BUFFALO, N.Y., July 17, 2012 -- M&T Bank Corporation ("M&T") (NYSE: MTB) today reported its results of operations for the quarter ended June 30, 2012.

GAAP Results of Operations.  Diluted earnings per common share measured in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") for the second quarter of 2012 were $1.71, up 14% from $1.50 in the initial 2012 quarter.  GAAP-basis net income in the recent quarter totaled $233 million, 13% higher than $206 million in the first quarter of 2012.  GAAP-basis net income for the second quarter of 2012 expressed as an annualized rate of return on average assets and average common shareholders' equity was 1.17% and 10.12%, respectively, improved from 1.06% and 9.04%, respectively, in the immediately preceding quarter.

The recent quarter's results as compared with the first quarter of 2012 reflect a 24% rise in mortgage banking revenues and solid increases in net interest income and trust income, as well as reduced costs for salaries and benefits.  The higher mortgage banking revenues reflect significant improvements in both residential and commercial mortgage banking activities.

Reflecting on the recent quarter's performance, Rene F. Jones, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, commented, "M&T continues to perform well for both our customers and our shareholders.  During the second quarter we saw significant growth in our revenues in the areas of net interest income, mortgage banking and trust services.  Our credit experience, specifically net charge-offs as a percentage of loans, continued to favorably outpace the rest of the banking industry and the level of our nonaccrual loans declined $97 million or 9% from March 31.  Furthermore, our operating expenses were once again well controlled as reflected in our efficiency ratio, which improved to 56.9% from 61.1%.  We view this as a very solid quarter of performance."

Diluted earnings per common share and GAAP-basis net income in the second quarter of 2011 were $2.42 and $322 million, respectively.  The recent quarter's results as compared with the second quarter of 2011 reflect increased net interest income, trust income and mortgage banking revenues.  Earnings for last year's second quarter were supplemented by realized gains from the sale of investment securities, which totaled $67 million after-tax effect, or $.54 of diluted earnings per common share, as M&T repositioned its balance sheet in conjunction with the May 16, 2011 acquisition of Wilmington Trust Corporation ("Wilmington Trust").  Also adding to earnings in the second quarter of 2011 was a net after-tax gain of $42 million, or $.33 of diluted earnings per common share, related to the Wilmington Trust acquisition. GAAP-basis net income in that quarter expressed as an annualized rate of return on average assets and average common shareholders' equity was 1.78% and 14.94%, respectively.

Supplemental Reporting of Non-GAAP Results of Operations.  M&T consistently provides supplemental reporting of its results on a "net operating" or "tangible" basis, from which M&T excludes the after-tax effect of amortization of core deposit and other intangible assets (and the related goodwill, core deposit intangible and other intangible asset balances, net of applicable deferred tax amounts) and gains and expenses associated with merging acquired operations into M&T, since such items are considered by management to be "nonoperating" in nature.  Although "net operating income" as defined by M&T is not a GAAP measure, M&T's management believes that this information helps investors understand the effect of acquisition activity in reported results.  Reconciliations of GAAP to non-GAAP measures are provided in the financial tables included herein. 

Diluted net operating earnings per common share, which exclude the impact of amortization of core deposit and other intangible assets and merger-related gains and expenses, but include the effect of securities gains and losses, were $1.82 in the recent quarter, compared with $2.16 and $1.59 in the second quarter of 2011 and the first quarter of 2012, respectively.  Net operating income during the second quarter of 2012 was $247 million, compared with $289 million in the second quarter of 2011 and $218 million in the initial 2012 quarter.  Expressed as an annualized rate of return on average tangible assets and average tangible common shareholders' equity, net operating income in the recently completed quarter was 1.30% and 18.54%, respectively, compared with 1.69% and 24.24% in the year-earlier quarter and 1.18% and 16.79% in the first quarter of 2012.

Taxable-equivalent Net Interest Income.  Taxable-equivalent net interest income totaled $655 million in the second quarter of 2012, up an annualized 18% from $627 million in the first quarter of 2012.  That improvement was predominantly due to a $2.1 billion increase in average earning assets, including a $1.3 billion increase in average loans outstanding, and a 5 basis point (hundredths of one percent) widening of the net interest margin.  The higher net interest margin reflects an additional $14 million of interest income which resulted from an improvement in estimated cash flows expected to be collected on acquired loans.  Stabilizing economic conditions and better than expected repayments resulted in an approximate 1% increase in projected cash flows, which will be recognized as interest income over the remaining terms of the acquired loans.  Taxable-equivalent net interest income in the recent quarter was up 10% from $593 million in the second quarter of 2011.  That improvement resulted from a $7.1 billion increase in average earning assets.

Provision for Credit Losses/Asset Quality.  The provision for credit losses was $60 million in the second quarter of 2012, compared with $63 million in the year-earlier quarter and $49 million in the first quarter of 2012.  Net charge-offs of loans were $52 million during the recent quarter, compared with $59 million and $48 million in the second quarter of 2011 and the first quarter of 2012, respectively.  Expressed as an annualized percentage of average loans outstanding, net charge-offs were .34% and .43% in the second quarter of 2012 and 2011, respectively, and .32% in the first quarter of 2012.

Loans classified as nonaccrual declined to $968 million, or 1.54% of total loans outstanding at June 30, 2012, improved from $1.12 billion or 1.91% a year earlier and $1.07 billion or 1.75% at March 31, 2012.

Assets taken in foreclosure of defaulted loans were $116 million at June 30, 2012, improved from $159 million at June 30, 2011 and $140 million at March 31, 2012.

Allowance for Credit Losses.  M&T regularly performs detailed analyses of individual borrowers and portfolios for purposes of assessing the adequacy of the allowance for credit losses. 

Reflecting those analyses, the allowance totaled $917 million at June 30, 2012, compared with $908 million and $909 million at June 30, 2011 and March 31, 2012, respectively.  The allowance expressed as a percentage of outstanding loans was 1.46% at June 30, 2012, compared with 1.55% at June 30, 2011 and 1.49% at March 31, 2012. 

Noninterest Income and Expense.  Noninterest income totaled $392 million in the second quarter of 2012, compared with $502 million and $377 million in the second quarter of 2011 and the first quarter of 2012, respectively.  Reflected in those amounts were net pre-tax losses on investment securities of $17 million and $11 million in the recent quarter and the first quarter of 2012, respectively, and net pre-tax gains from investment securities of $84 million in the second quarter of 2011.  The net securities losses in the recent quarter and the initial 2012 quarter were predominantly due to other-than-temporary impairment charges related to certain of M&T's holdings of privately issued collateralized mortgage obligations.   The net securities gains in the second quarter of 2011 resulted from $111 million of gains realized on the sale of investment securities available for sale, predominantly residential mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, collateralized debt obligations and capital preferred securities, having an amortized cost of approximately $1.21 billion.  Partially offsetting those securities gains were $27 million of other-than-temporary impairment charges related to certain of M&T's holdings of privately issued collateralized mortgage obligations.  In connection with the Wilmington Trust acquisition, M&T sold investment securities in last year's second quarter in order to manage its balance sheet size and composition and the resultant capital ratios. 

Excluding gains and losses from investment securities in all periods and the $65 million gain recorded in 2011's second quarter related to the Wilmington Trust acquisition, noninterest income in the second quarter of 2012 aggregated $408 million, compared with $353 million in the year-earlier quarter and $388 million in the initial quarter of 2012.  The recent quarter's improvement in noninterest income as compared with the earlier quarters resulted predominantly from higher mortgage banking revenues and trust income.

Noninterest expense in the second quarter of 2012 totaled $627 million, compared with $577 million in the year-earlier quarter and $640 million in the first quarter of 2012.  Included in such amounts are expenses considered to be nonoperating in nature consisting of amortization of core deposit and other intangible assets and merger-related expenses.  Exclusive of those expenses, noninterest operating expenses were $604 million in the recent quarter, compared with $525 million in the second quarter of 2011 and $620 million in 2012's initial quarter.  The most significant factor for the higher level of operating expenses in the recent quarter as compared with the year-earlier quarter was the impact of the operations obtained in the Wilmington Trust acquisition.  As compared with the first quarter of 2012, the recent quarter's lower level of operating expenses was due, in large part, to a decline in salaries and employee benefits, including stock-based compensation. 

The efficiency ratio, or noninterest operating expenses divided by the sum of taxable-equivalent net interest income and noninterest income (exclusive of gains and losses from bank investment securities and merger-related gains), measures the relationship of operating expenses to revenues.  M&T's efficiency ratio was 56.9% in the second quarter of 2012, compared with 55.6% in the year-earlier period and 61.1% in the first quarter of 2012. 

Balance Sheet.  M&T had total assets of $80.8 billion at June 30, 2012, compared with $77.7 billion at June 30, 2011.  Loans and leases, net of unearned discount, increased $4.3 billion or 7% to $62.9 billion at the recent quarter-end, from $58.5 billion a year earlier.  Total deposits rose 6% to $62.5 billion at June 30, 2012 from $59.2 billion at June 30, 2011.

Total shareholders' equity increased 4% to $9.6 billion at June 30, 2012 from $9.2 billion a year earlier, representing 11.92% and 11.89%, respectively, of total assets.  Common shareholders' equity was $8.8 billion, or $69.15 per share, at June 30, 2012, compared with $8.4 billion, or $66.71 per share, at June 30, 2011.  Tangible equity per common share rose 8% to $40.52 at the recent quarter-end from $37.45 a year earlier.  Common shareholders' equity per share and tangible equity per common share were $67.64 and $38.89, respectively, at March 31, 2012.  In the calculation of tangible equity per common share, common shareholders' equity is reduced by the carrying values of goodwill and core deposit and other intangible assets, net of applicable deferred tax balances.  M&T's tangible common equity to tangible assets ratio was 6.65% at June 30, 2012, up from 6.35% and 6.51% at June 30, 2011 and March 31, 2012, respectively. M&T's estimated Tier 1 common ratio, a regulatory capital measure, was 7.15% at June 30, 2012, improved from 6.67% and 7.04% at June 30, 2011 and March 31, 2012, respectively.

Conference Call.  Investors will have an opportunity to listen to M&T's conference call to discuss second quarter financial results today at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time.  Those wishing to participate in the call may dial (877) 780-2276.  International participants, using any applicable international calling codes, may dial (973) 582-2700.  Callers should reference M&T Bank Corporation or the conference ID# 99533519. The conference call will be webcast live through M&T's website at http://ir.mandtbank.com/events.cfm.  A replay of the call will be available until Thursday, July 19, 2012 by calling (800) 585-8367, or (404) 537-3406 for international participants, and by making reference to ID# 99533519.  The event will also be archived and available by 7:00 p.m. today on M&T's website at http://ir.mandtbank.com/events.cfm.  

M&T is a financial holding company headquartered in Buffalo, New York.  M&T's principal banking subsidiary, M&T Bank, operates banking offices in New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware and the District of Columbia.  Trust-related services are provided by M&T's Wilmington Trust-affiliated companies and by M&T Bank.

Forward-Looking Statements.  This news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about M&T's business, management's beliefs and assumptions made by management.  These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions ("Future Factors") which are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statements.

Future Factors include changes in interest rates, spreads on earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities, and interest rate sensitivity; prepayment speeds, loan originations, credit losses and market values on loans, collateral securing loans, and other assets; sources of liquidity; common shares outstanding; common stock price volatility; fair value of and number of stock-based compensation awards to be issued in future periods; the impact of changes in market values on trust-related revenues; legislation affecting the financial services industry as a whole, and M&T and its subsidiaries individually or collectively, including tax legislation; regulatory supervision and oversight, including monetary policy and capital requirements; changes in accounting policies or procedures as may be required by the Financial Accounting Standards Board or other regulatory agencies; increasing price and product/service competition by competitors, including new entrants; rapid technological developments and changes; the ability to continue to introduce competitive new products and services on a timely, cost-effective basis; the mix of products/services; containing costs and expenses; governmental and public policy changes; protection and validity of intellectual property rights; reliance on large customers; technological, implementation and cost/financial risks in large, multi-year contracts; the outcome of pending and future litigation and governmental proceedings, including tax-related examinations and other matters; continued availability of financing; financial resources in the amounts, at the times and on the terms required to support M&T and its subsidiaries' future businesses; and material differences in the actual financial results of merger, acquisition and investment activities compared with M&T's initial expectations, including the full realization of anticipated cost savings and revenue enhancements.

These are representative of the Future Factors that could affect the outcome of the forward-looking statements.  In addition, such statements could be affected by general industry and market conditions and growth rates, general economic and political conditions, either nationally or in the states in which M&T and its subsidiaries do business, including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations, changes and trends in the securities markets, and other Future Factors.