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EX-99.1 - CHAIRMAN'S LETTER TO SHAREHOLDERS - PNC FINANCIAL SERVICES GROUP, INC.d311213dex991.htm

 

 

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): March 7, 2012

 

 

THE PNC FINANCIAL SERVICES GROUP, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Pennsylvania   001-09718   25-1435979
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
  (Commission File Number)   (IRS Employer
Identification Number)

One PNC Plaza

249 Fifth Avenue

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-2707

(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)

(412) 762-2000

(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:

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

 


Item 2.02. Results of Operations and Financial Condition.

On February 29, 2012, The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (the “Corporation”) filed the Corporation’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 and posted that 2011 Form 10-K on its website at www.pnc.com/secfilings. On March 7, 2012, the Corporation posted its Chairman’s Letter to Shareholders together with the 2011 Form 10-K in the Investor Relations section of its website at www.pnc.com/investorrelations. A copy of this Chairman’s Letter to Shareholders is included in this Report as Exhibit 99.1 and is furnished herewith.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

We make statements in this Report, including in Exhibit 99.1 hereto, and we may from time to time make other statements, regarding our outlook for earnings, revenues, expenses, capital levels and ratios, liquidity levels, asset levels, asset quality and other matters regarding or affecting PNC and its future business and operations that are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as “believe,” “plan,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “see,” “look,” “intend,” “outlook,” “project,” “forecast,” “estimate,” “goal,” “will,” “should” and other similar words and expressions. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties, which change over time.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made. We do not assume any duty and do not undertake to update forward-looking statements. Actual results or future events could differ, possibly materially, from those anticipated in forward-looking statements, as well as from historical performance.

Our forward-looking statements are subject to the following principal risks and uncertainties. We provide greater detail regarding some of these factors in our 2011 Form 10-K, including in the Risk Factors and Risk Management sections of that report. Our forward-looking statements may also be subject to other risks and uncertainties, including those that we may discuss in our other filings with the SEC (accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and on or through our corporate website at www.pnc.com/secfilings). We have included web addresses here and elsewhere in this Report as inactive textual references only. Information on these websites is not part of this Report.

 

   

Our businesses, financial results and balance sheet values are affected by business and economic conditions, including the following:

 

   

Changes in interest rates and valuations in debt, equity and other financial markets.

 

   

Disruptions in the liquidity and other functioning of U.S. and global financial markets.

 

   

The impact on financial markets and the economy of the downgrade by Standard & Poor’s of U.S. Treasury obligations and other U.S. government-backed debt, as well as issues surrounding the level of U.S. and European government debt and concerns regarding the creditworthiness of certain sovereign governments in Europe.

 

   

Actions by Federal Reserve, U.S. Treasury and other government agencies, including those that impact money supply and market interest rates.

 

   

Changes in customers’, suppliers’ and other counterparties’ performance and creditworthiness.

 

   

Slowing or failure of the current moderate economic recovery.

 

   

Continued effects of aftermath of recessionary conditions and uneven spread of positive impacts of recovery on the economy and our counterparties, including adverse impacts on levels of unemployment, loan utilization rates, delinquencies, defaults and counterparty ability to meet credit and other obligations.


   

Changes in customer preferences and behavior, whether due to changing business and economic conditions, legislative and regulatory initiatives, or other factors.

 

   

Our forward-looking financial statements are subject to the risk that economic and financial market conditions will be substantially different than we are currently expecting. These statements are based on our current view that the modest economic expansion will persist in 2012 and interest rates will remain very low.

 

   

Legal and regulatory developments could have an impact on our ability to operate our businesses, financial condition, results of operations, competitive position, reputation, or pursuit of attractive acquisition opportunities. Reputational impacts could affect matters such as business generation and retention, liquidity, funding, and ability to attract and retain management. These developments could include:

 

   

Changes resulting from legislative and regulatory reforms, including broad-based restructuring of financial industry regulation and changes to laws and regulations involving tax, pension, bankruptcy, consumer protection, and other industry aspects, and changes in accounting policies and principles. We will be impacted by extensive reforms provided for in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and otherwise growing out of the recent financial crisis, the precise nature, extent and timing of which, and their impact on us, remains uncertain.

 

   

Changes to regulations governing bank capital and liquidity standards, including due to the Dodd-Frank Act and to Basel III initiatives.

 

   

Unfavorable resolution of legal proceedings or other claims and regulatory and other governmental investigations or other inquiries. In addition to matters relating to PNC’s business and activities, such matters may include proceedings, claims, investigations, or inquiries relating to pre-acquisition business and activities of acquired companies, such as National City. These matters may result in monetary judgments or settlements or other remedies, including fines, penalties, restitution or alterations in our business practices and in additional expenses and collateral costs, and may cause reputational harm to PNC.

 

   

Results of the regulatory examination and supervision process, including our failure to satisfy requirements of agreements with governmental agencies.

 

   

Impact on business and operating results of any costs associated with obtaining rights in intellectual property claimed by others and of adequacy of our intellectual property protection in general.

 

   

Business and operating results are affected by our ability to identify and effectively manage risks inherent in our businesses, including, where appropriate, through effective use of third-party insurance, derivatives, and capital management techniques, and to meet evolving regulatory capital standards. In particular, our results currently depend on our ability to manage elevated levels of impaired assets.

 

   

Business and operating results also include impacts relating to our equity interest in BlackRock, Inc. and rely to a significant extent on information provided to us by BlackRock. Risks and uncertainties that could affect BlackRock are discussed in more detail by BlackRock in its SEC filings.


   

Our acquisition of RBC Bank (USA) presents us with risks and uncertainties related both to the acquisition itself and to the integration of the acquired businesses into PNC, including:

 

   

Anticipated benefits of the transaction, including cost savings and strategic gains, may be significantly harder or take longer to achieve than expected or may not be achieved in their entirety as a result of unexpected factors or events.

 

   

Our ability to achieve anticipated results from this transaction is dependent also on the extent of credit losses in the acquired loan portfolios and the extent of deposit attrition, in part related to the state of economic and financial markets. Also, litigation and regulatory and other governmental investigations that may be filed or commenced, as a result of this transaction or otherwise, could impact the timing or realization of anticipated benefits to PNC.

 

   

Integration of RBC Bank (USA)’s business and operations into PNC may take longer than anticipated or be substantially more costly than anticipated or have unanticipated adverse results relating to RBC Bank (USA)’s or PNC’s existing businesses. PNC’s ability to integrate RBC Bank (USA) successfully may be adversely affected by the fact that this transaction results in PNC entering several markets where PNC did not previously have any meaningful retail presence.

 

   

In addition to the RBC Bank (USA) transaction, we grow our business in part by acquiring from time to time other financial services companies, financial services assets and related deposits and other liabilities. These other acquisitions often present risks and uncertainties analogous to those presented by the RBC Bank (USA) transaction. Acquisition risks include those presented by the nature of the business acquired as well as risks and uncertainties related to the acquisition transactions themselves, regulatory issues, and the integration of the acquired businesses into PNC after closing.

 

   

Competition can have an impact on customer acquisition, growth and retention and on credit spreads and product pricing, which can affect market share, deposits and revenues. Industry restructuring in the current environment could also impact our business and financial performance through changes in counterparty creditworthiness and performance and in the competitive and regulatory landscape. Our ability to anticipate and respond to technological changes can also impact our ability to respond to customer needs and meet competitive demands.

 

   

Business and operating results can also be affected by widespread disasters, dislocations, terrorist activities or international hostilities through impacts on the economy and financial markets generally or on us or our counterparties specifically.

 

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

(d) Exhibits. The exhibit listed on the Exhibit Index accompanying this Form 8-K is furnished herewith.


SIGNATURE

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.

 

   

THE PNC FINANCIAL SERVICES GROUP, INC.

(Registrant)

Date: March 7, 2012     By:   /s/ Gregory H. Kozich         
      Gregory H. Kozich
      Senior Vice President and Controller

 


EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Number

  

Description

   Method of Filing  
99.1    Chairman’s Letter to Shareholders      Furnished herewith.