNC Bank, Delaware.

 

Parent Company Liquidity and Dividends. The principal source of our liquidity at the parent company level is dividends from PNC Bank, N.A. Our subsidiary banks are subject to various federal and state restrictions on their ability to pay dividends to PNC Bancorp, Inc., the direct parent of the subsidiary banks, which in turn may affect the ability of PNC Bancorp, Inc. to pay dividends to PNC at the parent company level. Our subsidiary banks are also subject to federal laws limiting extensions of credit to their parent holding company and non-bank affiliates as discussed in Note 4 Regulatory Matters of the Notes To Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Report, which is incorporated herein by reference. Further information is also available in the Liquidity Risk Management section of Item 7 of this Report.

 

Under Federal Reserve policy, a bank holding company is expected to act as a source of financial strength to each of its subsidiary banks and to commit resources to support each such bank. Consistent with the “source of strength” policy for subsidiary banks, the Federal Reserve has stated that, as a matter of prudent banking, a bank holding company generally should not maintain a rate of cash dividends unless its net income available to common shareholders has been sufficient

 

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to fully fund the dividends and the prospective rate of earnings retention appears to be consistent with the corporation’s capital needs, asset quality and overall financial condition. This policy does not currently have a negative impact on PNC’s ability to pay dividends at our current level.

 

Additional Powers Under the GLB Act. The GLB Act permits a qualifying bank holding company to become a “financial holding company” and thereby to affiliate with financial companies engaging in a broader range of activities than would otherwise be permitted for a bank holding company. Permitted affiliates include securities underwriters and dealers, insurance companies and companies engaged in other activities that are determined by the Federal Reserve, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, to be “financial in nature or incidental thereto” or are determined by the Federal Reserve unilaterally to be “complementary” to financial activities. We became a financial holding company as of March 13, 2000.

 

The Federal Reserve is the “umbrella” regulator of a financial holding company, with its operating entities, such as its subsidiary broker-dealers, investment managers, investment companies, insurance companies and banks, also subject to the jurisdiction of various federal and state “functional” regulators with normal regulatory responsibility for companies in their lines of business.

 

As subsidiaries of a financial holding company under the GLB Act, our non-bank subsidiaries are allowed to conduct new financial activities or acquire non-bank financial companies with after-the-fact notice to the Federal Reserve. In addition, our non-bank subsidiaries (and any financial subsidiaries of subsidiary banks) are now permitted to engage in certain activities that were not permitted for banks and bank holding companies prior to enactment of the GLB Act, and to engage on less restrictive terms in certain activities that were previously permitted. Among other activities, we currently rely on our status as a financial holding company to conduct mutual fund distribution activities, merchant banking activities, and underwriting and dealing activities.

 

To continue to qualify for financial holding company status, our subsidiary banks must maintain “well capitalized” capital ratios, examination ratings of “1” or “2” (on a scale of 1 to 5), and certain other criteria that are incorporated into the definition of “well managed” under the BHC Act and Federal Reserve rules. If we were to no longer qualify for this status, we could not continue to enjoy the after-the-fact notice process for new non-banking activities and non-banking acquisitions, and would be required promptly to enter into an agreement with the Federal Reserve providing a plan for our subsidiary banks to meet the “well capitalized” and “well managed” criteria. The Federal Reserve would have broad authority to limit our activities. Failure to satisfy the criteria within a six-month period could result in a requirement that we conform existing non-banking activities to activities that were permissible prior to the enactment of the GLB Act. If a subsidiary bank failed to maintain a “satisfactory” or better rating under the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977, as amended (“CRA”), we could not commence new activities or make new investments in reliance on the GLB Act.

 

In addition, the GLB Act permits a national bank, such as PNC Bank, N.A., to engage in expanded activities through the formation of a “financial subsidiary.” In order to qualify to establish or acquire a financial subsidiary, PNC Bank, N.A. and each of its depository institution affiliates must be “well capitalized” and “well managed” and may not have a less than “satisfactory” CRA rating. A national bank that is one of the largest 50 insured banks in the United States, such as PNC Bank, N.A., must also have issued debt (which, for this purpose, may include the uninsured portion of PNC Bank, N.A.’s long-term certificates of deposit) with certain minimum ratings. Although PNC Bank, N.A. does not currently have any financial subsidiaries, it has filed a financial subsidiary certification with the OCC and thus could engage through a financial subsidiary in any activity that is financial in nature or incidental to a financial activity, with certain exceptions. These activities generally include insurance underwriting, insurance investments, real estate investment or development, and merchant banking.

 

If one of our subsidiary banks were to fail to meet the “well capitalized” or “well managed” and related criteria, PNC Bank, N.A. would be required to enter into an agreement with the OCC to correct the condition. The OCC would have the authority to limit the activities of the bank. If the condition were not corrected within six months or within any additional time granted by the OCC, PNC Bank, N.A. could be required to conform the activities of any of its financial subsidiaries to activities in which a national bank could engage directly. In addition, if the bank or any insured depository institution affiliate receives a less than satisfactory CRA examination rating, PNC Bank, N.A. would not be permitted to engage in any new activities or to make new investments in reliance on the financial subsidiary authority.

 

Other Federal Reserve and OCC Regulation. The federal banking agencies possess broad powers to take corrective action as deemed appropriate for an insured depository institution and its holding company. The extent of these powers depends upon whether the institution in question is considered “well capitalized,” “adequately capitalized,” “undercapitalized,” “significantly undercapitalized” or “critically undercapitalized.” Generally, the smaller an institution’s capital base in relation to its total assets, the greater the scope and severity of the agencies’ powers, ultimately permitting the agencies to appoint a receiver for the institution. Business activities may also be influenced by an institution’s capital classification. For instance, only a “well capitalized” depository institution may accept brokered deposits without prior regulatory approval and an “adequately capitalized” depository institution may accept brokered deposits only with prior regulatory approval. At December 31, 2004, both of our subsidiary banks exceeded the required ratios for classification as “well capitalized.” For additional discussion of capital adequacy requirements, we refer you to “Capital And Funding Sources” in the Consolidated Balance Sheet Review section of Item 7 of this Report and to Note 4 Regulatory Matters of the Notes To Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Report.

 

Laws and regulations limit the scope of our permitted activities and investments. In addition to the activities that

 

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would be permitted a financial subsidiary, national banks (such as PNC Bank, N.A.) and their operating subsidiaries may engage in any activities that are determined by the OCC to be part of or incidental to the business of banking.

 

Moreover, examination ratings of “3” or lower, lower capital ratios than peer group institutions, regulatory concerns regarding management, controls, assets, operations or other factors, can all potentially result in practical limitations on the ability of a bank or bank holding company to engage in new activities, grow, acquire new businesses, repurchase its stock or pay dividends, or to continue to conduct existing activities.

 

The Federal Reserve’s prior approval is required whenever we propose to acquire all or substantially all of the assets of any bank or thrift, to acquire direct or indirect ownership or control of more than 5% of the voting shares of any bank or thrift, or to merge or consolidate with any other bank holding company or thrift holding company. When reviewing bank acquisition applications for approval, the Federal Reserve considers, among other things, each subsidiary bank’s record in meeting the credit needs of the communities it serves in accordance with the CRA. At December 31, 2004, both of our bank subsidiaries, PNC Bank, N.A. and PNC Bank, Delaware, were rated “outstanding” with respect to CRA. Our ability to grow through acquisitions could be limited by these approval requirements.

 

FDIC Insurance. Both of our subsidiary banks are insured by the FDIC and subject to premium assessments. Regulatory matters could increase the cost of FDIC deposit insurance premiums to an insured bank. Since 1996, the FDIC has not assessed banks in the most favorable capital and assessment risk classification categories for insurance premiums for most deposits, due to the favorable ratio of the assets in the FDIC’s deposit insurance funds to the aggregate level of insured deposits outstanding. This has resulted in significant cost savings to all insured banks. Deposit insurance premiums are assessed as a percentage of the deposits of the insured institution. If the FDIC assesses premiums for all deposits, it would impose a significant cost to all insured banks, including our subsidiary banks, reducing the net spread between deposit and other bank funding costs and the earnings from assets and services of the bank, and thus the net income of the bank. FDIC deposit insurance premiums are “risk based”; therefore, higher fee percentages would be charged to banks that have lower capital ratios or higher risk profiles. These risk profiles may take into account weaknesses that are found by the primary banking regulator through its examination and supervision of the bank. A negative evaluation by the FDIC or a bank’s primary federal banking regulator could increase the costs to a bank and result in an aggregate cost of deposit funds higher than that of competing banks in a lower risk category.

 

Our subsidiary banks are subject to “cross-guarantee” provisions under federal law that provide that if one of these banks fails or requires FDIC assistance, the FDIC may assess a “commonly-controlled” bank for the estimated losses suffered by the FDIC. Such liability could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or that of the assessed bank. While the FDIC’s claim is junior to the claims of depositors, holders of secured liabilities, general creditors and subordinated creditors, it is superior to the claims of our shareholders and affiliates, including PNC and intermediate bank holding companies.

 

Recent Transaction: BlackRock Restructuring. In January 2005, PNC Bank, N.A. transferred BlackRock, Inc., one of its operating subsidiaries, to PNC Bancorp, Inc. This transaction resulted in a net reduction in regulatory capital for PNC Bank, N.A. of approximately $500 million. As a condition for regulatory approval of this transfer, PNC Bank, N.A. issued a new series of perpetual non-cumulative preferred shares to PNC totaling $500 million, thus maintaining the risk-based capital and leverage ratios of PNC Bank, N.A. at approximately the same level as before the BlackRock restructuring. See Note 31 Subsequent Events in the Notes To Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Report for further information.

 

Securities and Related Regulation

The SEC, together with either the OCC or the Federal Reserve, regulates our registered broker-dealer subsidiaries, including one of BlackRock’s subsidiaries. These subsidiaries are also subject to rules and regulations promulgated by the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (“NASD”), among others. Hilliard Lyons is also a member of the New York Stock Exchange and subject to its regulations and supervision. Three subsidiaries, including one of BlackRock’s subsidiaries, are registered as commodity pool operators with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the National Futures Association, and are subject to regulation by them.

 

Several of our subsidiaries, including some of BlackRock’s subsidiaries, are registered with the SEC as investment advisers and, therefore, are subject to the requirements of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and the SEC’s regulations thereunder. The principal purpose of the regulations applicable to investment advisers is the protection of clients and the securities markets, rather than the protection of creditors and shareholders of investment advisers. The regulations applicable to investment advisers cover all aspects of the investment advisory business, including limitations on the ability of investment advisers to charge performance-based or non-refundable fees to clients; record-keeping; operational, marketing and reporting requirements; disclosure requirements; limitations on principal transactions between an adviser or its affiliates and advisory clients; as well as general anti-fraud prohibitions. Our investment advisory subsidiaries also may be subject to state securities laws and regulations. In addition, our investment adviser subsidiaries, such as some BlackRock subsidiaries, that are investment advisors to registered investment companies and other managed accounts are subject to the requirements of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the SEC’s regulations thereunder.

 

Additional legislation, changes in rules promulgated by the SEC, other federal and state regulatory authorities and self-regulatory organizations, or changes in the interpretation or enforcement of existing laws and rules may directly affect the method of operation and profitability of investment advisers. The profitability of investment advisers could also be affected by rules and regulations that impact the business and financial

 

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communities in general, including changes to the laws governing taxation, antitrust regulation and electronic commerce.

 

Recently, the SEC and other governmental agencies have been investigating the mutual fund industry. The SEC has adopted and proposed various rules, and legislation has been introduced in Congress, intended to reform the regulation of this industry. The effect of regulatory reform has been, and is likely to continue, to increase the extent of regulation of the mutual fund industry and impose additional compliance obligations and costs on our subsidiaries involved with the mutual fund industry.

 

Under various provisions of the federal securities laws (including in particular those applicable to broker-dealers, investment advisers and registered investment companies and their service providers), a determination by a court or regulatory agency that certain violations have occurred at a company or its affiliates can result in a limitation of permitted activities, disqualification to continue to conduct certain activities and an inability to rely on certain favorable exemptions. Certain types of infractions and violations can also affect a public company in its timing and ability to expeditiously issue new securities into the capital markets. In addition, expansion of activities of a broker-dealer generally requires approval of the New York Stock Exchange and/or NASD, and regulators may take into account a variety of considerations in acting upon such applications, including internal controls, capital, management experience and quality, and supervisory concerns.

 

For additional information about the regulation of BlackRock, we refer you to the discussion under the “Regulation” section of Item 1 Business in BlackRock’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, which may be obtained electronically at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

 

COMPETITION

We are subject to intense competition from various financial institutions and from non-bank entities that engage in similar activities without being subject to bank regulatory supervision and restrictions.

 

In making loans, our subsidiary banks compete with traditional banking institutions as well as consumer finance companies, leasing companies and other non-bank lenders. Loan pricing and credit standards are under competitive pressure as lenders seek to deploy capital and a broader range of borrowers have access to capital markets. Traditional deposit activities are subject to pricing pressures and customer migration as a result of intense competition for consumer investment dollars.

 

Our subsidiary banks compete for deposits with the following:

 

    Other commercial banks,
    Savings banks,
    Savings and loan associations,
    Credit unions,
    Treasury management service companies,
    Insurance companies, and
    Issuers of commercial paper and other securities, including mutual funds.

 

Our various non-bank subsidiaries engaged in investment banking and private equity activities compete with the following:

 

    Commercial banks,
    Investment banking firms,
    Merchant banks,
    Insurance companies,
    Private equity firms, and
    Other investment vehicles.

 

In providing asset management services, our subsidiaries compete with the following:

 

    Investment management firms,
    Large banks and other financial institutions,
    Brokerage firms,
    Mutual fund complexes, and
    Insurance companies.

 

The fund servicing business is also highly competitive, with a relatively small number of providers. Merger, acquisition and consolidation activity in the financial services industry has also impacted the number of existing or potential fund servicing clients and has intensified competition.

 

The ability to access and use technology is an increasingly important competitive factor in the financial services industry. Technology is not only important with respect to delivery of financial services, but in processing information. Each of our businesses consistently must make significant technological investments to remain competitive.

 

We include the additional information under “Competition,” “Asset Management Performance” and “Fund Servicing” within the Risk Factors section of Item 7 of this Report here by reference.

 

EMPLOYEES

Average full-time equivalent employees totaled approximately 23,700 for full year 2004, and were approximately 23,500 for the month of December 2004.

 

SEC REPORTS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE INFORMATION

 

We are subject to the informational requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”), and, in accordance with the Exchange Act, we file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements, and other information with the SEC. Our SEC File Number is 001-09718. You may read and copy any document we file with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 450 Fifth Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20549. You can obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC also maintains an internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC, including our filings. The address of the SEC’s website is www.sec.gov. Copies of such materials can also be obtained at prescribed rates from the public reference section of the SEC at 450 Fifth Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20549.

 

We also make our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished to the SEC pursuant to Section

 

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13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act available free of charge on or through our internet website as soon as reasonably practicable after we file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. Our internet address is www.pnc.com. Shareholders may also obtain copies of these filings without charge by contacting Shareholder Services at (800) 982-7652 or via e-mail at web.queries@computershare.com for copies without exhibits, or by contacting Shareholder Relations at (800) 843-2206 or via e-mail at investor.relations@pnc.com for copies of exhibits. We filed the certifications of our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and our Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer required pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 with respect to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for 2003 with the SEC as exhibits to that report and have filed the CEO and CFO certifications required by Section 302 of that Act with respect to this Form 10-K as exhibits to this Report.

 

Information about our Board and its committees and corporate governance at PNC is available in the corporate governance section of the “For Investors” page of our website at www.pnc.com. Shareholders who would like to request printed copies of the PNC Code of Business Conduct and Ethics or our Corporate Governance Guidelines or the charters of the Board’s Audit, Nominating and Governance, or Personnel and Compensation Committees (all of which are posted on our website) may do so by sending their requests to Thomas R. Moore, Corporate Secretary, at corporate headquarters at One PNC Plaza, 249 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-2707. Copies will be provided without charge to shareholders.

 

Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol “PNC”. Our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer submitted the required annual CEO’s Certification regarding the NYSE’s corporate governance listing standards (a Section 12(a) CEO Certification) to the NYSE within 30 days after our 2004 annual shareholders meeting.

 

ITEM 2 – PROPERTIES

Our executive and administrative offices are located at One PNC Plaza, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The thirty-story structure is owned by PNC Bank, N. A. We occupy the entire building. In addition, PNC Bank, N.A. owns a thirty-four story structure adjacent to One PNC Plaza, known as Two PNC Plaza, that houses additional office space.

 

We own or lease numerous other premises for use in conducting business activities. The facilities owned or occupied under lease by our subsidiaries are considered by us to be adequate. We include here by reference the additional information regarding our properties in Note 14 Premises, Equipment and Leasehold Improvements of the Notes To Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Report.

 

ITEM 3 – LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

There are several pending judicial or administrative proceedings or other matters arising out of the three 2001 transactions (the “PAGIC transactions”) that gave rise to a financial statement restatement we announced on January 29, 2002 and that were the subject of a July 2002 consent order between PNC and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and a June 2003 Deferred Prosecution Agreement between the United States Department of Justice and PNC ICLC Corp., one of our indirect non-bank subsidiaries. These pending proceedings or other matters are described below. Among the requirements of the June 2003 Deferred Prosecution Agreement was the establishment of a Restitution Fund through our $90 million contribution. The Restitution Fund will be available to satisfy claims, including for the settlement of the pending securities litigation referred to below. Louis W. Fryman, chairman of Fox Rothschild LLP in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is administering the Restitution Fund.

 

In December 2004 and January 2005, we entered into settlement agreements relating to certain of the lawsuits and other claims arising out of the PAGIC transactions. These settlements are described below, following a description of each of these pending proceedings and other matters.

 

The several putative class action complaints filed during 2002 in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania arising out of the PAGIC transactions have been consolidated in a consolidated class action complaint brought on behalf of purchasers of our common stock between July 19, 2001 and July 18, 2002 (the “Class Period”). The consolidated class action complaint names PNC, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, our former Chief Financial Officer, our Controller, and our independent auditors for 2001 as defendants and seeks unquantified damages, interest, attorneys’ fees and other expenses. The consolidated class action complaint alleges violations of federal securities laws related to disclosures regarding the PAGIC transactions and related matters.

 

In August 2002, the United States Department of Labor began a formal investigation of the Administrative Committee of our Incentive Savings Plan (“Plan”) in connection with the Administrative Committee’s conduct relating to our common stock held by the Plan. Both the Administrative Committee and PNC are cooperating fully with the investigation. In June 2003, the Administrative Committee retained Independent Fiduciary Services, Inc. (“IFS”) to serve as an independent fiduciary charged with the exclusive authority and responsibility to act on behalf of the Plan in connection with the pending securities litigation referred to above and to evaluate any legal rights the Plan might have against any parties relating to the PAGIC transactions. This authority includes representing the Plan’s interests in connection with the Restitution Fund set up under the Deferred Prosecution Agreement. The Department of Labor has communicated with IFS in connection with the engagement.

 

We received a letter in June 2003 on behalf of an alleged shareholder demanding that we take appropriate legal action against our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, our former Chief Financial Officer, and our Controller, as well as any other individuals or entities allegedly responsible for causing damage to PNC as a result of the PAGIC transactions. The Board referred this matter to a special committee of the Board for evaluation. The special committee has completed its evaluation and reported its findings to the Board of Directors and to counsel for the alleged shareholder. The special committee recommended against bringing any claims against our current or former executive officers but made certain recommendations with respect to resolution of potential claims we have with respect to certain other third parties.

 

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In July 2003, the lead underwriter on our Executive Blended Risk insurance coverage filed a lawsuit for a declaratory judgment against PNC and PNC ICLC in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. The complaint seeks a determination that the defendants breached the terms and conditions of the policy and, as a result, the policy does not provide coverage for any loss relating to or arising out of the Department of Justice investigation or the PAGIC transactions. Alternatively, the complaint seeks a determination that the policy does not provide coverage for the payments made pursuant to the Deferred Prosecution Agreement. The complaint also seeks attorneys’ fees and costs. In July 2004, the court granted our motion to stay the action until resolution of the claims against PNC in the pending securities litigation described above.

 

On December 17, 2004, we entered into a tentative settlement of the consolidated putative class actions, reflected in a Memorandum of Understanding between the plaintiffs and PNC, our former and current executive officers who are defendants in the lawsuit, and AIG Financial Products Corp.

 

The tentative settlement is subject to completion of final documentation, court approval and other conditions, including some that are outside the control of the parties.

 

At the same time, we settled all claims between us, on the one hand, and AIG Financial Products and its affiliate, American International Surplus Lines Insurance Company (“AISLIC”), on the other hand, related to the PAGIC transactions. AIG Financial Products was our counterparty in the PAGIC transactions, and AISLIC is one of the insurers under our Executive Blended Risk insurance coverage. Subsequently, we settled claims against one of the other insurers under our Executive Blended Risk insurance coverage.

 

The following are the key elements of these settlements:

 

    Payments into Settlement Fund. The insurers under our Executive Blended Risk insurance coverage will pay $30 million into a Settlement Fund for the benefit of the class. AIG Financial Products will pay $4 million into the Settlement Fund to settle potential claims by the plaintiffs against it.

 

     The plaintiffs have been in contact with Mr. Fryman, the administrator of the Restitution Fund, and intend to coordinate the administration and distribution of the Settlement Fund with the distribution of the Restitution Fund.

 

     Neither PNC nor any of our current or former officers, directors or employees will be required to contribute any funds to this settlement.
    Assignment of Claims. We are assigning to the plaintiffs claims we may have against the non-settling defendant in this lawsuit and all other unaffiliated third parties (other than AIG Financial Products and its predecessors, successors, parents, subsidiaries, affiliates and their respective directors, officers and employees (collectively, “AIG”)) relating to the subject matter of the lawsuit.
    Pending Insurance Claim. At the time of the Memorandum of Understanding, we settled our claim against AISLIC related to our contribution of $90 million to the Restitution Fund for $11.25 million, which represents a portion of AISLIC’s share of our overall claim. In January 2005, we settled with another insurer for an aggregate payment to us of $4.5 million, which represents a portion of their share of our overall claim. We will be preserving our claim against our insurers with whom we have not settled with respect to, among other things, any amounts disbursed out of the Restitution Fund.
    Other AIG Claims. We and AIG Financial Products settled all other claims between us arising out of the PAGIC transactions for a payment from us of $2 million.
    Other Claims. In connection with the settlement of the lawsuit, the claims of IFS on behalf of our Incentive Savings Plan and its participants will be resolved and the class covered by the settlement will be expanded to include participants in the Plan. The Department of Labor is not, however, a party to this settlement and thus the settlement does not necessarily resolve its investigation.

 

In addition, the settlement of this lawsuit will resolve the derivative claims asserted by one of our putative shareholders and any other derivative demands that may be filed in connection with the PAGIC transactions.

    Releases. We will be releasing the insurers providing our Executive Blended Risk insurance coverage from any further liability to PNC arising out of the events that gave rise to the lawsuit, except for the claims against these insurers (other than those with whom we have settled) relating to the $90 million payment to the Restitution Fund.

 

     PNC and AIG are releasing each other with respect to all claims between us arising out of the PAGIC transactions.

 

We will be responsible for the costs of administering the settlement and the Restitution Fund and may incur additional costs in the future in connection with the advancement of expenses and/or indemnification obligations related to the subject matter of this lawsuit. We do not expect such costs to be material. The net payment from AIG was recognized in our income statement in the fourth quarter of 2004, while the payments from the other insurer with whom we have settled will be recognized in the first quarter of 2005.

 

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Some of our subsidiaries are defendants (or have potential contractual contribution obligations to other defendants) in several pending lawsuits brought during late 2002 and 2003 arising out of the bankruptcy of Adelphia Communications Corporation. There also are threatened additional proceedings arising out of the same matters. One of the lawsuits is pending in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York and has been brought on Adelphia’s behalf as an adversary proceeding by the unsecured creditors’ committee in Adelphia’s bankruptcy proceeding. A motion to intervene on behalf of the equity committee is also pending in this case. The other lawsuits (one of which is a putative consolidated class action) have been brought by holders of debt and equity securities of Adelphia and have been consolidated for pretrial purposes in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. These lawsuits arise out of lending and securities underwriting activities engaged in by these PNC subsidiaries together with other financial services companies. In the aggregate, more than 400 other financial services companies and numerous other companies and individuals have been named as defendants in one or more of the lawsuits. Collectively, with respect to some or all of the defendants, the lawsuits allege violations of federal securities laws, violations of common law duties, aiding and abetting such violations, voidable preference payments, and fraudulent transfers, among other matters. The lawsuits seek unquantified monetary damages, interest, attorneys’ fees and other expenses, and a return of the alleged voidable preference and fraudulent transfer payments, among other remedies. We believe that we have substantial defenses to the claims against us in these lawsuits and intend to defend them vigorously. These lawsuits are currently in initial stages and present complex issues of law and fact. As a result, we are not currently capable of evaluating our exposure, if any, resulting from these lawsuits.

 

On December 30, 2004, a putative class action was filed against PNC; PNC Bank, N.A.; our Pension Plan and its Pension Committee in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The complaint claims violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), arising out of the January 1, 1999 conversion of our Pension Plan from a traditional defined benefit formula to a “cash balance” defined benefit formula, and the design and continued operation of the Plan. Plaintiffs seek to represent a class of all current and former employee-participants in and beneficiaries of the Plan on December 31, 1998 and on or after January 1, 1999. The plaintiffs are seeking damages and equitable relief available under ERISA, including interest, costs, and attorneys’ fees. We believe that we have substantial defenses to the claims against us in this lawsuit and intend to defend it vigorously.

 

In connection with industry-wide investigations of practices in the mutual fund industry including market timing, late day trading, employee trading in mutual funds and other matters, several of our subsidiaries have received requests for information and other inquiries from state and federal governmental and regulatory authorities. These subsidiaries are fully cooperating in all of these matters.

 

In addition to the proceedings or other matters described above, PNC and persons to whom we may have indemnification obligations, in the normal course of business, are subject to various other pending and threatened legal proceedings in which claims for monetary damages and other relief are asserted. We do not anticipate, at the present time, that the ultimate aggregate liability, if any, arising out of such other legal proceedings will have a material adverse effect on our financial position. However, we cannot now determine whether or not any claims asserted against us, whether in the proceedings or other matters specifically described above or otherwise, will have a material adverse effect on our results of operations in any future reporting period.

 

ITEM 4 – SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS

 

None during the fourth quarter of 2004.

 

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT

Information regarding each of our executive officers as of February 28, 2005 is set forth below. Executive officers do not have a stated term of office. Each executive officer has held the position or positions indicated or another executive position with the same entity or one of its affiliates for the past five years unless otherwise indicated below.

 

Name   Age   Position with PNC   Year
Employed(1)

James E. Rohr

  56   Chairman and Chief Executive Officer(2)   1972

Joseph C. Guyaux

  54   President   1972

William S. Demchak

  42   Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer   2002

William C. Mutterperl

  58   Vice Chairman   2002

Timothy G. Shack

  54   Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer   1976

Thomas K. Whitford

  48   Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer   1983

John J. Wixted, Jr.

  53   Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance and Regulatory Officer   2002

Michael J. Hannon

  48   Senior Vice President and Chief Credit Policy Officer   1982

Richard J. Johnson

  48   Senior Vice President and Director of Finance   2002

Samuel R. Patterson

  46   Controller   1986

Helen P. Pudlin

  55   Senior Vice President and General Counsel   1989
(1) Where applicable, refers to year employed by predecessor company.
(2) Also serves as a director of PNC.

 

William S. Demchak joined PNC as Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer in September 2002. From 1997 to May 2002, he served as Global Head of Structured Finance and Credit Portfolio for J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.

 

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William C. Mutterperl joined PNC as Vice Chairman in October 2002. From August 2002 to October 2002, he was a partner in the business law division of the international law firm of Brown Rudnick Berlack Israels LLP. From February 2002 to May 2002, he served as Executive Director of the Independent Oversight Board for Arthur Andersen LLP, headed by former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker. From April 1985 to December 2001, he served as Executive Vice President, or another executive position, General Counsel and Secretary to FleetBoston Financial Corp.

 

John J. Wixted, Jr. joined PNC as Senior Vice President and Chief Regulatory Officer in August 2002. From 1996 to 2002 he served as Senior Vice President for Banking Supervision and Regulation for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

 

Richard J. Johnson joined PNC as Senior Vice President and Director of Finance in December 2002. From 1999 to 2002 he served as President and Chief Executive Officer for J.P. Morgan Services.

 

DIRECTORS OF THE REGISTRANT

The names and principal occupations of each of our directors as of February 28, 2005 is set forth below:

 

    Paul W. Chellgren, Retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ashland Inc. (energy company), Adjunct Professor, Northern Kentucky University,
    Robert N. Clay, President and Chief Executive Officer of Clay Holding Company (investments),
    J. Gary Cooper, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Commonwealth National Bank (community banking),
    George A. Davidson, Jr., Retired Chairman of Dominion Resources, Inc. (public utility holding company),
    Richard B. Kelson, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Alcoa Inc. (producer of primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum, and alumina),
    Bruce C. Lindsay, Chairman and Managing Member of 2117 Associates, LLC (advisory company),
    Anthony A. Massaro, Retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (full-line manufacturer of welding and cutting products),
    Thomas H. O’Brien, Retired Chairman of PNC,
    Jane G. Pepper, President of Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (nonprofit membership organization),
    James E. Rohr, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PNC,
    Lorene K. Steffes, Independent Business Advisor and Consultant (Vice President, International Business Machines 1999-2003),
    Dennis F. Strigl, President and Chief Executive Officer of Verizon Wireless, Inc. (wireless telecommunications),
    Stephen G. Thieke, Retired Chairman, Risk Management Committee of JP Morgan Incorporated (financial and investment banking services),
    Thomas J. Usher, Chairman of United States Steel Corporation (integrated steelmaker),
    Milton A. Washington, President and Chief Executive Officer of Allegheny Housing Rehabilitation Corporation (housing rehabilitation and construction), and
    Helge H. Wehmeier, Retired President and Chief Executive Officer of Bayer Corporation (healthcare, crop protection, and chemicals).

 

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PART II

 

ITEM 5 – MARKET FOR REGISTRANTS COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

 

(a) Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and is traded under the symbol “PNC.” At the close of business on February 28, 2005, there were 45,495 common shareholders of record.

 

Holders of PNC common stock are entitled to receive dividends when declared by the Board of Directors out of funds legally available for this purpose. Our Board of Directors may not pay or set apart dividends on the common stock until dividends for all past dividend periods on any series of outstanding preferred stock have been paid or declared and set apart for payment. The Board presently intends to continue the policy of paying quarterly cash dividends. However, the amount of any future dividends will depend on earnings, our financial condition and other factors, including contractual restrictions and applicable government regulations and policies (such as those relating to the ability of bank and non-bank subsidiaries to pay dividends to the parent company).

 

The Federal Reserve has the power to prohibit us from paying dividends without its approval. For further information concerning dividend restrictions and restrictions on loans or advances from bank subsidiaries to the parent company, you may review “Supervision and Regulation” in Part I, Item 1 of this Report, “Liquidity Risk Management” in the Risk Management section of Item 7 of this Report, and Note 4 Regulatory Matters of the Notes To Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Report, which we include here by reference.

 

We include here by reference additional information relating to PNC common stock under the caption “Common Stock Prices/Dividends Declared” in the Statistical Information (Unaudited) section of Item 8 of this Report.

 

We include here by reference the information regarding our compensation plans under which PNC equity securities are authorized for issuance as of December 31, 2004 in the table (with introductory paragraph and notes) that appears under Item 12 of this Report.

 

Our registrar, stock transfer agent, and dividend disbursing agent is:

 

Computershare Investor Services, LLC

2 North LaSalle Street

Chicago, Illinois 60602

(800) 982-7652

 

(b) Not applicable.

 

(c ) Details of our repurchases of PNC common stock during the fourth quarter of 2004 are included in the following table:

 

In thousands, except per share data
2004 period   Total shares
purchased (a)
  Average
price
paid per
share
  Total shares
purchased
as part of
publicly
announced
programs
  Maximum
number of
shares that
may yet be
purchased
under the
programs (b)

October 1 –

October 31

  75   $53.33       17,239

November 1 –

November 30

  89   $53.95       17,239

December 1 –

December 31

  326   $56.04   245   16,994

Total

  490   $55.25   245    
(a) Includes PNC common stock purchased under the program referred to in note (b) to this table and common stock purchased in connection with our various employee benefit plans.
(b) Our 2004 stock repurchase program allowed us to purchase up to 20 million shares on the open market or in privately negotiated transactions. This program began February 19, 2004 and terminated on February 16, 2005. As of February 16, 2005, a new program to purchase up to 20 million shares was authorized. This program will remain in effect until fully utilized or until modified, superseded or terminated.

 

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ITEM 6.

 

SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

     Year ended December 31
Dollars in millions, except per share data    2004    2003     2002     2001(a)     2000

SUMMARY OF OPERATIONS

                                     

Interest income

   $ 2,752    $ 2,712     $ 3,172     $ 4,137     $ 4,732

Interest expense

     783      716       975       1,875       2,568

Net interest income

     1,969      1,996       2,197       2,262       2,164

Provision for credit losses

     52      177       309       903       136

Noninterest income

     3,563      3,257       3,197       2,652       2,950

Noninterest expense

     3,735      3,476       3,227       3,414       3,103

Income from continuing operations before minority and noncontrolling interests and income taxes

     1,745      1,600       1,858       597       1,875

Minority and noncontrolling interests in income of consolidated entities

     10      32       37       33       27

Income taxes

     538      539       621       187       634

Income from continuing operations

     1,197      1,029       1,200       377       1,214

(Loss) income from discontinued operations, net of tax

                    (16 )     5       65

Income before cumulative effect of accounting change

     1,197      1,029       1,184       382       1,279

Cumulative effect of accounting change, net of tax

            (28 )             (5 )      

Net income

   $ 1,197    $ 1,001     $ 1,184     $ 377     $ 1,279

PER COMMON SHARE

                                     

Basic earnings (loss)

                                     

Continuing operations

   $ 4.25    $ 3.68     $ 4.23     $ 1.27     $ 4.12

Discontinued operations

                    (.05 )     .02       .23

Before cumulative effect of accounting change

     4.25      3.68       4.18       1.29       4.35

Cumulative effect of accounting change

            (.10 )             (.02 )      

Net income

   $ 4.25    $ 3.58     $ 4.18     $ 1.27     $ 4.35

Diluted earnings (loss)

                                     

Continuing operations

   $ 4.21    $ 3.65     $ 4.20     $ 1.26     $ 4.09

Discontinued operations

                    (.05 )     .02       .22

Before cumulative effect of accounting change

     4.21      3.65       4.15       1.28       4.31

Cumulative effect of accounting change

            (.10 )             (.02 )      

Net income

   $ 4.21    $ 3.55     $ 4.15     $ 1.26     $ 4.31

Book value (At December 31)

   $ 26.41    $ 23.97     $ 24.03     $ 20.54     $ 21.88

Cash dividends declared

   $ 2.00    $ 1.94     $ 1.92     $ 1.92     $ 1.83
(a) See Note (a) on page 14.

 

Certain prior-period amounts have been reclassified to conform with the current period presentation. The 2004 and 2003 amounts reflect our adoption of FIN 46 in the second half of 2003. See Note 1 Accounting Policies and Note 2 Variable Interest Entities in the Notes To Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Report for information on FIN 46 and see Note 3 Acquisitions in that section for information on significant recent business acquisitions.

 

For information regarding certain business risks, see the Risk Factors and Risk Management sections of Item 7 of this Report. Also, see the Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information section of Item 7 of this Report for certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements or from historical performance.

 

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     At or year ended December 31  
Dollars in millions except as noted    2004      2003     2002     2001(a)     2000  

BALANCE SHEET HIGHLIGHTS

                                         

Assets

   $ 79,723      $ 68,168     $ 66,377     $ 69,638     $ 69,921  

Earning assets

     65,055        56,243       54,551       58,002       59,373  

Loans, net of unearned income

     43,495        36,303       35,450       37,974       50,601  

Allowance for loan and lease losses

     607        632       673       560       598  

Securities

     16,761        15,690       13,763       13,908       5,902  

Loans held for sale

     1,670        1,400       1,607       4,189       1,655  

Deposits

     53,269        45,241       44,982       47,304       47,664  

Borrowed funds (b)

     11,964        11,453       9,116       12,090       11,718  

Allowance for unfunded loan commitments and letters of credit

     75        91       84       70       77  

Shareholders’ equity

     7,473        6,645       6,859       5,823       6,656  

Common shareholders’ equity

     7,465        6,636       6,849       5,813       6,344  

ASSETS UNDER MANAGEMENT (in billions)

   $ 383      $ 354     $ 313     $ 284     $ 253  

FUND ASSETS SERVICED (in billions)

                                         

Accounting/administration net assets

   $ 721      $ 654     $ 510     $ 535     $ 463  

Custody assets

     451        401       336       357       437  

SELECTED RATIOS

                                         

From Continuing Operations

                                         

Net interest margin

     3.22 %      3.64 %     3.99 %     3.84 %     3.64 %

Noninterest income to total revenue

     64        62       59       54       58  

Efficiency

     68        66       60       70       61  

From Net Income

                                         

Return on

                                         

Average common shareholders’ equity

     16.82        15.06       18.83       5.65       21.63  

Average assets

     1.59        1.49       1.78       .53       1.68  

Loans to deposits

     82        80       79       80       106  

Dividend payout

     47.2        54.5       46.1       151.7       42.1  

Leverage (c)

     7.6        8.2       8.1       6.8       8.0  

Common shareholders’ equity to total assets

     9.36        9.73       10.32       8.35       9.07  

Average common shareholders’ equity to average assets

     9.45        9.87       9.44       9.14       8.44  
(a) Results for 2001 reflected the cost of actions taken during the year to accelerate the repositioning of our institutional lending business and other strategic initiatives. These charges totaled $1.2 billion pretax and reduced 2001 net income by $768 million or $2.65 per diluted share.
(b) Includes long-term borrowings of $5,985 million, $7,884 million, $7,012 million, $9,278 million and $7,119 million for 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001 and 2000, respectively.
(c) The leverage ratio represents tier 1 capital divided by adjusted average total assets as defined by regulatory capital requirements for bank holding companies.

 

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ITEM 7.

 

MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

 

THE PNC FINANCIAL SERVICES GROUP, INC.

PNC is one of the largest diversified financial services companies in the United States, operating businesses engaged in regional community banking, wholesale banking, wealth management, asset management and global fund processing services. We operate directly and through numerous subsidiaries, providing many of our products and services nationally and others in our primary geographic markets in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Ohio and Kentucky. We also provide certain asset management and global fund processing services internationally.

 

KEY STRATEGIC GOALS

Our strategy to enhance shareholder value centers on achieving growth in our lines of business underpinned by prudent risk and capital management. In each of our business segments, the primary drivers of growth are the acquisition, expansion and retention of customer relationships. We strive to achieve such growth in our customer base by providing convenient banking options, leading technological systems and a broad range of asset management products and services. We also intend to grow through appropriate and targeted acquisitions and, in certain businesses, by expanding into new geographical markets.

 

In recent years, we have managed interest rate risk toward achieving a moderate risk profile with limited exposure to earnings volatility resulting from interest rate fluctuations. Our actions have created a balance sheet characterized by strong asset quality and significant flexibility to take advantage, where appropriate, of rising interest rates. We anticipate that interest rates will continue to rise in 2005 and that the overall impact of a rise in long-term interest rates will be beneficial to us.

 

Effective January 31, 2005, our majority-owned subsidiary BlackRock acquired SSRM Holdings, Inc. (“SSRM”), the holding company for State Street Research & Management Company and SSR Realty Advisors Inc., from MetLife, Inc. At closing, MetLife, Inc. received approximately $285 million in cash and approximately 550,000 shares of BlackRock restricted class A common stock. Additional cash consideration, which could increase the purchase price by up to 25%, may be paid over five years contingent on certain measures. We expect that the addition of SSRM will enhance BlackRock’s investment management platform with additional U.S. equity, alternative investment and real estate equity management capabilities, expanding the universe of products offered to institutional and individual investors worldwide.

 

On February 10, 2005, we entered into an amended and restated agreement to acquire Riggs National Corporation (“Riggs”), a Washington, D.C. based banking company, replacing the original acquisition agreement entered into July 16, 2004. The transaction will give us a substantial presence on which to build a market leading franchise in the affluent Washington metropolitan area. The total consideration under the amended and restated agreement is comprised of a fixed number of approximately 6.4 million shares of PNC common stock and $286 million in cash, subject to adjustment. The merger is subject to closing conditions including, among others, receipt of regulatory approvals and waivers and approval of the Riggs shareholders. Our Current Reports on Form 8-K dated July 16, 2004, July 22, 2004 and February 10, 2005 provide additional information on this pending acquisition. The Amended and Restated Agreement and Plan of Merger for this transaction is included as Exhibit 10.31 to this Report.

 

We include additional information on Riggs and SSRM in Note 3 Acquisitions in the Notes To Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Report and in the Risk Factors section of Item 7 of this Report.

 

KEY FACTORS AFFECTING FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE

Our financial performance is substantially affected by several external factors outside of our control, including:

 

    General economic conditions,
    Loan demand,
    Interest rates,
    The shape of the interest rate yield curve, and
    The performance of the capital markets.

 

We seek a moderate risk profile in the management of our businesses to limit the risk of loss resulting from quickly changing market conditions. We focus on the development and management of our customer franchises to generate longer-term growth in revenue and earnings.

 

During 2004, we achieved success in growing our business segments, with customer growth and retention improving in a number of key areas. We believe such growth enhances our overall value by increasing revenues that are less susceptible to changes in economic and market conditions. Noninterest income increased by 9% in 2004 compared with 2003. This improvement reflects, among other things, growth in fee-based customer revenues.

 

Economic factors, particularly low interest rates, continued to pressure net interest income through the first half of 2004. Loan demand increased during the second half of the year. While we expect interest rates to continue to rise and loan demand to continue to increase, we cannot predict the timing and magnitude of these increases with certainty. To some extent, the benefits of rising interest rates and increases in loan demand will trail these increases.

 

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In addition to changes in general economic conditions, including the direction, timing and magnitude of movement in interest rates and the performance of the capital markets, our success in 2005 will depend, among other things, upon:

 

    Further success in the acquisition, growth and retention of customers,
    Growth in market share across businesses,
    Disciplined expense control and improved efficiency,
    Maintaining strong overall asset quality,
    Prudent risk and capital management, and
    Successful completion of the acquisition and integration of Riggs.

 

As described in Note 31 Subsequent Events in the Notes To Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Report, the transfer of BlackRock from PNC Bank, N.A., to PNC Bancorp, Inc. will have an impact on our first quarter 2005 earnings.

 

SUMMARY FINANCIAL RESULTS

Consolidated net income for 2004 was $1.197 billion or $4.21 per diluted share compared with $1.001 billion or $3.55 per diluted share for 2003.

 

Results for 2004 reflected the impact of charges totaling $49 million after taxes, or $.17 per diluted share, related to the 2002 BlackRock Long-Term Retention and Incentive Plan (“LTIP”). This LTIP is described under “2002 BlackRock Long-Term Incentive Plan” in the Critical Accounting Policies and Judgments section of Item 7 of this Report.

 

Results for 2003 included expenses totaling $87 million after taxes, or $.31 per diluted share, in connection with the agreement with the United States Department of Justice (“DOJ”), including related legal and consulting costs, which we describe in Item 3 of this Report and in our Current Report on Form 8-K dated June 23, 2004. Net income for 2003 also included the cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle that negatively impacted earnings by $28 million, or $.10 per diluted share.

 

Return on average common shareholders’ equity was 16.82% for 2004 and 15.06% for 2003. Return on average assets was 1.59% in 2004 and 1.49% for 2003.

 

Our performance in 2004 included the following accomplishments:

 

    We successfully integrated United National that we acquired in January 2004,
    Average loans increased 14% in 2004 compared with 2003 and average deposits increased 12% driven by the impact of the United National acquisition and customer growth,
    Overall asset quality improved significantly as nonperforming assets at December 31, 2004 declined 47% from December 31, 2003,
    Noninterest income increased 9% for the year compared with 2003 and now represents 64% of total revenue,
    Assets under management grew 8% from the prior year-end, to $383 billion, driven largely by BlackRock performance, and
    Total business segment earnings grew 8% in 2004, to $1.266 billion, compared with 2003.

 

See Note 25 Segment Reporting in the Notes To Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Report for a reconciliation of total business segment earnings to total PNC consolidated earnings as reported on a GAAP basis, and see Net Interest Income—GAAP Reconciliation in the Consolidated Statement of Income Review section of Item 7 of this Report for a reconciliation of net income as reported under GAAP to net interest income presented on a taxable-equivalent basis.

 

BALANCE SHEET HIGHLIGHTS

Total average assets were $75.3 billion for 2004 compared with $67.3 billion for 2003. Average interest-earning assets were $61.8 billion in 2004 compared with $55.2 billion in 2003, an increase of $6.6 billion, or 12%. The increase in average interest-earning assets in 2004 primarily resulted from an increase of $6.2 billion in average loans and securities due to organic growth, the January 2004 United National acquisition that added $1.9 billion of loans, and the comparative impact of our adoption of Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Interpretation No. 46 (Revised 2003), “Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities,” (“FIN 46”) in the second half of 2003.

 

During the third quarter of 2004, we reclassified on our Consolidated Balance Sheet certain assets related to the Market Street Funding Corporation (“Market Street”) conduit from purchased customer receivables to loans. These assets totaled $2.3 billion at December 31, 2004 and $2.2 billion at December 31, 2003. Our average total loans for 2004 included $1.9 billion related to Market Street while our average total loans for 2003 included $1.2 billion as a result of Market Street.

 

Average loans for 2004 were $40.9 billion compared with $35.9 billion in 2003, an increase of $5.0 billion or 14%. Apart from the comparative impact of Market Street as a result of our adoption of FIN 46 as described above, the increase in average total loans was primarily attributable to growth in home equity loans of approximately $2.7 billion and commercial loans of approximately $1.3 billion, including the addition of loans from the United National acquisition. The effect of these increases was partially offset by a $.6 billion decline in lease financing loans. During the second quarter of 2004, we sold our vehicle leasing portfolio as more fully described in the Consolidated Balance Sheet Review section of Item 7 of this Report.

 

Loans represented 66% of average interest-earning assets for 2004 compared with 65% for 2003. The term “loans” in this Report excludes loans held for sale and securities that represent interests in pools of loans.

 

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Average securities totaled $15.9 billion in 2004 and $14.7 billion in 2003. Securities comprised 26% of average interest-earning assets for 2004 compared with 27% for 2003. The increase in average securities in 2004 compared with the prior year was primarily due to increases in U.S. Treasury and government agencies/corporations securities, partially offset by a decline in other debt securities.

 

Funding cost is affected by the volume and type of funding sources that we have as well as the rates that we pay on those sources. Average total deposits were $49.7 billion for 2004 compared with $44.5 billion for 2003. The increase in average total deposits was attributable to increased customer volumes and the acquisition of United National that added approximately $2.2 billion of average deposits. Average total deposits comprised 66% of total sources of funds for 2004 and 2003. Average transaction deposits were $35.9 billion for 2004 and $33.0 billion for 2003.

 

Average borrowed funds increased to $12.5 billion for 2004 compared with $10.5 billion for 2003. The following contributed to this increase:

 

    The addition to our Consolidated Balance Sheet of $1.2 billion of junior subordinated debentures ($300 million of which was issued in December 2003) at December 31, 2003, the effective date that we deconsolidated our trust preferred securities under FIN 46,
    The comparative impact of the addition of commercial paper related to Market Street resulting from the adoption of FIN 46 in the second half of 2003,
    Our issuance of $600 million of subordinated notes in November 2003 and $500 million of subordinated notes in December 2004, and
    An increase in short-term borrowings to fund asset growth.

 

These increases in average borrowed funds were partially offset by Federal Home Loan Bank maturities of $1.3 billion and senior and subordinated debt maturities totaling $1.1 billion during 2004.

 

LINE OF BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS

We refer you to Item 1 of this Report for an overview of our business segments. Total business segment earnings were $1.266 billion for 2004 and $1.176 billion for 2003.

 

Regional Community Banking

Regional Community Banking’s earnings were $504 million for 2004 and $477 million for 2003. Checking relationships as of December 31, 2004 grew 8% compared with December 31, 2003, while Regional Community Banking average loans grew 30% and average demand deposits grew 14% in 2004 compared with 2003. Earnings growth for 2004 reflected increased loan demand and focused efforts to increase and retain the customer base. The impact of these factors on results for 2004 was partially offset by higher noninterest expense and a higher provision for credit losses.

 

Wholesale Banking

Earnings from Wholesale Banking were $443 million for 2004 and $391 million for 2003. The benefit of a $116 million decline in the provision for credit losses, reflecting overall improved asset quality, and an increase in taxable-equivalent net interest income resulting from higher average loan and deposit balances drove the improvement in 2004. These factors were partially offset by higher staff expense to support business growth initiatives and lower net gains on institutional loans held for sale.

 

PNC Advisors

PNC Advisors earned $106 million in 2004 and $89 million in 2003. The increased earnings reflected a pretax gain of $10 million, or $7 million after-tax, from the sale of certain Hawthorn investment consulting activities, comparatively stronger equity markets, increased loan and deposit balances and lower noninterest expense, partially offset by the loss of earnings from the sold Hawthorn activities.

 

BlackRock

BlackRock reported earnings of $143 million for 2004 compared with $155 million for 2003. The decreased earnings in 2004 reflected a 20% increase in advisory fees driven by a growing base of assets under management as well as a total of $18 million in tax benefits recorded in the first and fourth quarters of 2004, more than offset by $66 million of after-tax LTIP-related charges. See the 2002 BlackRock Long-term Retention and Incentive Plan section of Item 7 of this Report for additional information regarding the LTIP charges. BlackRock’s assets under management totaled $342 billion at December 31, 2004, an increase of 10% compared with the prior year-end level. The increase was attributable to net new subscriptions and market appreciation.

 

PNC owns approximately 71% of BlackRock and we consolidate BlackRock into our financial statements. Accordingly, approximately 29% of BlackRock’s earnings is recognized as minority interest expense in the Consolidated Statement of Income. BlackRock financial information in Item 7 of this Report is presented on a stand-alone basis. The market value of our BlackRock shares was approximately $3.5 billion at December 31, 2004, while the book value at that date was $.6 billion.

 

PFPC

PFPC earned $70 million for 2004 and $64 million for 2003. The higher earnings were primarily attributable to increased fund servicing revenues, the divestiture of the retirement services business and the acquisition of ADVISORport, Inc., both executed in 2003. Improved results for 2004 also reflected net new and expanded business, expense savings initiatives and debt management.

 

PFPC’s accounting/administration net fund assets increased 10% and custody fund assets increased 12% as of December 31, 2004 compared with the balances at December 31, 2003. The increases were driven by improved equity market conditions, net new business and asset inflows from existing clients.

 

Other

The “Other” net loss for 2004 was $27 million compared with a net loss of $100 million in 2003. Equity management gains in 2004 and the comparative effect of $87 million of after-tax charges related to the DOJ agreement reflected in the 2003 amounts more than offset the impact of lower net securities gains in 2004. The decline in “Other” revenue for 2004 compared with the prior year was primarily due to a decline in net interest income from asset and liability management activities and the impact of the second quarter 2004 sale of our vehicle leasing business.

 

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CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF INCOME REVIEW

 

NET INTEREST INCOME – OVERVIEW

Changes in net interest income and margin result from the interaction of the volume and composition of earning assets and related yields, interest-bearing liabilities and related rates paid, and noninterest-bearing sources.

 

See Statistical Information – Average Consolidated Balance Sheet and Net Interest Analysis in Item 8 of this Report for additional information.

 

NET INTEREST INCOME – GAAP RECONCILIATION

The interest income earned on certain assets is completely or partially exempt from federal income tax. As such, these tax-exempt instruments typically yield lower returns than a taxable investment. In order to provide more meaningful comparisons of yields and margins for all earning assets, the interest income earned on tax-exempt assets has been increased to make them fully equivalent to other taxable interest income investments.

 

A reconciliation of net interest income as reported in the Consolidated Statement of Income (GAAP basis) to net interest income on a taxable-equivalent basis follows (in millions):

 

     For the year ended December 31,

     2004    2003    2002

Net interest income, GAAP

basis

   $1,969    $1,996    $2,197

Taxable-equivalent adjustment

   20    10    13
    
  
  

Net interest income, taxable-

equivalent basis

   $1,989    $2,006    $2,210

 

NET INTEREST MARGIN

The net interest margin was 3.22% for 2004, a decline of 42 basis points compared with 2003. The following factors contributed to the decline in net interest margin in 2004:

 

    The low interest rate environment that persisted through 2004 resulted in the average yield on loans declining by 47 basis points for 2004 compared with 2003. The decline in loan yields was attributable to the level of interest rates, the repricing mix of our loan portfolio, competitive pricing pressure on commercial loans, more aggressive pricing on home equity loans and the sale of the vehicle leasing portfolio.
    While the average yield on loans declined 47 basis points as described above, the average rate paid on deposits declined only seven basis points in 2004 compared with the prior year. The average rate paid on money market accounts, the largest single component of interest-bearing deposits, increased 13 basis points, reflecting the increase in short-term interest rates that began in mid-2004. The increase in the average rate paid on money market accounts was more than offset by declines in average rates paid on other interest-bearing deposits, resulting in the net decline of seven basis points in the average rate paid on interest-bearing deposits during 2004.
    To the extent that securities were sold, prepaid or matured and were replaced, the average yield on our securities portfolio declined. This decline totaled 36 basis points for 2004 compared with 2003.
    See Note 18 Capital Securities of Subsidiary Trusts in the Notes To Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Report regarding the impact of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. (“SFAS”) 150, “Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments with Characteristics of both Liabilities and Equity,” and FIN 46 on the accounting for these instruments and the related impact on interest expense during 2003 and 2004. Consolidated net interest margin was negatively impacted by 13 basis points in 2004 and five basis points for 2003 resulting from the accounting for these instruments.

 

The impact of the United National acquisition on 2004 taxable-equivalent net interest income and net interest margin partially offset the factors described above. United National added approximately $123 million of net interest income and eight basis points to the net interest margin during 2004.

 

See Consolidated Statement of Income Review under the 2003 Versus 2002 section of Item 7 of this Report for further information regarding 2002 taxable-equivalent net interest income and margin.

 

PROVISION FOR CREDIT LOSSES

The provision for credit losses was $52 million for 2004 compared with $177 million for 2003. The significant decline in the provision for credit losses compared with the prior year was primarily due to the overall improvement in the credit quality of the loan portfolio during 2004. This improved credit quality reflected a 46% decline in nonperforming loans since December 31, 2003 and a reduction in problems related to performing credits. The favorable impact of these factors on the provision was partially offset by the impact of overall loan growth in 2004. We expect the provision for credit losses to be higher in 2005 as a result of anticipated loan growth.

 

See Allowances for Loan And Lease Losses And Unfunded Loan Commitments And Letters of Credit in the Credit Risk Management portion of the Risk Management section of Item 7 of this Report for additional information regarding factors impacting the provision for credit losses.

 

NONINTEREST INCOME

 

Summary

Noninterest income totaled $3.563 billion for 2004 compared with $3.257 billion for 2003, an increase of $306 million, or 9%.

 

 

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Higher noninterest income in 2004 reflected the following:

 

    An increase of $188 million, or 12%, in asset management and fund servicing fees combined,
    Equity management gains of $67 million in 2004 compared with equity management losses of $25 million in the prior year,
    Pretax gains totaling $57 million from three sale transactions that occurred during the first half of 2004 as described in the analysis of other noninterest income below, and
    The impact of the addition of United National’s business, which contributed approximately $21 million of noninterest income during 2004.

 

Lower net securities gains, lower trading revenue included in other noninterest income and lower gains from loan sales partially offset the impact of these positive factors in the comparison with 2003.

 

Additional Analysis

Combined asset management and fund servicing fees totaled $1.811 billion for 2004, an increase of $188 million compared with 2003. This increase reflected growth in assets managed and serviced, partially due to improved equity market conditions that began in 2003 and continued into 2004.

 

Consolidated assets under management were $383 billion at December 31, 2004, an increase of $29 billion from December 31, 2003, primarily due to growth in assets managed by BlackRock. PFPC provided fund accounting/administration services for $721 billion of net fund investment assets at December 31, 2004 compared with $654 billion at December 31, 2003. PFPC also provided custody services for $451 billion of fund investment assets at December 31, 2004, an increase of $50 billion from the prior year-end. Net new business, comparatively improved equity market conditions and asset inflows from existing clients all contributed to the increases in the PFPC statistics.

 

Service charges on deposits totaled $252 million for 2004, an increase of $13 million or 5% compared with 2003. Additional checking relationships, which increased 8% as of December 31, 2004, drove the improvement in this area.

 

Brokerage fees totaled $219 million for 2004 and $184 million for 2003. The 19% increase compared with 2003 reflected higher non-trade, fee-based brokerage revenue.

 

Consumer services fees grew 5% in 2004, to $264 million, compared with the prior year. Higher fees for 2004 were partially due to additional fees from debit card transactions that reflected higher volumes, including the impact of United National customers, partially offset by the impact of the sale of certain out-of-footprint ATMs.

 

Visa settled litigation in 2003 with major retailers regarding pricing and usage of customer debit cards. The settlement effectively lowered prices paid by merchants to Visa and its member banks beginning August 1, 2003. Although PNC was not a defendant in the litigation, the settlement lowered future revenue from certain debit card transactions. The lost revenue impact to PNC in 2004 was approximately $10 million and for 2003 was approximately $6 million.

 

Corporate services revenue was $473 million for 2004, a decline of $12 million or 2% compared with 2003. Net gains in excess of valuation adjustments related to our liquidation of institutional loans held for sale are reflected in this line item and totaled $52 million for 2004 compared with $69 million for 2003. As the liquidation of institutional loans held for sale is essentially complete, any additional gains in 2005 will be minimal. Higher fees related to an increase in commercial mortgage servicing activities and higher letters of credit fees partially offset the decline in net gains on institutional loans held for sale compared with the prior year.

 

Equity management (private equity activities) net gains on portfolio investments totaled $67 million for 2004 compared with net losses of $25 million for 2003. See Private Equity Asset Valuation in the Critical Accounting Policies And Judgments section and Market Risk Management – Equity And Other Investment Risk in the Risk Management section of Item 7 of this Report for further information.

 

Net securities gains were $55 million in 2004 compared with $116 million in 2003. Net securities gains for 2003 included $25 million related to the liquidation that year of the three entities formed in 2001 in the PAGIC transactions.

 

Other noninterest income totaled $422 million for 2004, an increase of $38 million or 10% compared with 2003. Other noninterest income typically fluctuates from year to year depending on the nature and magnitude of transactions completed. Other noninterest income for 2004 included the following:

 

    A $34 million pretax gain related to the sale of our modified coinsurance contracts as described under DIG B36 Impact on 2003 Results and 2004 Sale of Modified Coinsurance Contracts below,
    A $13 million pretax gain recognized during the second quarter of 2004 in connection with BlackRock’s sale of its interest in Trepp LLC, and
    A $10 million pretax gain related to the first quarter 2004 sale of certain investment consulting activities of the Hawthorn unit of PNC Advisors.

 

In addition to these items, the increase in other noninterest income for 2004 compared with the prior year included the recognition of $25 million of private equity dividends in 2004 and the comparative impact of $12 million related to the mid-2003 adoption of FIN 46.

 

Partially offsetting the impact of these items on other noninterest income was a $7 million decline in leasing revenue resulting from the 2004 sale of our vehicle leasing business and a $14 million decline in the component of trading revenue included in other noninterest income for 2004 compared with the prior year. See Trading Risk within the Risk Management section of Item 7 of this Report and Note 8 Trading Activities in the Notes To Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Report for additional information.

 

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DIG B36 IMPACT ON 2003 RESULTS AND 2004 SALE OF MODIFIED COINSURANCE CONTRACTS

As required by the FASB, effective October 1, 2003 we adopted the provisions of Derivatives Implementation Group Statement 133 Implementation Issue No. B36, “Embedded Derivatives: Modified Coinsurance Arrangements and Debt Instruments That Incorporate Credit Risk Exposures That Are Unrelated or Only Partially Related to the Creditworthiness of the Obligor under Those Instruments” (“DIG B36”), for our annuity coinsurance agreements. Our initial adoption of the provisions of DIG B36 to existing coinsurance agreements as of October 1, 2003 was reported in our Consolidated Statement of Income as the cumulative effect of an accounting change and reduced both fourth quarter and full year 2003 net income by $28 million, or $.10 per diluted share. Subsequent to initial adoption, other noninterest income increased by $8 million in the fourth quarter of 2003 as a result of DIG B36.

 

During the first quarter of 2004, we recognized a $34 million pretax gain on the sale of our modified coinsurance contracts. We continue to sell various annuity products from which we earn commission income as further described under Product Revenue below.

 

PRODUCT REVENUE

Wholesale Banking offers treasury management, capital markets, commercial loan servicing and equipment leasing products that are marketed by several businesses across PNC.

 

Treasury management revenue, which includes fees as well as revenue from customer deposit balances, totaled $373 million for 2004 compared with $360 million 2003. Treasury management revenue has increased due to the longer-term nature of treasury management deposits and increased product sales, partially offset by the industry shift toward electronic payment service, which has lower revenue per item than check payment service.

 

Consolidated revenue from capital markets totaled $140 million for 2004 and $119 million for 2003. The revenue growth was driven primarily by increased client-related trading revenue and increased loan syndication fees.

 

Midland Loan Services offers servicing and technology solutions for the commercial real estate finance industry. Midland’s revenue, which includes fees as well as revenue from servicing deposit balances, totaled $108 million in 2004 compared with $96 million for 2003. The revenue growth was driven primarily by growth in the servicing portfolio and related services.

 

Consolidated revenue from equipment leasing products totaled $84 million for both 2004 and 2003. We changed our product mix during 2004 as we no longer engage in higher spread, cross-border leases but have shifted to more traditional leasing products.

 

As a component of our advisory services to clients, we provide a select set of insurance products to fulfill specific customer financial needs. Primary insurance offerings include:

 

    Annuities,
    Credit life,
    Health,
    Disability, and
    Commercial lines coverage.

 

Client segments served by these insurance solutions include those in PNC Advisors, Regional Community Banking and Wholesale Banking. Insurance products are sold by PNC-licensed insurance agents and through licensed third-party arrangements. We recognized revenue of $65 million in 2004 and $54 million in 2003. The increase in revenue compared with the prior year reflects the recognition of 100% of annuity sales commissions that began in 2004 following the sale of our annuity reinsurance contracts.

 

Additionally, through our subsidiary companies, PNC Insurance Corp. and Alpine Indemnity Limited, we act as a reinsurer for credit life and accident and health insurance provided to customers of our subsidiaries. We also write, assume and cede insurance for property, workers’ compensation, commercial general liability and automobile liability of PNC and its affiliates.

 

In the normal course of business PNC Insurance Corp. and Alpine Indemnity Limited maintain insurance reserves for reported claims and for claims incurred but not reported based on actuarial assessments.

 

NONINTEREST EXPENSE

Total noninterest expense was $3.735 billion for 2004, an increase of $259 million or 7% compared with $3.476 billion in 2003. The efficiency ratio was 68% for 2004 and 66% for 2003.

 

Noninterest expense for 2004 included the following:

 

    Pretax charges totaling $110 million, including $96 million recorded in the third quarter, associated with the BlackRock LTIP. Total LTIP charges were comprised of $102 million of compensation expense, $2 million of employee benefits and $6 million of “Other” noninterest expense;
    Costs totaling approximately $78 million resulting from our first quarter 2004 acquisition of United National, including approximately $11 million of conversion-related and other nonrecurring costs. The impact of these costs was reflected in several noninterest expense line items in our Consolidated Statement of Income and was included almost entirely in the Regional Community Banking business segment;
    A $22 million reduction in the benefit of accretion related to a discounted PFPC client contract liability that ended during the second quarter of 2004;

 

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    The fourth quarter 2004 benefit of $9 million resulting from the settlement of certain claims related to the 2001 PAGIC transactions;
    Expenses totaling $8 million in connection with the sale of our vehicle leasing business during the second quarter of 2004; and
    A $6 million impairment charge on an intangible asset related to the orderly liquidation of a particular fund managed by BlackRock. We recognized this charge during the first quarter of 2004.

 

In addition to these items, the increase in noninterest expense for 2004 compared with the prior year included the impact of the following items, which had no effect on 2004 consolidated net income:

 

    An increase of $30 million related to the mid-2003 adoption of FIN 46, and
    An increase of $22 million in PFPC out-of-pocket and pass-through expenses which are offset in noninterest income.

 

Noninterest expense for 2003 included the impact of the following items:

 

    Expenses totaling $120 million recognized in connection with a subsidiary’s second quarter 2003 agreement with the DOJ, including $5 million of related legal and consulting costs;
    Costs totaling $29 million paid in connection with our 2003 liquidation of the three entities formed in 2001 in the PAGIC transactions. The impact of these costs was mostly offset by related net securities gains included in noninterest income;
    Distributions on capital securities totaling $28 million;
    Facilities charges totaling $25 million related to leased space consistent with the requirements of SFAS 146, “Accounting for Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities;” and
    A $25 million benefit from the vehicle leasing settlement during the fourth quarter of 2003, as described in the Consolidated Balance Sheet Review section of this Report.

 

Apart from the items described above, noninterest expense for 2004 increased $169 million compared with 2003. Higher expenses in 2004 were primarily attributable to higher sales-based compensation, stock-based incentive compensation and marketing costs. These charges more than offset the benefit of lower pension expense in the comparison and an $87 million incremental benefit in 2004 from efficiency initiatives.

 

We expect that the cost of our executive risk insurance will decrease in 2005 relative to the current level. We expensed approximately $28 million related to this insurance in 2004 and expect 2005 expense to total approximately $20 million.

 

Executive risk insurance includes the following types of coverage:

 

    Financial institution bond,
    Directors and officers liability,
    Professional and fiduciary liability, and
    Employment practices liability.

 

We expect to recognize a benefit to earnings from our pension plan activity in 2005 compared with expense in 2004. See the Status of Defined Benefit Pension Plan section of Item 7 of this Report for further information.

 

EFFECTIVE TAX RATE

Our effective tax rate for 2004 was 30.8% compared with 33.7% for 2003. The decrease in the effective tax rate in 2004 was primarily attributable to the following:

 

    A reduced state and local tax expense due to tax benefits of $18 million recorded in connection with New York state and city audits, principally associated with BlackRock,
    A $14 million reduction in income tax expense following our determination in the third quarter of 2004 that we no longer required an income tax reserve related to bank-owned life insurance, and
    The $8 million tax effect of the non-deductible component of the second quarter 2003 expenses related to the DOJ agreement.

 

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CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET REVIEW

 

SUMMARIZED BALANCE SHEET DATA

 

December 31 – in millions    2004    2003

Assets

         

Loans, net of unearned income

   $43,495    $36,303

Securities available for sale and held to maturity

   16,761    15,690

Loans held for sale

   1,670    1,400

Other

   17,797    14,775

Total assets

   $79,723    $68,168

Liabilities

         

Funding sources

   $65,233    $56,694

Other

   6,513    4,367

Total liabilities

   71,746    61,061

Minority and noncontrolling interests in consolidated entities

   504    462

Total shareholders’ equity

   7,473    6,645

Total liabilities, minority and noncontrolling interests, and shareholders’ equity

   $79,723    $68,168

 

The summarized balance sheet data above is based upon our Consolidated Balance Sheet in Item 8 of this Report.

 

The $11.6 billion increase in total assets at December 31, 2004 compared with December 31, 2003 was primarily driven by the following:

 

    The impact of our January 2004 acquisition of United National,
    Organic growth in total loans,
    Increases in other assets, other short-term investments and goodwill, and
    A larger securities portfolio.

 

An analysis of changes in selected balance sheet categories follows.

 

LOANS, NET OF UNEARNED INCOME

Loans increased $7.2 billion, or 20%, as of December 31, 2004 compared with December 31, 2003. The increase in total loans reflected the following:

 

    Home equity loans increased $2.9 billion, reflecting organic growth and the purchase of approximately $660 million of home equity loans in early 2004,
    Demand for commercial loans grew during the year, reflected in the $2.4 billion increase in this loan category, and
    Automobile and other consumer loans combined increased $.8 billion.

 

The favorable impact of these factors on our loan balances was partially offset by the effect of the sale of the vehicle leasing portfolio in 2004. We added $1.9 billion of loans with the United National acquisition in 2004, as reflected in various loan categories.

 

Details Of Loans

December 31 – in millions    2004     2003  

Commercial

            

Retail/wholesale

   $5,095     $4,327  

Manufacturing

   4,092     3,786  

Service providers

   2,201     1,867  

Real estate related

   1,762     1,303  

Financial services

   1,129     1,169  

Health care

   503     403  

Communications

   62     93  

Other

   2,594     2,134  

Total commercial

   17,438     15,082  

Commercial real estate

            

Real estate projects

   1,460     1,392  

Mortgage

   520     432  

Total commercial real estate

   1,980     1,824  

Consumer

            

Home equity

   12,734     9,790  

Automobile

   836     585  

Other

   2,036     1,480  

Total consumer

   15,606     11,855  

Residential mortgage

   4,772     2,886  

Lease financing

            

Equipment

   3,907     3,935  

Vehicles

   189     1,212  

Total lease financing

   4,096     5,147  

Other

   505     518  

Unearned income

   (902 )   (1,009 )

Total, net of unearned income

   $43,495     $36,303  

 

As the table above indicates, the loans that we hold continued to be diversified among numerous industries and types of businesses. The loans that we hold are also diversified across the geographic areas where we do business.

 

As shown in the table below, the types of commercial loans and unfunded commitments in our Wholesale Banking business remained concentrated in investment grade equivalent exposure and secured lending.

 

Wholesale Banking Lending Statistics (a)

December 31 – in millions    2004     2003  

Portfolio composition-total exposure

            

Investment grade equivalent or better

   52 %   52 %

Non-investment grade (secured lending)

   24     25  

Non-investment grade (other)

   24     23  

Total

   100 %   100 %

Client relationships >$50 million-total exposure

   $13,695     $12,396  

Client relationships >$50 million-customers

   151     138  
(a) Includes amounts for customers of Market Street.

 

Cross-border Leases and Related Tax Matters

The equipment lease portfolio totaled $3.9 billion at December 31, 2004 and included approximately $1.7 billion of cross-border leases. Cross-border leases are primarily leveraged leases of equipment located in foreign countries, primarily in western Europe and Australia. We no longer enter into new cross-border lease transactions.

 

 

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Aggregate residual value at risk on the total commercial lease portfolio at December 31, 2004 was $1.1 billion. We have taken steps to mitigate $.7 billion of this residual risk, including residual value insurance coverage with third parties, third party guarantees, and other actions. Approximately $.4 billion of this risk was unmitigated at December 31, 2004.

 

The American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 (“AJCA”) limits the tax deductions that may be taken in a given year related to certain lease transactions, including the types of cross-border lease transactions that we have previously entered into. However, AJCA impacts only cross-border lease transactions entered into after March 12, 2004. All of our cross-border lease transactions were entered into prior to this date and are therefore not affected by AJCA. While only transactions entered into after March 12, 2004 are specifically impacted, AJCA is clear that no inference should be drawn as to the proper tax treatment of transactions entered into on or before this date. Thus, the tax treatment of existing transactions is still subject to challenge by the IRS.

 

As part of the audit of our 1998-2000 consolidated federal income tax returns, the IRS has proposed adjustments to the following cross-border lease transactions that we have previously entered into:

 

    Two lease-in, lease-out transactions,
    Seven qualified technological equipment leases, and
    Three lease-to-service contract transactions.

 

The proposed adjustments would reverse the tax treatment of these transactions as we reported them on our filed tax returns. We believe the method used to report these transactions in our filed tax returns is supported by appropriate tax law and intend to pursue resolution of the matter through the appropriate IRS administrative appeal remedies. While we cannot predict with certainty the result of pursuing the administrative appeal remedies, any resolution would most likely involve a change in the timing of tax deductions which in turn, depending on the exact resolution, could significantly impact the economics of these transactions. However, we believe our reserves for this exposure were adequate at December 31, 2004.

 

Further, the FASB has begun to consider whether any change in the timing of tax benefits associated with these transactions should result in a recalculation under SFAS 13, “Accounting for Leases,” and whether a lessor should re-evaluate the classification of a leveraged lease when a recalculation of the lease is performed. In March 2005, the FASB directed its staff to issue a proposed staff position on this issue. If the FASB ultimately decides companies must recalculate and re-evaluate leveraged lease classification, the impact on us could be material. For example, a cumulative adjustment to earnings could be required and the leases may no longer qualify as leveraged leases. Since the FASB has not finalized any guidance and we have not reached any settlement with the IRS, we cannot currently estimate the potential impact.

 

Even though we intend to pursue resolution with the IRS through administrative appeal remedies, it is possible we will be unable to reach a settlement. If we are unable to reach settlement, we will evaluate other options, including litigation. There is, of course, no guarantee as to the outcome of litigation.

 

In addition to the transactions described above, two lease-to-service contract transactions that we were party to were structured as partnerships for tax purposes. We have been informed that the partnerships are under audit by the IRS. However, we do not believe that our exposure from these transactions is material to our consolidated results of operations or financial position.

 

The IRS is also beginning an audit of our 2001-2003 consolidated federal income tax returns. We expect them to again propose adjustments to the cross-border lease transactions described above as well as to new cross-border lease transactions entered in these years.

 

VEHICLE AND AIRCRAFT LEASING BUSINESSES

During the fourth quarter of 2003, we recognized the benefit of a $25 million settlement related to our vehicle leasing business. We reached this settlement with insurance carriers regarding certain residual value claims for which a reserve had been provided in 2001.

 

During the second quarter of 2004, we completed the sale of our subsidiary, PNC Vehicle Leasing LLC, and the related vehicle lease portfolio and other assets. In connection with this transaction, we also terminated our related residual insurance policies with our remaining residual insurance carrier. As a result of these actions, we have completed the exit of the consumer vehicle leasing business, including our related exposures to the used vehicle market and the payment of future residual insurance claims. We recognized a pretax net loss of $3 million related to this sale during the second quarter of 2004.

 

On September 1, 2004, we acquired the business of the Aviation Finance Group, LLC (“AFG”), an Idaho-based company that specializes in loans to finance private aircraft. Historically, AFG has originated a diversified loan portfolio with average individual loan balances of approximately $2 million and a loan-to-value ratio below 70%. AFG’s loan volume has exceeded $150 million annually over the past few years. By combining the business of AFG with our existing business, we expect to increase our ability to offer a variety of loans and leasing products to corporate aircraft customers. See Note 3 Acquisitions in the Notes To Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Report for additional information.

 

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Net Unfunded Credit Commitments

 

December 31 – in millions    2004    2003

Commercial

   $20,020    $18,065

Consumer

   7,654    5,774

Commercial real estate

   1,199    767

Education loans

   279    252

Lease financing

   153    85

Institutional lending repositioning

   3    85

Other

   38    155

Total

   $29,346    $25,183

 

Commitments to extend credit represent arrangements to lend funds or provide liquidity subject to specified contractual conditions. Commercial commitments are reported net of participations, assignments and syndications, primarily to financial institutions, totaling $6.7 billion at December 31, 2004 and $6.4 billion at December 31, 2003.

 

The increase in consumer net unfunded commitments at December 31, 2004 compared with the balance at December 31, 2003 was primarily due to net unfunded commitments related to organic growth, our first quarter 2004 purchase of a portfolio of home equity loans and the acquisition of United National.

 

Unfunded credit commitments related to Market Street totaled $962 million at December 31, 2004 and $911 million at December 31, 2003 and are included in the preceding table primarily within the “Commercial” and “Consumer” categories. See the Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements And Consolidated VIEs section of Item 7 and Note 2 Variable Interest Entities in the Notes To Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Report for further information regarding Market Street.

 

In addition to credit commitments, our net outstanding standby letters of credit totaled $3.7 billion at December 31, 2004 and $4.0 billion at December 31, 2003. Standby letters of credit commit us to make payments on behalf of our customers if specified future events occur.

 

Securities

 

Details Of Securities

 

In millions   

Amortized

Cost

  

Fair

Value

December 31, 2004

             

SECURITIES AVAILABLE FOR SALE

             

Debt securities

             

U.S. Treasury and government agencies

   $ 4,735    $ 4,722

Mortgage-backed

     8,506      8,433

Commercial mortgage-backed

     1,380      1,370

Asset-backed

     1,910      1,901

State and municipal

     175      176

Other debt

     33      33

Corporate stocks and other

     123      125

Total securities available for sale

   $ 16,862    $ 16,760

SECURITIES HELD TO MATURITY

             

Debt securities

             

Asset-backed

     $1      $1

Total securities held to maturity

     $1      $1

December 31, 2003

             

SECURITIES AVAILABLE FOR SALE

             

Debt securities

             

U.S. Treasury and government agencies

   $ 3,402    $ 3,416

Mortgage-backed

     5,889      5,814

Commercial mortgage-backed

     3,248      3,310

Asset-backed

     2,698      2,692

State and municipal

     133      135

Other debt

     55      57

Corporate stocks and other

     259      264

Total securities available for sale

   $ 15,684    $ 15,688

SECURITIES HELD TO MATURITY

             

Debt securities

             

Asset-backed

     $2      $2

Total securities held to maturity

     $2      $2

 

Securities represented 21% of total assets at December 31, 2004 compared with 23% at December 31, 2003. The increase in total securities compared with December 31, 2003 was primarily due to increases in U.S. Treasury and government agencies and mortgage-backed securities, partially offset by declines in commercial mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities.

 

At December 31, 2004, the securities available for sale balance included a net unrealized loss of $102 million, which represented the difference between fair value and amortized cost. The comparable amount at December 31, 2003 was a net unrealized gain of $4 million. The impact on bond prices of increases in interest rates during 2004 was reflected in the net unrealized loss position at December 31, 2004.

 

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The fair value of securities available for sale decreases when interest rates increase and vice versa. Further increases in interest rates after December 31, 2004, if sustained, will adversely impact the fair value of securities available for sale in 2005 compared with the balance at year end. Net unrealized gains and losses in the securities available for sale portfolio are included in accumulated other comprehensive income or loss, net of tax.

 

The expected weighted-average life of securities available for sale was 2 years and 8 months at December 31, 2004 compared with 2 years and 11 months at December 31, 2003. We estimate the effective duration of securities available for sale is 2.7 years for an immediate 50 basis points parallel increase in interest rates and 2.3 years for an immediate 50 basis points parallel decrease in interest rates.

 

LOANS HELD FOR SALE

Education loans held for sale totaled $1.1 billion at December 31, 2004 and $1.0 billion at December 31, 2003 and represented the majority of our loans held for sale at each date. We classify substantially all of our education loans as loans held for sale. Generally, we sell education loans when the loans are placed into repayment status. Gains on sales of education loans totaled $30 million for 2004, $20 million for 2003 and $23 million for 2002. These gains are reflected in the “Other” noninterest income line item in our Consolidated Statement of Income and in the results of the Regional Community Banking segment.

 

Loans held for sale remaining from our 2001 institutional lending repositioning totaled $5 million at December 31, 2004 and $70 million at December 31, 2003. Our liquidation of institutional loans held for sale resulted in net gains in excess of valuation adjustments of $52 million in 2004, $69 million in 2003 and $147 million in 2002. These gains are reflected in the Corporate Services line item in our Consolidated Statement of Income and in the results of the Wholesale Banking business segment. As the liquidation of institutional loans held for sale is essentially complete, any additional gains in 2005 will be minimal.

 

OTHER ASSETS

The increase of $3.0 billion in “Assets-Other” in the “Summarized Balance Sheet Data” table above includes an increase of $1.1 billion in other short-term investments and the impact of a $.6 billion increase in goodwill. Goodwill recorded in connection with the 2004 United National acquisition totaled $553 million and $35 million of goodwill was recorded during the third quarter of 2004 related to the AFG acquisition.

 

CAPITAL AND FUNDING SOURCES

 

Details Of Funding Sources

 

December 31 – in millions    2004    2003

Deposits

         

Money market

   $21,250    $19,398

Demand

   15,996    14,861

Retail certificates of deposit

   9,969    8,142

Savings

   2,851    2,114

Other time

   833    380

Time deposits in foreign offices

   2,370    346

Total deposits

   53,269    45,241

Borrowed funds

         

Federal funds purchased

   219    169

Repurchase agreements

   1,376    1,081

Bank notes and senior debt

   2,383    2,823

Subordinated debt

   4,050    3,729

Commercial paper (a)

   2,251    2,226

Other borrowed funds

   1,685    1,425

Total borrowed funds

   11,964    11,453

Total

   $65,233    $56,694
(a) Attributable to Market Street.

 

Total funding sources increased $8.5 billion, or 15%, from December 31, 2003. This increase reflected the impact of the following 2004 developments:

 

    Our United National acquisition,
    An 8% increase in checking relationships,
    An increase in time deposits in foreign offices that reflected our increased use of eurodollar deposits as a short-term funding mechanism,
    The issuance of $500 million of 18 month, floating rate bank notes in September 2004 and $500 million of 5.25% subordinated bank notes due 2017 in December 2004, and
    An increase in other short-term borrowings to fund asset growth.

 

These increases were partially offset by debt maturities of $2.4 billion during 2004.

 

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Capital

We manage our capital position by making adjustments to our balance sheet size and composition, issuing debt and equity instruments, making treasury stock transactions, maintaining dividend policies and retaining earnings.

 

The increase of $.8 billion, to $7.5 billion, in total shareholders’ equity at December 31, 2004 compared with the prior year-end was primarily attributable to $360 million of common stock issued as part of the January 2004 United National acquisition and a higher retention of earnings through 2004 in anticipation of the SSRM acquisition by BlackRock and the pending acquisition of Riggs. Partially offsetting this increase was a decline in the fair value of securities available for sale and cash flow hedge derivatives due to the impact of rising interest rates that began during the second quarter of 2004 and continued into the latter half of the year. These fair value changes are captured in the accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) component of shareholders’ equity. See Note 26 Comprehensive Income in the Notes To Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Report for additional information.

 

Common shares outstanding at December 31, 2004 were 282.6 million, an increase of 6 million over December 31, 2003, principally due to the issuance of common shares for the acquisition of United National.

 

In January 2002, the Board of Directors authorized us to purchase up to 35 million shares of our common stock through February 29, 2004. Under this program, we purchased 10.8 million common shares during 2003 at a total cost of $507.8 million and .7 million shares at a total cost of $41.5 million during 2004.

 

In February 2004, the Board of Directors authorized the purchase of up to 20 million shares of our common stock in open market or privately negotiated transactions. The 2004 repurchase authorization was a replacement and continuation of the prior repurchase program. Under this program, we purchased 3.0 million common shares during 2004 at a total cost of $165.6 million.

 

As of February 16, 2005, the 2004 program was terminated, and a new program to purchase up to 20 million shares was authorized. This program will remain in effect until fully utilized or until modified, superseded or terminated. The extent and timing of share repurchases under the 2005 program will depend on a number of factors including, among others, market and general economic conditions, economic and regulatory capital considerations, alternative uses of capital, and the potential impact on our credit rating. The pending acquisition of Riggs and BlackRock’s acquisition of SSRM will cause us to constrain share purchases over the next several quarters as we seek to maintain our capital position.

 

Risk-Based Capital

 

December 31 – dollars in millions    2004     2003  

Capital components

                

Shareholders’ equity

                

Common

   $ 7,465     $ 6,636  

Preferred

     8       9  

Trust preferred capital securities (a)

     1,194       1,148  

Minority interest

     226       246  

Goodwill and other intangibles

     (3,112 )     (2,498 )

Net unrealized securities losses (gains)

     66       (3 )

Net unrealized losses (gains) on cash flow hedge derivatives

     (6 )     (48 )

Equity investments in nonfinancial companies

     (32 )     (34 )

Other, net

     (15 )     (19 )

Tier 1 risk-based capital

     5,794       5,437  

Subordinated debt

     1,924       1,742  

Eligible allowance for credit losses

     683       716  

Other, net

             2  

Total risk-based capital

   $ 8,401     $ 7,897  

Assets

                

Risk-weighted assets, including off-balance-sheet instruments and market risk equivalent assets

   $ 64,539     $ 57,271  

Adjusted average total assets

     75,757       66,591  

Capital ratios

                

Tier 1 risk-based (b)

     9.0 %     9.5 %

Total risk-based (b)

     13.0       13.8  

Leverage

     7.6       8.2  

Tangible common

     5.7       6.3  
(a) See Note 18 Capital Securities of Subsidiary Trusts in the Notes To Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Report regarding the deconsolidation of trust preferred securities at December 31, 2003 under GAAP. However, these securities remained a component of Tier 1 risk-based capital at December 31, 2004 and December 31, 2003 based upon guidance from the Federal Reserve.
(b) The federal banking agencies jointly issued a final rule amending their risk-based capital standards regarding the capital treatment for certain asset-backed commercial paper programs. This final rule ended the regulatory capital relief previously granted through July 1, 2004 with respect to the Market Street conduit. The impact on our risk-based capital ratios with respect to the Market Street conduit is minimal at December 31, 2004 but the ratios may decrease slightly after the transition period ends September 30, 2005.

 

The access to, and cost of, funding new business initiatives including acquisitions, the ability to engage in expanded business activities, the ability to pay dividends, the level of deposit insurance costs, and the level and nature of regulatory oversight depend, in part, on a financial institution’s capital strength. The declines in the capital ratios at December 31, 2004 compared with the ratios at December 31, 2003 reflected the growth in our Consolidated Balance Sheet during 2004.

 

At December 31, 2004, each of our banking subsidiaries was considered “well capitalized” based on regulatory capital ratio requirements. See the Supervision And Regulation section of Item 1 of this Report and Note 4 Regulatory Matters in the Notes To Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Report for additional information. We believe our bank subsidiaries will continue to meet these requirements in 2005.

 

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OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS AND VIES

 

We engage in a variety of activities that involve unconsolidated entities or that are otherwise not reflected in our Consolidated Balance Sheet that are generally referred to as “off-balance sheet arrangements.” The following sections of this Report provide further information on these types of activities:

 

    Commitments, including contractual obligations and other commitments, included within the Risk Management section of Item 7 of this Report, and
    Note 28 Commitments and Guarantees included in the Notes To Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Report.

 

The following provides a summary of variable interest entities (“VIEs”), including those that we have consolidated into our financial statements and those that remained unconsolidated as of December 31, 2004.

 

At December 31, 2004 and December 31, 2003, the aggregate assets and debt of VIEs that we have consolidated in our financial statements are as follows:

 

Consolidated VIEs – PNC Is Primary Beneficiary

 

In millions    Aggregate
Assets
   Aggregate
Debt

December 31, 2004

         

Market Street

   $2,167    $2,167

Partnership interests in low income housing projects

   504    504

Other

   13    10

Total consolidated VIEs

   $2,684    $2,681

December 31, 2003

         

Market Street

   $2,146    $2,146

Partnership interests in low income housing projects

   436    436

Total consolidated VIEs

   $2,582    $2,582

 

    Market Street is a multi-seller asset-backed commercial paper conduit that is independently owned and managed. The activities of Market Street are limited to the purchase of, or making of, loans secured by interests primarily in pools of receivables from U.S. corporations that desire access to the commercial paper market. Market Street funds the purchase or making of loans by issuing commercial paper. Market Street’s commercial paper has been rated A1/P1 by Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s. We hold no ownership interest in Market Street, but are considered to be the primary beneficiary. All of Market Street’s assets at December 31, 2004 and 2003 collateralize the commercial paper obligations. These assets are primarily classified as loans on our consolidated balance sheet. Neither creditors nor equity investors in Market Street have any recourse to the general credit of PNC. Market Street results are reflected in our Wholesale Banking segment.
    Certain equity investments are made by us in various limited partnerships that sponsor affordable housing projects utilizing the Low Income Housing Tax Credit pursuant to Section 42 of the Internal Revenue Code. The purpose of these investments is to achieve a satisfactory return on capital, to facilitate the sale of additional affordable housing product offerings and to assist PNC in achieving goals associated with the Community Reinvestment Act. The primary activities of the limited partnerships include the identification, development and operation of multi-family housing that is leased to qualifying residential tenants. Generally, these types of investments are funded through a combination of debt and equity, with equity typically comprising 30% to 60% of the total project capital. We own a majority of the limited partnership interests in these entities. We also consolidated certain entities in which we, as a national syndicator of affordable housing equity, serves as the general partner (together with the aforementioned limited partnership investments, the “LIHTC investments”), and no other entity owns a majority of the limited partnership interests. In these syndication transactions, we create funds in which our subsidiary is the general partner and sells limited partnership interests to third parties, and in some cases may also purchase a limited partnership interest in the fund. The fund’s limited partners can generally remove the general partner without cause at any time. The purpose of this business is to generate income from the syndication of these funds and to generate servicing fees from the management of the funds. General partner activities include selecting, evaluating, structuring, negotiating, and closing the fund’s investments in operating limited partnerships, as well as oversight of the ongoing operations of the fund portfolio. The assets are primarily included in other assets on our consolidated balance sheet. Neither creditors nor equity investors in the LIHTC investments have any recourse to the general credit of PNC. The LIHTC investments are reflected in our Wholesale Banking segment.

 

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We also hold significant variable interests in other VIEs that have not been consolidated because we are not considered the primary beneficiary. Information on these VIEs follows:

 

Non-Consolidated VIEs – Significant Variable Interests

 

In millions   Aggregate
Assets
 

Aggregate

Debt

 

PNC Equity/

Maximum Equity
Exposure

December 31, 2004

           

Collateralized debt obligations (a)

  $3,152   $2,700   $36

Private investment funds (a)

  1,872   125   33

Other partnership interests in low income housing projects

  37   28   4

Total significant variable interests

  $5,061   $2,853   $73

December 31, 2003

           

Collateralized debt obligations (a)

  $2,740   $2,370   $38

Private investment funds (a)

  375   227   5

Other partnership interests in low income housing projects

  41   30   5

Private investment funds (managed by Hawthorn unit) (b)

  1,144   1,144   3

Total significant variable interests

  $4,300   $3,771   $51
(a) Held by BlackRock.
(b) Management of the funds was transferred as part of the sale of certain investment consulting activities of PNC Advisors’ Hawthorn unit during first quarter 2004.

 

    BlackRock is involved with various entities in the normal course of business that may be deemed to be VIEs and may hold interests therein, including investment advisory agreements and equity securities, which may be considered variable interests. BlackRock engages in these transactions principally to address client needs through the launch of collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”) and private investment funds. BlackRock has not been deemed the primary beneficiary of these entities.
    We have a significant variable interest in certain other limited partnerships that sponsor affordable housing projects. We do not own a majority of the limited partnership interests in these entities and are not the primary beneficiary. We use the equity method to account for our investment in these entities.

 

We also have subsidiaries that invest in and act as the investment manager for a private equity fund that is organized as a limited partnership as part of our equity management activity. The fund invests in private equity investments to generate capital appreciation and profits. As permitted by FIN 46, we have deferred applying the provisions of the interpretation for this entity pending further action by the FASB. Information on this entity follows:

 

Investment Company Accounting – Deferred Application

 

In millions   Aggregate
Assets
  Aggregate
Equity
  PNC Equity/
Maximum Equity
Exposure

December 31, 2004

           

Private Equity Fund

  $78   $76   $20

December 31, 2003

           

Private Equity Fund

  $53   $52   $13

 

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REVIEW OF BUSINESSES

 

We operate five major businesses engaged in providing banking, asset management and global fund processing products and services. Banking businesses include regional community banking, wholesale banking and wealth management.

 

Our treasury management activities, which include cash and investment management, receivables management, disbursement services and global trade services; capital markets products, which include foreign exchange, derivatives and loan syndications; and equipment leasing products are offered through Wholesale Banking and marketed by several businesses across PNC.

 

Results of individual businesses are presented based on our management accounting practices and our operating structure. There is no comprehensive, authoritative body of guidance for management accounting equivalent to generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”); therefore, the financial results of individual businesses are not necessarily comparable with similar information for any other company. We refine our methodologies from time to time as our management accounting practices are enhanced and our businesses change. Financial results are presented, to the extent practicable, as if each business operated on a stand-alone basis.

 

We changed our financial reporting for our business segments beginning with first quarter 2004 reporting and restated all prior period amounts to conform with the new methodology. The principal changes to our segment reporting are as follows:

 

    We replaced the assignment of securities or funds to balance net assets for each business segment with a funds transfer pricing methodology.
    We removed the impact of our asset and liability management function from the business segments. This is now reflected in the results of “Other.”
    The Wholesale Banking business segment captures the results that were previously reported separately as Corporate Banking, PNC Real Estate Finance and PNC Business Credit to more accurately reflect the integrated operating strategy of this business.
    We have implemented a new capital measurement methodology based on the concept of economic capital for Regional Community Banking, Wholesale Banking, PNC Advisors and PFPC. However, we increased the capital assigned to Regional Community Banking to 6% of funds to reflect the capital required for well-capitalized banks and to approximate market comparables for this business. The capital for BlackRock reflects legal entity shareholders’ equity consistent with BlackRock’s separate public financial statement disclosures.

 

We have allocated the allowance for loan and lease losses based on our assessment of risk inherent in the loan portfolios. Our allocation of the costs incurred by operations and other support areas not directly aligned with the businesses is primarily based on the use of services.

 

Total business segment financial results differ from total consolidated results. The impact of these differences is primarily reflected in minority interest in income of BlackRock and in the “Other” category in the Results of Business – Summary table that follows. “Other” includes residual activities that do not meet the criteria for disclosure as a separate reportable business, such as asset and liability management activities, related net securities gains, equity management activities, differences between business segment performance reporting and financial statement reporting (GAAP), corporate overhead and intercompany eliminations. Business segment results, including inter-segment revenues, are included in Note 25 Segment Reporting in the Notes To Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Report.

 

“Other Information” included in the tables that follow is presented as of period end, except for the following which represent amounts for the periods presented: net charge-offs and the related annualized net charge-off percentage; home equity portfolio credit statistics; gains on sales of education loans; average small business deposits; consolidated revenue from treasury management, capital markets and Midland Loan Services; and average full-time equivalent employees (“FTEs”). FTE statistics as reported by business reflect staff directly employed by the respective businesses and exclude corporate and shared services employees. Prior period FTE amounts generally are not restated for organizational changes.

 

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Table of Contents

Results Of Businesses – Summary

 

     Earnings

    Revenue

   Return on
Capital (b)


   Average Assets (c)

Year ended December 31 – dollars in millions    2004     2003     2004    2003    2004    2003    2004    2003

Banking businesses

                                         

Regional Community Banking

   $504     $477     $2,073    $1,892    21%    21%    $21,741    $16,749

Wholesale Banking

   443     391     1,271    1,282    26    20    22,073    21,023

PNC Advisors

   106