NOTE 25 – Earnings Per Share (“EPS”)

Basic EPS is computed by dividing earnings available to common shareholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding. Diluted EPS reflects the potential dilution that could occur if securities or other contracts to issue common stock were exercised or converted into common stock or resulted in the issuance of common stock that then shared in the earnings of the entity. Diluted earnings per share include dilutive stock options and stock units under the treasury stock method.

The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015 (in thousands, except per share data):

	Year Ended December 31,
	2017		2016		2015
Net income	$	182,871	$	81,520	$	92,336
Preferred dividends		9,375		3,906		—
Net income available to common shareholders	$	173,496	$	77,614	$	92,336
Shares for basic and diluted calculation:
Average shares used in basic computation		68,562		66,871		68,543
Dilutive effect of stock options and units ⁽¹⁾		12,473		10,692		10,011
Average shares used in diluted computation		81,035		77,563		78,554
Earnings per common share:
Basic	$	2.53	$	1.16	$	1.35
Diluted	$	2.14	$	1.00	$	1.18

⁽¹⁾	Diluted earnings per share is computed on the basis of the weighted-average number of shares of common stock plus the effect of dilutive potential common shares outstanding during the period using the treasury stock method. Diluted earnings per share include stock options and units.

For the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015, the anti-dilutive effect from restricted stock units was immaterial.