A solid earnings platform, demonstrating the bank's strong franchise Strong market position as a major Midwestern bank Adequate capitalization levels, with proven ability to access the capital markets Historically weak but stabilizing asset quality Average funding and adequate liquidity, but somewhat weaker than peers' The stable outlook on Fifth Third Bancorp (Fifth Third) reflects Standard&Poor's Ratings Services' expectation that the institution's diverse business activities and strong market position in the Midwest will continue to generate robust pretax, preprovision (PTPP) earnings. In addition, we expect that Fifth Third will sustain a Standard&Poor's risk-adjusted capital (RAC) ratio of approximately 7.75%-8.25% over the next 18-24 months, comfortably within the "adequate" category (7%-10%), as our criteria describe the term. Lastly,
