RALPH W. BABB
JR. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Letter to shareholders To Our
Shareholders: The year 2011 was memorable for several reasons. For Comerica,
it was the year we acquired Houston, Texas-based Sterling Bancshares, Inc.,
strengthening our franchise in the Lone Star State. The acquisition virtually
tripled our market share in Houston, provided us entry into the attractive
San Antonio and Kerrville regions, and complemented our banking center
network in Dallas/Fort Worth, while adding about $5 billion in assets, $2
billion in loans and $4 billion in deposits on the closing date of July 28,
2011. We successfully completed systems conversions so that former Sterling
customers can bank at any Comerica banking center and have complete access to
our full line of products and services. We are certainly proud of our
acquisition and extend a warm welcome to the former Sterling customers and
employees who are now a part of the Comerica family. As you can see in the
chart, during this challenging time for our economy we were able to increase
earnings each year since 2009. For 2011, we reported net income of $393
million, an increase of $116 million, or 42 percent, from 2010. Net Income in
millions 2009 2010 2011 $17 $277 $393 We were pleased with our loan growth in
2011, as we had a six percent increase in period-end total loans compared to
2010. We were pleased with our loan growth in 2011, as we had a six percent
increase in period-end total loans compared to 2010. This increase reflected
our acquisition of Sterling and core growth in commercial loans. The 13
percent increase in commercial loans was primarily driven by increases in
Mortgage Banker Finance, Energy Lending, and Technology & Life Sciences,
as well as Middle Market and Global Corporate Banking. We achieved record
period-end total deposits, which were up 18 percent compared to 2010, with
strong growth in all markets and almost all business lines, as well as from
our Sterling acquisition. As you can see by the chart, noninterest-bearing
deposits increased each year since 2009. For 2011, average
noninterest-bearing deposits were up 13 percent compared to 2010. Our net
interest income improved in the second half of the year, and noninterest
income also increased in 2011, compared to 2010. Credit quality improved
significantly in 2011. As a result of this overall improvement in credit
quality, the provision for loan losses declined by more than half to $153
million in 2011, when compared to 2010. Our expenses remained well controlled
in 2011. Excluding costs related to the Sterling acquisition, our non
interest expenses were essentially stable year-over-year. At year-end 2011,
we had $43 billion in total loans, $48 billion in total deposits and $61
billion in total assets, as well as 142 banking centers in Texas, 18 banking
centers in Arizona, 104 banking centers in California, 11 banking centers in
Florida and 218 banking centers in Michigan our primary markets.
Noninterest-bearing Deposits in millions Average Balances Period-end 2009
2010 2011 2011 $12,900 $15,094 $16,994 $19,764
COMERICA INCORPORATED
2011 Annual Report Our capital position has remained solid we had a
tangible common equity ratio of 10.27 percent at December 31, 2011. We
repurchased 4.1 million shares in 2011 as part of our share repurchase
program, and when combined with dividends, we returned 47 percent of 2011 net
income to shareholders. As required, we submitted our 2012-2013 Capital Plan
to the Federal Reserve in January 2012. We expect a response in mid-March
2012. We believe we are approaching the plan from a position of strength. For
our nation, 2011 was quite a challenge. The economy sputtered for most of the
year, with unemployment persistently high and housing prices still soft.
Businesses and consumers remained understandably cautious in 2011. Our chief
economist, Robert Dye, mentioned the fog of uncertainty that hangs over the
U.S. economy and the global financial markets. The financial sector as a
whole experienced stock price declines in 2011 that were disproportionate to
the broader market in 2011. While the S&P 500 Index was unchanged in
2011, the 24-bank Keefe Bank Index (BKX) was down by 25 percent. Comericas
stock trailed the BKX our stock was down 39 percent in 2011 but it is
important to note the approximately 13 percent share dilution from the
Sterling acquisition. Going forward, we expect our acquisition of Sterling to
contribute to our performance in 2012 and beyond. FORGING STRONG CUSTOMER
RELATIONSHIPS FOR 162 YEARS I am extremely proud of our bank and the
professional manner in which our nearly 9,400 colleagues have conducted
themselves in this challenging economic environment. They continue to serve
as trusted advisors to our customers. I believe our success as a bank
reflects the core strength of our relationship banking model. We have forged
long- lasting relationships with our customers over the past 162 years. In a
very real sense, Comerica has grown along with our customers and the country.
We started in Detroit, Michigan in 1849, when it was just a small town. On
opening day the bank, known then as the Detroit Savings Bank Institute, drew
six depositors, including the founders daughter, who opened an account with
$1. Some 130 years and several name changes later, in 1979, we followed
snowbirds from Michigan who retired to Florida and wanted to do business
with a familiar bank. We opened our first loan production office in Texas in
1987 and in the next year began offering a full line of banking services in
the state. We began working with auto dealers in California in the mid-1980s
before the first of several acquisitions in the Golden State, including one
in 2001 that broadened our footprint to also include Arizona. Today, we have
rewarding financial relationships with thousands of companies across our
footprint, including those that span many decades. In addition, many families
have maintained relationships with Comerica for generations. Since 2008, we
also are proud to serve as the U.S. Treasury Departments exclusive financial
agent for the Direct Express® Debit MasterCard®, a prepaid debit card and
electronic payment option for federal benefits, which provides a safe,
convenient alternative to paper checks. Our longevity and success as a bank
is a testament to our strong relationship focus, our conservative principles
and our people the men and women we employ and who serve as our ambassadors
in the community. At year-end 2011, we had more than 900 colleagues with 30
or more years of service to Comerica. Nearly half of our workforce has been
with us for 10 years or more. We are proud to employ people who appreciate
what we have to offer them, in terms of competitive pay and benefits, and who
share our core values and our vision to help businesses and people be
successful. Our employees get to know our customers, which is at the heart of
our relationship banking model. In our Business Bank, getting to know
customers means having relationship managers who are responsive to customer
needs, attentive to details and who understand their customers businesses.
In line with our strong middle market focus, we have considerable expertise
in a number of commercial business lines, including National Dealer Services,
Technology & Life Sciences, Energy Lending, Entertainment, Environmental
Services, and Mortgage Banker Finance, among others. We believe our expertise
in these commercial business lines will assist us in growing loans, deposits
and revenues even in a slow growing economy. For example, within National
Dealer Services we have long-standing relationships with many of the premier
Today, we have rewarding financial relationships with thousands of companies
across our footprint, including those that span many decades.
COMERICA
INCORPORATED 2011 Annual Report These heartening stories of our teamwork and resolve to make a
positive difference in peoples lives are at the heart of our relationship
banking model, and why we have been so successful for so many generations.
automotive dealer groups in the U.S., including five of the seven that are
publicly traded. By year-end 2011, dealers started rebuilding their
inventories and our floor plan loan outstandings started growing again.
Within Technology & Life Sciences, we enjoy strong working relationships
with top tier investors the venture capitalists and private equity firms
that welcome our tailored lending, investment management, treasury management
and foreign exchange services. This is a deposit-rich segment with deposits,
generally, more than three times as large as loans. We are looking forward to
opening a new Technology & Life Sciences office in Houston in 2012 to
capitalize on the growth opportunities in the region. Our Energy Lending
business is focused on a broad spectrum of companies, including those in the
exploration and production segment, as well as midstream and energy services
providers. Average loan outstandings in this business have increased for six
consecutive quarters through December 31, 2011. In short, our experienced
business bankers are uniquely prepared to help customers in these and other
commercial business lines as they strive to achieve their profit forecasts,
expand operations or streamline their back offices with our state-of-the-art
treasury management services. Their success contributes to our success. I am
always heartened by the feedback we receive from our business customers. For
example, a middle market customer in San Jose, California was approached by
three other financial institutions to finance the expansion of a new
facility. The client said he chose to stay with Comerica because he values
the relationships and high level service he receives. Such feedback
reinforces the strength of our customer relationships and illustrates why we
are the business bank of choice for thousands of companies. Comerica is more
than a business bank, however. Our Retail Bank delivers personalized
financial products and services to consumers, entrepreneurs, and owners and
managers of small businesses. Getting to know customers in our Retail Bank
means remembering their likes and dislikes, and serving as their trusted
advisors, such as when we offer them cost-saving ideas and tips to protect
themselves and their families or businesses from identity theft. It also
means understanding the particular challenges they may face, such as with
college expenses and retirement planning, so we can help them reach their
goals. Our reputation as a bank dedicated to outstanding customer service is
one we have earned. In fact, one customer was so impressed with the service he
receives from one of our banking centers in Michigan that, upon noticing the
badge of a Comerica employee who was filling her car with gas, he approached
her simply to praise the banking center team for always recognizing him and
providing quality customer service. He also shared that Comerica is one of
the few companies he recommends to friends and family. Our Wealth Management
area delivers personal wealth management solutions and strategies to high net
worth individuals, particularly those who have more complex needs such as
investments, insurance, and charitable gifting. The Institutional Services
group within Wealth Management works with organizations such as partnerships,
corporations and not-for-profit organizations to provide services such as trust,
custody, investment management, employee benefit plans and business
succession planning. Getting to know our Wealth Management clients means
being in a position to develop a wealth plan for them that is objective,
personally tailored and focused on preserving and managing the assets they
have accumulated. It also means that we are able to articulate asset
management strategies that fit with their investment objectives, while
maximizing their potential returns. When an existing client referred a friend
to us in San Diego, California, our Wealth Management and Middle Market teams
worked quickly to identify ways we could help her reach her personal and
business financial goals. The two teams worked closely together and created a
tailored plan that included personal and commercial credit lines, insurance,
investments and more to address her specific needs. She was so pleased with
our plan that she referred her sister to Comerica. Her sister owns a company
that has been awarded a contract to provide services to the U.S. Navy. She is
moving all of their operating accounts to Comerica and Wealth Management is
beginning to work with her on comprehensive wealth planning. These heartening
stories of our teamwork and resolve to make a positive difference in peoples
lives are at the heart of our relationship banking model, and why we have
been so successful for so many generations.
COMERICA
INCORPORATED 2011 Annual Report STRONG
COMMITMENT TO THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE We also have a strong commitment to
the communities we serve. For Comerica, a commitment to community is
fundamental to who and what we are as a company. In a difficult and
challenging economy, we provided some $9 million in 2011 to not-for-profit
organizations in the markets we serve. For example, we provided grants
totaling $300,000 to seven non-profits throughout California for small
business assistance programs. These grants help increase economic
opportunities for underserved communities, offering a wide range of flexible
financial products and services. Also in California, we donated more than
45,000 school supplies, including 3,500 backpacks, to benefit the more than
10,000 homeless students in the Los Angeles Unified School District. The
supplies were collected at our banking centers throughout greater Los
Angeles. In Texas, we teamed up with non-profits in Dallas and Houston to
open community resource centers, or access points for self-sufficiency,
self-improvement, financial literacy education, job preparation and life
skills in underserved areas. These resource centers now serve as safe places
for children and adults to access the internet, read books and attend
financial empowerment workshops taught by Comerica bankers. In Southern
Dallas, we partnered with the non-profit Project Still I Rise; in Houstons
3rd Ward, we partnered with the non-profit Change Happens to make these
community resource centers a reality. We partnered with the Federal Home Loan
Bank of Dallas in presenting Partnership Grant Program awards to Dallas,
Texas-based City Wide Community Development Corporation, the Fort Worth
Business Assistance Center (BAC Education Foundation) and Housing
Opportunities of Fort Worth, Inc. The grants assist with the operational
needs of these organizations, which are involved in affordable housing and
community development. In Michigan, Comerica is at the forefront of an effort
to improve adult literacy in Metro Detroit. The Reading Works campaign
supports agencies in the region that provide instruction for adults who want
to learn to read. The bank provided the first corporate contribution to the
campaign and is working to incorporate financial literacy education into the
campaigns programming. We held our first Tools for School supply drive in
Michigan in 2011, collecting school supplies to provide students the tools
they need to succeed in school. Comerica COMMITTED to the ® COMMUNITY. Its
what helps us grow. Together. comerica.com Member FDIC. Equal Opportunity
Lender. customers and colleagues donated nearly 50,000 school supplies, which
were distributed to students in need. We also hosted Backpackpalooza, in
conjunction with Operation: Kid Equip, at our new Michigan market
headquarters, giving away 1,000 free backpacks and school supplies to
students in need.
COMERICA INCORPORATED
2011 Annual Report OUR DEDICATED EMPLOYEES MAKE A DIFFERENCE DIVERSITY AND
SUSTAINABILITY DRIVE RESULTS Our employees are compassionate, considerate and
truly understand the importance of giving back. In a very real sense, they
are part of the fabric of the communities we serve. In 2011, our employees
raised more than $2 million for the United Way and Black United Fund. They
also donated their personal time and talents, with some 64,000 volunteer
hours logged in 2011. This included nearly 1,100 colleagues who stepped up to
make a difference in our communities by volunteering and recording nearly
7,000 independent and corporate-sponsored hours during our fourth annual
National Day of Service on September 24, 2011. Our colleagues in Texas
welcomed home soldiers at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and helped
plant trees with volunteers from the Texas Trees Foundation. They also
packaged more than 22,000 pounds of food in a single day at the North Texas
Food Bank, which helped provide more than 17,000 meals for families and
individuals in need throughout the Lone Star State. In November, Comerica was
named as a Top 10 fundraising company for the Texas 2011 March of Dimes.
The honor recognizes the effort of 540 colleagues who raised $163,000 statewide
for March of Dimes. Comericas employee volunteer program was honored as one
of five finalists for Corporate Leadership in the 2011 Michigan Governors
Service Awards. Our colleagues supported Michigan communities by working with
students, packing food for those in need, building ramps for the disabled,
preparing meals, and doing other worthwhile activities. Nearly 380 colleagues
participated and raised $52,000 in the American Cancer Societys Making
Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk in southeast Michigan. Comerica colleagues
in California volunteered at food banks throughout the Golden State on our
national day of service. Then in November, Comerica provided donations to
those same food banks to support their holiday meal programs. COMMUNITY COMERICA
CARES In addition to a strong commitment to community, Comerica has an
equally strong focus on diversity and sustainability. Our focus on diversity
is reflected by the fact it is one of our core values, as well as a key
business driver. As such, it is ingrained in our corporate policies and
practices. This commitment gives us a competitive edge, and supports our
growth and success. We maintain a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture,
which values all colleagues. In addition, our unique diversity business
outreach teams, focused on understanding the financial needs of diverse
clients and supporting our diverse communities, have been very successful in
building lasting relationships with our diverse constituencies. As a result
of our diversity focus, we are proud to have been recognized nationally in
2011. For the first time, DiversityInc created a list of the top 10 regional
companies that best demonstrate a commitment to diversity. Comerica ranked #1
in 2011 on this first-ever ranking. Black Enterprise magazine named Comerica
Bank Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer Linda Forte to the
publications 2011 Top Executives in Diversity list. Comerica Bank was
named to HispanicBusiness magazines HispanicBusiness 2011 Diversity Best
Companies, an annual list determined by more than 32 variables that measure
a companys commitment to Hispanic hiring, promotion, marketing, philanthropy
and supplier diversity. Comerica ranked #5. We continued to make solid
progress on our corporate sustainability initiatives in 2011. Some of our key
accomplishments during the year included the implementation of a new energy
and environmental data management system to enhance tracking and reporting;
our fourth consecutive listing on the Carbon Disclosure Projects Carbon
Disclosure Leadership Index, a global ranking of companies according to the
level and quality of their disclosure and reporting on greenhouse gas
emissions and climate change strategy; and our third consecutive listing on
the FTSE4Good Index of companies which meet globally recognized corporate
responsibility standards. Our employees are compassionate, considerate and
truly understand the importance of giving back. In a very real sense, they
are part of the fabric of the communities we serve.
COMERICA
INCORPORATED 2011 Annual Report LOOKING AHEAD Looking ahead, we are
anticipating a slow growing national economy in 2012. In order to offset the
effects of a continued low-rate environment, we have identified more than 250
initiatives to help ensure we continue to deliver a growing bottom line. We
are in the process of implementing these initiatives to drive revenue and
decrease expenses. We are tracking our revenue enhancing initiatives as well
as our continued expense management and, as of the publication date of this
report, are on course to deliver the expected results. We believe we are
ideally positioned in our markets. Texas has consistently outperformed the
national economy and likely did so again in 2011. Population growth remains
strong and the Texas economy is well diversified. Our chief economist expects
that ongoing gains in employment and manufacturing activity through the end
of 2011 will lift the Texas economy going forward. With the added benefit of
our recently completed acquisition of Sterling, we believe we are well
positioned in the state to develop new relationships and expand existing ones
in 2012 and beyond. Strong auto sales at the end of 2011 helped charge the
Michigan economy. The rate of job growth for the state is about on par with
the national average and the unemployment rate is trending downward. More
stability in labor markets will in turn help to stabilize the states housing
markets. Were certainly pleased by these positive developments in a state
where we have a long history of service to our customers through many
economic cycles. Californias economy is showing signs of growth, but key
components of economic activity remain soft. We believe the broadest measure
of economic activity for the state, payroll job creation, is heading in the
right direction and helping to bring Californias unemployment rate down
gradually. Ongoing job growth through the end of 2011 should help support the
states economy and firm up tax revenues. Silicon Valley continues to hire,
and this is good news for our Technology & Life Sciences customers and
the state. In summary, Comerica is poised for the future. We have stayed true
to our strategy, making minor refinements throughout the cycle to take
advantage of opportunities and reduce risk. We have weathered the challenging
economic cycle well, maintaining strong liquidity, solid capital and with
credit metrics that are among the best in our peer group. We look forward to
the future with confidence. Sincerely, Ralph W. Babb Jr. Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer We have stayed true to our strategy, making minor
refinements throughout the cycle to take advantage of opportunities and
reduce risk.
Bet you've never seen portfolio analytics like these.