Restriction on Cash, Dividends and Other Capital Actions	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2018
Restriction On Cash
Restriction on Cash, Dividends and Other Capital Actions	3. RESTRICTIONS ON CASH, DIVIDENDS AND OTHER CAPITAL ACTIONS Reserve Requirement The FRB, under Regulation D, requires that banks hold cash in reserve against deposit liabilities when total reservable deposit liabilities are greater than the regulatory exemption, known as the reserve requirement. The reserve requirement is calculated based on a two-week average of daily net transaction account deposits as defined by the FRB and may be satisfied with average vault cash during the following two-week maintenance period. When vault cash is not sufficient to meet the reserve requirement, the remaining amount must be satisfied with average funds held at the FRB. At both December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Bancorp’s banking subsidiary reserve requirement was $1.5 billion. Additionally, the Bancorp’s banking subsidiary average reserve requirement was $1.5 billion and $1.4 billion in 2018 and 2017, respectively. Restrictions on Cash Dividends The principal source of income and funds for the Bancorp (parent company) are dividends from its subsidiaries. The dividends paid by the Bancorp’s banking subsidiary are subject to regulations and limitations prescribed by state and federal supervisory agencies. The Bancorp’s banking subsidiary paid the Bancorp’s nonbank subsidiary holding company, which in turn paid the Bancorp $1.9 billion and $2.3 billion in dividends during the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The Bancorp’s nonbank-subsidiaries are also limited by certain federal and state statutory provisions and regulations covering the amount of dividends that may be paid in any given year. Capital Actions In 2011 the FRB adopted the capital plan rule, which requires BHCs with consolidated assets of $50 billion or more to submit annual capital plans to the FRB for review. Under the rule, these capital plans must include detailed descriptions of the following: the BHC’s internal processes for assessing capital adequacy; the policies governing capital actions such as common stock issuances, dividends and share repurchases; and all planned capital actions over a nine-quarter planning horizon. Further, each BHC must also report to the FRB the results of stress tests conducted by the BHC under a number of scenarios that assess the sources and uses of capital under baseline and stressed economic scenarios. The FRB launched the 2018 stress testing program and CCAR on February 1, 2018, with submissions of stress test results and capital plans to the FRB due on April 5, 2018, which the Bancorp submitted as required. The FRB’s review of the capital plan assessed the comprehensiveness of the capital plan, the reasonableness of the assumptions and the analysis underlying the capital plan. Additionally, the FRB reviewed the robustness of the capital adequacy process, the capital policy and the Bancorp’s ability to maintain capital above each minimum regulatory capital ratio on a pro forma basis under expected and stressful conditions throughout the planning horizon. On June 28, 2018, the Bancorp announced the results of its capital plan submitted to the FRB as part of the 2018 CCAR. For BHCs that proposed capital distributions in their plans, the FRB either objected to the plan or provided a non-objection whereby the FRB permitted the proposed capital distributions. The FRB indicated to the Bancorp that it did not object to the following capital actions for the period beginning July 1, 2018 and ending June 30, 2019: The increase in the quarterly common stock dividend to $0.22 from $0.18 beginning in the fourth quarter of 2018 and to $0.24 beginning in the second quarter of 2019, a 33% increase over the then current dividend rate; The repurchase of common shares in an amount up to $1.651 billion, or a 42% increase over the 2017 capital plan. These repurchases include $81 million in repurchases related to share issuances under employee benefit plans and $53 million in repurchases related to previously-recognized TRA transaction after-tax gains; The additional ability to repurchase common shares in the amount of any after-tax capital generated from the sale of Worldpay, Inc. common stock; The additional ability to repurchase common shares in the amount of any after-tax cash income generated from the termination and settlement of gross cash flows from existing TRAs with Worldpay, Inc. or potential future TRAs that may be generated from additional sales of Worldpay, Inc. On May 21, 2018, the Bancorp announced the planned acquisition of MB Financial, Inc. As a result of this transaction, the FRB required the Bancorp to resubmit its CCAR plan recognizing the pro forma impact of the combined Fifth Third/MB Financial, Inc. post-merger entity. On October 5, 2018, Fifth Third resubmitted its capital plan to the FRB. On December 27, 2018, the FRB indicated to the Bancorp that it did not object to the resubmitted capital plan. The resubmitted capital plan called for no change to the originally submitted total capital actions over the 2018 CCAR approval horizon (the third quarter of 2018 through the second quarter of 2019). However, the share repurchase authority increased from $1.651 billion to $1.81 billion as a result of after-tax gains related to the sale of Worldpay, Inc. common stock. The Bancorp recognized a gain of $414 million in the first quarter of 2018 when Vantiv, Inc. completed its previously announced acquisition of Worldpay Group plc. with the resulting combined company named Worldpay, Inc., associated with the dilution in its ownership interest in Worldpay Holding, LLC. Additionally, the Bancorp recognized a gain on the sale of Worldpay, Inc. shares of $205 million during the second quarter of 2018. The Bancorp also entered into accelerated share repurchase and open market share repurchase transactions during the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017. For more information related to these transactions, refer to Note 18 and Note 22. In the fourth quarter of 2018, the Bancorp increased the quarterly common stock dividend to $0.22.

Reserve Requirement

The FRB, under Regulation D, requires that banks hold cash in reserve against deposit liabilities when total reservable deposit liabilities are greater than the regulatory exemption, known as the reserve requirement. The reserve requirement is calculated based on a two-week average of daily net transaction account deposits as defined by the FRB and may be satisfied with average vault cash during the following two-week maintenance period. When vault cash is not sufficient to meet the reserve requirement, the remaining amount must be satisfied with average funds held at the FRB. At both December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Bancorp’s banking subsidiary reserve requirement was $1.5 billion. Additionally, the Bancorp’s banking subsidiary average reserve requirement was $1.5 billion and $1.4 billion in 2018 and 2017, respectively.

Restrictions on Cash Dividends

The principal source of income and funds for the Bancorp (parent company) are dividends from its subsidiaries. The dividends paid by the Bancorp’s banking subsidiary are subject to regulations and limitations prescribed by state and federal supervisory agencies. The Bancorp’s banking subsidiary paid the Bancorp’s nonbank subsidiary holding company, which in turn paid the Bancorp $1.9 billion and $2.3 billion in dividends during the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The Bancorp’s nonbank-subsidiaries are also limited by certain federal and state statutory provisions and regulations covering the amount of dividends that may be paid in any given year.

Capital Actions

In 2011 the FRB adopted the capital plan rule, which requires BHCs with consolidated assets of $50 billion or more to submit annual capital plans to the FRB for review. Under the rule, these capital plans must include detailed descriptions of the following: the BHC’s internal processes for assessing capital adequacy; the policies governing capital actions such as common stock issuances, dividends and share repurchases; and all planned capital actions over a nine-quarter planning horizon. Further, each BHC must also report to the FRB the results of stress tests conducted by the BHC under a number of scenarios that assess the sources and uses of capital under baseline and stressed economic scenarios. The FRB launched the 2018 stress testing program and CCAR on February 1, 2018, with submissions of stress test results and capital plans to the FRB due on April 5, 2018, which the Bancorp submitted as required.

The FRB’s review of the capital plan assessed the comprehensiveness of the capital plan, the reasonableness of the assumptions and the analysis underlying the capital plan. Additionally, the FRB reviewed the robustness of the capital adequacy process, the capital policy and the Bancorp’s ability to maintain capital above each minimum regulatory capital ratio on a pro forma basis under expected and stressful conditions throughout the planning horizon.

On June 28, 2018, the Bancorp announced the results of its capital plan submitted to the FRB as part of the 2018 CCAR. For BHCs that proposed capital distributions in their plans, the FRB either objected to the plan or provided a non-objection whereby the FRB permitted the proposed capital distributions. The FRB indicated to the Bancorp that it did not object to the following capital actions for the period beginning July 1, 2018 and ending June 30, 2019:

The increase in the quarterly common stock dividend to $0.22 from $0.18 beginning in the fourth quarter of 2018 and to $0.24 beginning in the second quarter of 2019, a 33% increase over the then current dividend rate;
The repurchase of common shares in an amount up to $1.651 billion, or a 42% increase over the 2017 capital plan. These repurchases include $81 million in repurchases related to share issuances under employee benefit plans and $53 million in repurchases related to previously-recognized TRA transaction after-tax gains;
The additional ability to repurchase common shares in the amount of any after-tax capital generated from the sale of Worldpay, Inc. common stock;
The additional ability to repurchase common shares in the amount of any after-tax cash income generated from the termination and settlement of gross cash flows from existing TRAs with Worldpay, Inc. or potential future TRAs that may be generated from additional sales of Worldpay, Inc.

On May 21, 2018, the Bancorp announced the planned acquisition of MB Financial, Inc. As a result of this transaction, the FRB required the Bancorp to resubmit its CCAR plan recognizing the pro forma impact of the combined Fifth Third/MB Financial, Inc. post-merger entity. On October 5, 2018, Fifth Third resubmitted its capital plan to the FRB. On December 27, 2018, the FRB indicated to the Bancorp that it did not object to the resubmitted capital plan. The resubmitted capital plan called for no change to the originally submitted total capital actions over the 2018 CCAR approval horizon (the third quarter of 2018 through the second quarter of 2019). However, the share repurchase authority increased from $1.651 billion to $1.81 billion as a result of after-tax gains related to the sale of Worldpay, Inc. common stock.

The Bancorp recognized a gain of $414 million in the first quarter of 2018 when Vantiv, Inc. completed its previously announced acquisition of Worldpay Group plc. with the resulting combined company named Worldpay, Inc., associated with the dilution in its ownership interest in Worldpay Holding, LLC. Additionally, the Bancorp recognized a gain on the sale of Worldpay, Inc. shares of $205 million during the second quarter of 2018. The Bancorp also entered into accelerated share repurchase and open market share repurchase transactions during the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017. For more information related to these transactions, refer to Note 18 and Note 22. In the fourth quarter of 2018, the Bancorp increased the quarterly common stock dividend to $0.22.