STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY |
6 Months Ended |
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Jun. 30, 2019 | |
Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract] | |
STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY | NOTE 20 – STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Common Stock
As of June 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, the Corporation had 2,000,000,000 authorized shares of common stock with a par value of $0.10 per share. As of June 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, there were 222,055,625 and 221,789,509 shares issued, respectively, and 217,328,179 and 217,235,140 shares outstanding, respectively. Refer to Note 4 – Stock Based Compensation, for information about transactions related to common stock under the Omnibus Plan.
On May 16, 2019, the Corporation’s Board of Directors, after receiving regulatory approval, declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.03 per common share that was paid on June 14, 2019 to shareholders of record on May 30, 2019. For the quarter and six-month period ended June 30, 2019, total cash dividends declared on shares of common stock amounted to $6.5 million and $13.1 million, respectively. The Corporation has received regulatory approval to pay quarterly dividends on common stock through December 2019, subject to conditions established in the agreement with regulators. The Corporation intends to request approval in future periods to continue quarterly dividend payments on common stock.
Preferred Stock
The Corporation has 50,000,000 authorized shares of preferred stock with a par value of $1.00, redeemable at the Corporation’s option, subject to certain terms. This stock may be issued in series and the shares of each series have such rights and preferences as are fixed by the Board of Directors when authorizing the issuance of that particular series. As of June 30, 2019, the Corporation has five outstanding series of non-convertible, non-cumulative preferred stock: 7.125% non-cumulative perpetual monthly income preferred stock, Series A; 8.35% non-cumulative perpetual monthly income preferred stock, Series B; 7.40% non-cumulative perpetual monthly income preferred stock, Series C; 7.25% non-cumulative perpetual monthly income preferred stock, Series D; and 7.00% non-cumulative perpetual monthly income preferred stock, Series E. The liquidation value per share is $25.
Effective January 17, 2012, the Corporation delisted all of its outstanding series of non-convertible, non-cumulative preferred stock from the New York Stock Exchange. The Corporation has not arranged for listing and/or registration on another national securities exchange or for quotation of the Series A through E Preferred Stock in a quotation medium. In December 2016, for the first time since July 2009, the Corporation paid dividends on its non-cumulative perpetual monthly income preferred stock, after receiving regulatory approval. Since then, the Corporation has continued to pay monthly dividend payments on the non-cumulative perpetual monthly income preferred stock. The Corporation has received regulatory approval to pay the monthly dividends on the Corporation’s Series A through E Preferred Stock through December 2019, subject to conditions established in the agreement with regulators. The Corporation intends to request approval in future periods to continue monthly dividend payments on the non-cumulative perpetual monthly income preferred stock.
On October 3, 2017, the Federal Reserve terminated the Written Agreement entered into on June 3, 2010 by the Corporation and the Federal Reserve. However, the Corporation has agreed with its regulators to continue to obtain approval before paying dividends, receiving dividends from the Bank, making payments on subordinated debt or TRuPs, incurring or guaranteeing debt or purchasing or redeeming any corporate stock. Treasury stock During the first six months of 2019 and 2018, the Corporation withheld an aggregate of 170,827 shares and 424,810 shares, respectively, of the restricted stock that vested during the first six months of 2019 and 2018, and common stock paid to certain senior officers as additional compensation in 2018, to cover employees’ payroll and income tax withholding liabilities; these shares are held as treasury stock. As of June 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, the Corporation had 4,727,446 and 4,554,369 shares held as treasury stock, respectively.
FirstBank Statutory Reserve (Legal Surplus)
The Banking Law of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico requires that a minimum of 10% of FirstBank’s net income for the year be transferred to a legal surplus reserve until such surplus equals the total of paid-in-capital on common and preferred stock. Amounts transferred to the legal surplus reserve from Retained earnings are not available for distribution to the Corporation, including for payment as dividends to the stockholders, without the prior consent of the Puerto Rico Commissioner of Financial Institutions. The Puerto Rico Banking Law provides that, when the expenditures of a Puerto Rico commercial bank are greater than receipts, the excess of the expenditures over receipts must be charged against the undistributed profits of the bank, and the balance, if any, must be charged against the legal surplus reserve, as a reduction thereof. If there is no legal surplus reserve sufficient to cover such balance in whole or in part, the outstanding amount must be charged against the capital account and the Bank cannot pay dividends until it can replenish the legal surplus reserve to an amount of at least 20% of the original capital contributed. During the fourth quarter of 2018, $20.5 million was transferred to the legal surplus reserve. FirstBank’s legal surplus reserve, included as part of Retained earnings in the Corporation’s consolidated statements of financial condition, amounted to $80.2 million as of June 30, 2019. There were transfers to the legal surplus reserve during the first six months of 2019. |