As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 18, 2011

Registration Statement No. 333-

 

 

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

M&T BANK CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

New York (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)		16-0968385 (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

One M&T Plaza
Buffalo, New York 14203
(Address of Principal Executive Offices, including zip code)

WILMINGTON TRUST CORPORATION
THRIFT SAVINGS PLAN
(Full title of the plan)

Brian R. Yoshida, Esq.
Group Vice President and Deputy General Counsel
M&T Bank Corporation
One M&T Plaza
Buffalo, New York 14203
(716) 842-5464
(Name and address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

Large accelerated filer þ		Accelerated filer o		Non-accelerated filer o		Smaller reporting company o
				(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)

Calculation of Registration Fee

Proposed

Proposed

Maximum

Maximum

Aggregate

Amount of

Title of Securities

Amount to be

Offering Price

Offering Price

Registration

to be Registered

Registered(1)

Per Share(2)

(2)

Fee

Common Stock, $.50 par value

16,000

$87.14

$1,394,160

$161.86

 

 

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

     The following documents filed by M&T Bank Corporation (“M&T”) or the Wilmington Trust Corporation Thrift Savings Plan (the “Plan”), as the case may be, with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), are incorporated herein by reference:

     (a) M&T’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010, filed with the Commission on February 22, 2011;

     (b) M&T’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2010, filed with the Commission on April 29, 2011;

     (c) All other reports filed by M&T pursuant to Section 13(a) of 15(d) of the Exchange Act since the end of the fiscal year covered by the Annual Report referred to in (a) above, including M&T’s Current Reports on Form 8-K, filed with the Commission on January 14, 2011, January 25, 2011, March 2, 2011, April 18, 2011, April 20, 2011, April 27, 2011 and May 11, 2011 (other than the portions of those documents furnished or otherwise not deemed filed);

     (d) The description of M&T’s Common Stock contained in the Registration Statement on Form 8-A, filed by M&T on May 20, 1998, under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act, including any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description; and

     (e) The Annual Report on Form 11-K of the Plan for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010, filed with the Commission on March 25, 2011 (File No. 1-14659).

     In addition, all documents subsequently filed by M&T and the Plan pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act, subsequent to the date of this Registration Statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall also be deemed to be incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement and to be a part hereof commencing on the date of the filing of such documents.

     Any statement contained herein or in a document all or a portion of which is incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or amended, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.

Item 4. Description of Securities.

     Not applicable.

Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

     Brian R. Yoshida, Esq., Group Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of M&T, has delivered a legal opinion to the effect that the issuance and sale of the M&T Common Stock offered hereby was duly authorized by M&T and that such M&T Common Stock will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable when issued pursuant to the Plan.

Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

     Sections 721 through 725 of the New York Business Corporation Law (“NYBCL”) contain specific provisions relating to indemnification of directors and officers of a New York corporation against liability for their acts under certain circumstances. In general, the statute provides that (1) a corporation may indemnify any person made, or threatened to be made, a party to an action or proceeding (other than one by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor), including an action by or in the right of any other entity which any director or officer served in any capacity at the request of the corporation, by reason of the fact that he, his testator or intestate, was a director or officer of the corporation, or served such other entity in any capacity, against judgments, fines, amounts paid in settlement and reasonable expenses, including attorney’s fees, if such director or officer acted in good faith, for a purpose which he reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation, or had no reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful, and (2) a corporation may indemnify any person made, or threatened to be made, a party to an action by or in the right of the corporation by reason of the fact that he, his testator or intestate, is or was a director or officer of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director or officer of any other entity, against amounts paid in settlement and reasonable expenses, including attorney’s fees, if such director or officer acted, in good faith, for a purpose which he reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation, other than a threatened action or a pending action which is settled or otherwise disposed of, or any matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation, unless and to the extent that the court determines that the person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such portion of the settlement amount and expenses as the court deems proper. The statute provides that a corporation must indemnify a director or officer if he is successful in his defense of an action or proceeding and may indemnify such person if he is not successful in such defense if it is determined as provided in the statute that he meets a certain standard of conduct. The statute also permits a director or officer of a corporation who is party to a proceeding to apply to the courts for indemnification. The statute further provides that a corporation may in its certificate of incorporation or by-laws or by contract or resolution provide indemnification in addition to that provided by the statute, subject to certain conditions set forth in the statute. NYBCL § 721 prohibits indemnification of officers and directors for acts finally adjudicated to be committed in bad faith, resulting from active or deliberate dishonesty, or resulting in a personal gain to which such an officer or director was not legally entitled.

     Article Seventh of M&T’s Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that as to any act or omission occurring after the adoption of such provision, a director of M&T shall, to the maximum extent permitted by the laws of the State of New York, have no personal liability to M&T or any of its stockholders for any breach of duty as a director, to the extent permitted by law.

     Article V of M&T’s amended and restated by-laws provides that each director and officer of M&T, whether or not then in office, and any person whose testator or intestate was such a director or officer, will be indemnified by M&T for the defense of, or in connection with, any threatened, pending or completed actions or proceedings and appeals therein, whether civil, criminal, governmental, administrative or investigative, in accordance with and to the fullest extent permitted by the NYBCL or other applicable law, as such law currently exists or may hereafter be amended. However, M&T is allowed to provide indemnification in connection with an action or proceeding initiated by such director or officer only if such action or proceeding was authorized by M&T’s Board of Directors. Expenses incurred by a director or officer in connection with any action or proceeding as to which indemnification may be given may be paid by M&T in advance of the final disposition of such action or proceeding as to which indemnification may be given may be paid by M&T in advance of the final disposition of such action or proceeding upon (1) receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such director or officer to repay such advancement in the event that such director or officer is ultimately found not to be entitled to indemnification and (2) approval by the board of directors acting by a quorum consisting of directors who are not parties to such action or proceeding or, if such a quorum is not obtainable, the approval by stockholders. To the extent permitted by law, the board of directors or, if applicable, the stockholders, shall not be required to find that the director or officer has met the applicable standard of conduct provided by law for indemnification in connection with such action or proceeding.

     M&T maintains director and officer liability insurance coverage for its directors and officers and those of its subsidiaries. This coverage insures such persons against certain losses that may be incurred by them in their respective capacities as directors and officers.

Item 7. Exemption from Registration Claimed.

     Not applicable.

Item 8. Exhibits.

The exhibits to this Registration Statement are described in the Exhibit Index below.

     M&T will submit or has already submitted the Plan and any amendment thereto to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) in a timely manner, and has made or will make all changes required by the IRS in order to qualify the Plan.

Item 9. Undertakings.

     (a) M&T hereby undertakes:

          (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

               (i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”);

               (ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” tables in the effective registration statement;

               (iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or any material change to such information in the Registration Statement;

provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by M&T pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement.

          (2) That for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

          (3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

     (b) M&T hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of M&T’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act, (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

     (c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of M&T pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, M&T has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities

Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by M&T of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of M&T in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, M&T will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question of whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

SIGNATURES

The Registrant

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, M&T certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Buffalo, State of New York on May 18, 2011.

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities indicated on May 18, 2011.

Signature		Title
* Robert G. Wilmers		Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) and Director
* René F. Jones		Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer)
* Michael R. Spychala		Senior Vice President and Controller (Principal Accounting Officer)
* Brent D. Baird		Director
* Robert J. Bennett		Director
* C. Angela Bontempo		Director
* Robert T. Brady		Director
* Michael D. Buckley		Director
* T. Jefferson Cunningham III		Director
* Mark J. Czarnecki		Director
* Donald E. Foley		Director

Signature		Title
Gary N. Geisel		Director
* Patrick W.E. Hodgson		Director
* Richard G. King		Director
* Jorge G. Pereira		Vice Chairman of the Board
* Michael P. Pinto		Vice Chairman of the Board
* Melinda R. Rich		Director
* Robert E. Sadler, Jr.		Director
* Herbert L. Washington		Director
* Robert G. Wilmers		Director

Wilmington Trust Corporation Thrift Savings Plan

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Wilmington Trust Corporation Thrift Savings Plan has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in City of Buffalo, State of New York on May 18, 2011.

EXHIBIT INDEX

EXHIBIT NO.		DESCRIPTION
5.1		Opinion of Brian R. Yoshida, Esq., filed herewith.
23.1		Consent of Brian R. Yoshida, Esq., included in the opinion filed as Exhibit 5.1 hereto.
23.2		Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, filed herewith.
24.1		Power of attorney, filed herewith.

EXHIBIT 5.1

May 18, 2011

M&T Bank Corporation
One M&T Plaza
Buffalo, New York 14240

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Reference is made to the Registration Statement on Form S-8 (“Registration Statement”) of M&T Bank Corporation (the “Corporation”) related to the registration of 16,000 additional shares of the Corporation’s common stock, par value $0.50 per share (“Common Stock”), which are to be offered or sold pursuant to the Wilmington Trust Corporation Thrift Savings Plan (the “Plan”). I have been requested to furnish an opinion to be included as Exhibit 5.1 to the Registration Statement. In conjunction with the furnishing of this opinion, I have examined such corporate documents and have made such investigation of matters of fact and law as I have deemed necessary to render this opinion.

This opinion rendered in my capacity as Group Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of the Corporation and is limited to matters governed by the Federal laws of the United States of America and the Business Corporation Law of the State of New York. This opinion speaks as of today’s date, does not address any matters other than those expressly stated herein, and is limited to present statutes, regulations and judicial interpretations. In rendering this opinion, I assume no obligation to revise or supplement this opinion should present laws, regulations or judicial interpretations be changed by legislative or regulatory action, judicial decision or otherwise.

Based upon such examination and investigation, and upon the assumption that there will be no material changes in the documents examined and matters investigated and that at the time of issuance there will be authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock available to the Corporation in sufficient amounts, I am of the opinion that the 16,000 shares of Common Stock referred to above have been duly authorized by the Corporation and that, when issued in accordance with the terms of the Plan, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

I consent to the filing of this opinion as Exhibit 5.1 to the Registration Statement, and to the references therein to my name and this opinion. In giving such consent, I do not admit that I am in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act.

Very truly yours,

EXHIBIT 23.2

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form S-8 of our report dated February 18, 2011 relating to the financial statements and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, which appears in M&T Bank Corporation’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010.

Exhibit 24.1

POWER OF ATTORNEY

     KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each of the undersigned directors and/or officers of M&T Bank Corporation, a corporation organized under the laws of the State of New York (the “Corporation”), hereby constitutes and appoints Robert G. Wilmers, Mark J. Czarnecki, René F. Jones, Drew. J. Pfirrman and Brian R. Yoshida, and each of them (with full power to each of them to act alone), his or her true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him or her and on his or her behalf and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign, execute and to affix his or her seal to and file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (or any other governmental or regulatory authority) a Registration Statement(s) on Form S-8 (or any other appropriate form), and any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) thereto, with all exhibits and any and all documents required to be filed with respect thereto, relating to the registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, of shares of the Corporation’s common stock, par value $0.50 per share, and/or plan interests, as applicable, to be issued in connection with the acquisition of Wilmington Trust Corporation (“Wilmington”) and related transactions in accordance with the terms of an Agreement and Plan of Merger dated as of October 31, 2010, between the Corporation, MTB One, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Corporation, and Wilmington, granting unto said attorneys, and each of them, full power and authority to do and to perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in order to effectuate the same as fully to all intents and purposes as he himself or she herself might or could do if personally present, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the undersigned directors and/or officers has hereunto set his or her hand as of the date specified.

Dated: May 17, 2011

Signature		Title
/s/ Robert G. Wilmers   Robert G. Wilmers		Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer)
/s/ René F. Jones   René F. Jones		Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer)
/s/ Michael R. Spychala   Michael R. Spychala		Senior Vice President and Controller (Principal Accounting Officer)
/s/ Brent D. Baird		Director
Brent D. Baird
/s/ Robert J. Bennett		Director
Robert J. Bennett
/s/ C. Angela Bontempo		Director
C. Angela Bontempo
/s/ Robert T. Brady		Director
Robert T. Brady
/s/ Michael D. Buckley		Director
Michael D. Buckley
/s/ T. Jefferson Cunningham III		Director
T. Jefferson Cunningham III
/s/ Mark J. Czarnecki		Director
Mark J. Czarnecki
/s/ Donald E. Foley		Director
Donald E. Foley
		Director
Gary N. Geisel
/s/ Patrick W.E. Hodgson		Director
Patrick W.E. Hodgson

Signature		Title
/s/ Richard G. King		Director
Richard G. King
/s/ Jorge G. Pereira		Vice Chairman of the Board
Jorge G. Pereira
/s/ Michael P. Pinto		Vice Chairman of the Board
Michael P. Pinto
/s/ Melinda R. Rich		Director
Melinda R. Rich
/s/ Robert E. Sadler, Jr.		Director
Robert E. Sadler, Jr.
/s/ Herbert L. Washington		Director
Herbert L. Washington