Shareholders' equity

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2013

Equity [Abstract]

Shareholders' equity

6. Shareholders’ equity

M&T is authorized to issue 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock with a $1.00 par value per share. Preferred shares outstanding rank senior to common shares both as to dividends and liquidation preference, but have no general voting rights.

Issued and outstanding preferred stock of M&T is presented below:

	Shares issued and outstanding		Carrying value March 31,  2013		Carrying value December 31, 2012
			(dollars in thousands)
Series A (a)
Fixed Rate Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series A, $1,000 liquidation preference per share		230,000	$	227,711	$	226,965
Series C (a)(b)
Fixed Rate Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series C, $1,000 liquidation preference per share		151,500		146,916		145,535
Series D (c)
Fixed Rate Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series D, $10,000 liquidation preference per share		50,000		500,000		500,000

(a) Shares were originally issued as part of the Troubled Asset Relief Program – Capital Purchase Program (“TARP”) of the U.S. Department of Treasury (“U.S. Treasury”). Cash proceeds were allocated between the preferred stock and a ten-year warrant to purchase M&T common stock (Series A – 1,218,522 common shares at $73.86 per share, Series C – 407,542 common shares at $55.76 per share). The U.S. Treasury sold all of the shares of M&T preferred stock that it held in August 2012. In connection with that sale, the terms of the preferred stock were modified such that dividends, if declared, will accrue and be paid quarterly at a rate of 5% per year through November 14, 2013 and at 6.375% thereafter, and that M&T will not redeem the preferred shares until on or after November 15, 2018. In December 2012, the U.S. Treasury sold to other investors the Series A warrants for $26.50 per warrant. In March 2013, the U.S. Treasury exercised the Series C warrants in a “cashless” exercise, resulting in the issuance of 186,589 common shares.

(b) Shares were assumed in an acquisition and a new Series C Preferred Stock was designated.

(c) Shares were issued on May 31, 2011. Dividends, if declared, will be paid semi-annually at a rate of 6.875% per year. The shares are redeemable in whole or in part on or after June 15, 2016. Notwithstanding M&T’s option to redeem the shares, if an event occurs such that the shares no longer qualify as Tier 1 Capital, M&T may redeem all of the shares within 90 days following that occurrence.

In addition to the Series A and Series C warrants mentioned in (a) above, a ten-year warrant to purchase 95,383 shares of M&T common stock at $518.96 per share was outstanding at March 31, 2013 and December 31, 2012.