Regulatory matters

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2021

Regulatory Capital Requirements [Abstract]

Regulatory matters

24.    Regulatory matters

Payment of dividends by M&T’s banking subsidiaries is restricted by various legal and regulatory limitations. Dividends from any banking subsidiary to M&T are limited by the amount of earnings of the banking subsidiary in the current year and the preceding two years. For purposes of this test, at December 31, 2021, approximately $1.6 billion was available for payment of dividends to M&T from banking subsidiaries. M&T may pay dividends and repurchase stock only in accordance with a capital plan that the Federal Reserve Board has not objected to.

Banking regulations prohibit extensions of credit by the subsidiary banks to M&T unless appropriately secured by assets. Securities of affiliates are not eligible as collateral for this purpose.

  M&T and its subsidiary banks are required to comply with applicable capital adequacy regulations established by the federal banking agencies. Failure to meet minimum capital requirements can result in certain mandatory, and possibly additional discretionary, actions by regulators that, if undertaken, could have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements. Pursuant to the rules in effect as of December 31, 2021, the required minimum and well capitalized capital ratios are as follows:

				Well
	Minimum			Capitalized
M&T (Consolidated)
Common equity Tier 1 ("CET1") to risk-weighted assets		4.5	%
Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets		6.0	%		6.0	%
Total capital to risk-weighted assets		8.0	%		10.0	%
Leverage — Tier 1 capital to average total assets, as defined		4.0	%
				Well
	Minimum			Capitalized
Bank Subsidiaries
CET1 to risk-weighted assets		4.5	%		6.5	%
Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets		6.0	%		8.0	%
Total capital to risk-weighted assets		8.0	%		10.0	%
Leverage — Tier 1 capital to average total assets, as defined		4.0	%		5.0	%

In addition, pursuant to capital regulations M&T and its bank subsidiaries are each currently required to maintain a capital buffer of 2.5% composed entirely of CET1 on top of the minimum risk-weighted asset ratios.

The capital ratios and amounts of the Company and its banking subsidiaries as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 are presented below:

	M&T (Consolidated)			M&T Bank			Wilmington Trust, N.A.
	(Dollars in thousands)
December 31, 2021:
CET1 capital
Amount	$	11,844,833		$	12,378,354		$	779,521
Ratio(a)		11.42	%		11.98	%		31.22	%
Tier 1 capital
Amount		13,594,782			12,378,354			779,521
Ratio(a)		13.11	%		11.98	%		31.22	%
Total capital
Amount		15,902,833			14,170,434			780,791
Ratio(a)		15.33	%		13.71	%		31.27	%
Leverage
Amount		13,594,782			12,378,354			779,521
Ratio(b)		8.87	%		8.11	%		6.23	%
December 31, 2020:
CET1 capital
Amount	$	10,623,368		$	11,550,462		$	630,574
Ratio(a)		10.00	%		10.90	%		46.57	%
Tier 1 capital
Amount		11,873,317			11,550,462			630,574
Ratio(a)		11.17	%		10.90	%		46.57	%
Total capital
Amount		14,207,937			13,373,416			632,506
Ratio(a)		13.37	%		12.62	%		46.72	%
Leverage
Amount		11,873,317			11,550,462			630,574
Ratio(b)		8.48	%		8.27	%		10.73	%

(a) The ratio of capital to risk-weighted assets, as defined by regulation.

(b) The ratio of capital to average assets, as defined by regulation.