Dividends

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Dividends Disclosure [Abstract]

Dividends

NOTE 20 – Dividends

The ability of the Company to pay cash dividends is dependent upon receiving cash in the form of dividends from the Bank. The dividends that may be paid by the Bank to the Company are subject to legal limitations and regulatory capital requirements. The approval of the OCC is required if the total of all dividends declared by a national bank in any calendar year exceeds the total of its net profits for that year combined with its retained net profits for the preceding two years, less any required transfers to surplus.

Also, the payment of cash dividends on the Company’s common stock by the Company in the future will be subject to certain other legal and regulatory limitations (including the requirement that the Company’s capital be maintained at certain minimum levels) and will be subject to ongoing review by banking regulators. The Federal Reserve has issued a policy statement regarding the payment of dividends by bank holding companies. In general, the Federal Reserve’s policies provide that dividends should be paid only out of current earnings and only if the prospective rate of earnings retention by the bank holding company appears consistent with the organization’s capital needs, asset quality and overall financial condition. Further, as long as shares of our Series T Preferred Stock are outstanding, no dividends may be paid on our common stock unless all dividends on the Series T Preferred Stock have been paid in full. The Series T Preferred Stock is entitled to cumulative dividends at a rate of 5% per annum for the first five years until 2014, and 9% per annum thereafter.

On January 15, 2013, the Company’s Board of Directors approved a ten percent stock dividend to the Company’s shareholders. The record date was February 1, 2013 and the distribution date was February 15, 2013. On January 17, 2012, the Company’s Board of Directors also approved a ten percent stock dividend to the Company’s shareholders. The record date was February 3, 2012 and the distribution date was February 17, 2012. Earnings per share and average shares outstanding have been adjusted to reflect the stock dividend in our Consolidated Statements of Income.