Bank of America Corp (BAC)

[WID]

IRA's Letter Grade Rating System for all US Banks

Some clearification for the grading of A+, A, B, C, D, and F for the stress tests on US banks.

A+ -- Overall Bank Stress less than 1995 1.0 index baseline. Banks with this grade tend to exhibit stong metrics across the board.


A -- Stress slightly less than the industry average. Bank business practices are much more varied than people realize. Institutions in this category exhibit business model choices that allow them to operate with improved cushion against current systemic threats.


B -- Stress slightly above the industry average. These banks begin to show sensitivity to systemic stresses but still have a business model that offers a some degree of flexibility to resist crisis forces.


C -- Stress levels moderately above industry average. In these banks, one or more key metric areas begin to show degradation(s) indicating a need for active attention by officers and directors.


D -- Stress indicators well above the industry average. These institutions tend to show significant degradation in one or more of the key areas of measurement. Concern has likely begun to garner the attention of parties outside the bank.


F -- Stress levels at the extreme range above industry average. At this degree of stress, one or more of the key elements of the business model has reached