8-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C.  20549

FORM 8-K

Current Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of

the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):  October 26, 2011

CAPITOL BANCORP LTD.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

____________________________

Michigan (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) 001-31708 (Commission File No.) 38-2761672 (IRS Employer Identification No.)

Capitol Bancorp Center

200 Washington Square North, Lansing, Michigan 48933

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)  (Zip Code)

(517) 487-6555

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

Not Applicable

(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

o Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

o Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

ITEM 7.01 REGULATION FD DISCLOSURE.

The 2011 annual meeting of shareholders of Capitol Bancorp Ltd. (“Capitol”), a Michigan corporation, will be held on December 8, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. at the Capitol Bancorp Center, 200 N. Washington Square, Lansing, Michigan.  Shareholders of Capitol’s common stock on November 4, 2011, the record date, will be entitled to vote at the annual meeting.  It is expected that proxy materials will be mailed to shareholders on or about November 10, 2011.

A copy of the press release announcing the annual meeting is attached as an Exhibit to this report.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits

(d)   Exhibits

99.1  Press Release of Capitol Bancorp Ltd. dated October 26, 2011.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

            Date:    October 26, 2011 CAPITOL BANCORP LTD. (Registrant)     /s/ Cristin K. Reid                                                                       Cristin K. Reid Corporate President

INDEX TO EXHIBITS

Exhibit No.	Description of Exhibit
99.1	Press Release dated October 26, 2011

EX-99.1

EXHIBIT 99.1

       Capitol Bancorp Center 200 Washington Square North Lansing, MI 48933   2777 East Camelback Road Suite 375 Phoenix, AZ 85016 www.capitolbancorp.com                                              

Analyst Contact:     Media Contact: Michael M. Moran Chief of Capital Markets 877-884-5662   Stephanie Swan Director of Shareholder Services 517-372-7402

Capitol Bancorp Limited Announces Annual Meeting Date

LANSING, Mich., and PHOENIX, Ariz.: October 26, 2011: Capitol Bancorp Limited (“Capitol”) (OTCQB: CBCR) announced today that it will host its annual shareholders' meeting at 11:00 a.m. (ET) on Thursday, December 8, 2011 at the Capitol Bancorp Center, 200 N. Washington Square, Lansing, Michigan.  Shareholders of Capitol’s common stock on November 4, 2011, the record date, will be entitled to vote at the annual meeting.

About Capitol Bancorp Limited

Capitol is a community banking company with a national network of bank operations in 12 states.  Founded in 1988, Capitol has executive offices in Lansing, Michigan and Phoenix, Arizona.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this announcement contain forward-looking statements that are based on management's expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions.  Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "plans," "believes," "scheduled," "estimates" and variations of these words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.  Forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended.  These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks and uncertainties, which are difficult to predict.  Therefore, actual future results and trends may differ materially from what is forecast in forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors.

All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release.All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to the company or any person acting on the Corporation's behalf are qualified by the cautionary statements in this press release.  The Corporation does not undertake any obligation to update or publicly release any revisions to forward-looking statements to reflect events, circumstances or changes in expectations after the date of this announcement.