Common Stock and Preferred Stock Dividends
On January 22, 2021, CIT Group Inc. (the “Company”) issued a press release announcing that the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) declared a quarterly cash dividend in the amount of $0.35 per common share, payable on February 19, 2021 to common shareholders of record as of February 5, 2021.
The Board also declared a quarterly cash dividend on the Series B preferred stock of $0.3515625 per share payable on March 15, 2021 to Series B preferred shareholders of record as of February 26. 2021. A copy of the press release is attached as Exhibit 99.1 and incorporated herein by reference.
(d) Exhibits. The following exhibit is being filed herewith:
Forward-Looking Statements
This Form 8-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable federal securities laws that are based upon our current expectations and assumptions concerning future events, which are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. The words “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “initiative,” “objective,” “plan,” “goal,” “project,” “outlook,” “priorities,” “target,” “intend,” “evaluate,” “pursue,” “commence,” “seek,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “believe,” “potential,” “continue,” or the negative of any of those words or similar expressions is intended to identify forward-looking statements. All statements contained in this Form 8-K, other than statements of historical fact, including without limitation, statements about our plans, strategies, prospects and expectations regarding future events and our financial performance, are forward-looking statements that involve certain risks and uncertainties. In particular, any projections or expectations regarding our pending merger with First Citizens, our future revenues, expenses, earnings, capital expenditures, deposits or stock price, as well as the assumptions on which such expectations are based, are such forward-looking statements reflecting only our current judgment and are not guarantees of future performance or results. While these statements represent our current judgment on what the future may hold, and we believe these judgments are reasonable, these statements are not guarantees of any events or financial results, and our actual results may differ materially. Important factors that could cause our actual results to be materially different from our expectations include, among others, the risk that: (i) CIT is unsuccessful in implementing its strategy and business plan, including planned or potential acquisitions or divestitures; (ii) CIT is unable to react to and address key business and regulatory issues; (iii) CIT is unable to achieve the projected revenue growth from its new business initiatives or the projected expense reductions from efficiency improvements; (iv) CIT becomes subject to liquidity constraints and higher funding costs; (v) the parties to a transaction do not obtain regulatory or other approvals or satisfy closing conditions to the transaction on a timely basis, or at all, or approvals are subject to conditions that are not anticipated; or (vi) changes in asset quality and credit risk, interest rates and capital markets or other economic conditions. Further, additional factors relating to CIT’s pending merger with First Citizens could cause actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statements, including (i) CIT’s and First Citizens’ ability to obtain regulatory approvals and meet other closing conditions to the merger and (ii) delays in closing the merger. In addition, statements about the potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, results of operations and financial condition may constitute forward-looking statements and are subject to the risk that the actual effects may differ, possibly materially, from what is reflected in those forward-looking statements due to factors and future developments that are uncertain, unpredictable and in many cases beyond our control, including the scope and duration of the pandemic, action taken by government authorities in response to the pandemic, and the direct and indirect impact of the pandemic on our customers and service providers and on economies and markets more generally. We further describe these and other risks that could affect our results in Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” of our latest Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, and our latest quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2020, both of which were filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and in the definitive proxy statement regarding the pending merger with First Citizens that was filed by CIT with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 23, 2020. Information regarding CIT’s capital ratios consists of preliminary estimates. These estimates are forward-looking statements and are subject to change, possibly materially, as CIT completes its financial statements.