Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

Data Dictionary

Item Number A101

Call confidentiality applies to FFIEC 031/041.

Data Description:

Includes all cash dividends declared on limited-life and perpetual preferred stock by the nonbank subsidiary during the calendar year-to-date, including dividends not payable until after the report date. Excludes dividends declared during the previous calendar year but paid in the current period. A liability for dividends payable may not be accrued in advance of the formal declaration of a dividend by the boards of directors. However, the nonbank subsidiary may segregate a portion of retained earnings in the form of a capital reserve in anticipation of the declaration of a dividend. Cash dividends are payments of cash to stockholders in proportion to the number of shares they own. Cash dividends on preferred and common stock are to be reported on the date they are declared by the nonbank subsidiary's board of directors (the declaration date) by debiting "retained earnings" and crediting "dividends declared not yet payable," which is reported in other liabilities. Upon payment of the dividend, "dividends declared not yet payable" is debited for the amount of the cash dividend with an offsetting credit, normally in an equal amount, to "dividend checks outstanding." NOTE: Reported on Changes in Equity Capital for the FR Y-11I (BHCC) report. Reported on Changes in Equity Capital for the FR Y-11Q (BHCS) report.