UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT PURSUANT
TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date of report (Date of earliest event reported) August 22, 2006
Wachovia Corporation
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
North Carolina
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)
| 1-10000 | 56-0898180 | |
| (Commission File Number) | (IRS Employer Identification No.) |
| One Wachovia Center Charlotte, North Carolina |
28288-0013 | |
| (Address of Principal Executive Offices) | (Zip Code) |
(704) 374-6565
(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)
(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
| x | Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
| ¨ | Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
| ¨ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
| ¨ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Item 8.01. Other Events.
On August 22, 2006, Wachovia Corporation (“Wachovia”) issued a news release announcing an increase in its common stock dividend payable on September 15, 2006 to shareholders of record as of August 31, 2006 (the “News Release”). The News Release is attached as Exhibit (99) to this report and is incorporated into this Item 8.01 by reference. Exhibit (99) is “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and, therefore, may be incorporated by reference in filings under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
| (c) | Exhibits. |
| (99) | The News Release (filed for purposes of Item 8.01). |
* * *
This Current Report on Form 8-K (including information included or incorporated by reference herein) may contain, among other things, certain forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, (i) statements relating to the benefits of the proposed merger between Golden West Financial Corporation (“Golden West”) and Wachovia (the “Golden West Merger”), including future financial and operating results, cost savings, enhanced revenues and the accretion/dilution of reported earnings that may be realized from the Golden West Merger, (ii) statements relating to the benefits of the merger among Wachovia, Westcorp and WFS Financial Inc completed on March 1, 2006 (the “Westcorp Merger”), including future financial and operating results, cost savings, enhanced revenues and the accretion/dilution of reported earnings that may be realized from the Westcorp Merger, (iii) statements regarding certain of Wachovia’s goals and expectations with respect to earnings, earnings per share, revenue, expenses and the growth rate in such items, as well as other measures of economic performance, including statements relating to estimates of credit quality trends, and (iv) statements preceded by, followed by or that include the words “may”, “could”, “should”, “would”, “believe”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “expect”, “intend”, “plan”, “projects”, “outlook” or similar expressions. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of Wachovia’s management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that are subject to change based on various factors (many of which are beyond Wachovia’s control).
The following factors, among others, could cause Wachovia’s financial performance to differ materially from that expressed in any forward-looking statements: (1) the risk that the businesses of Wachovia and Golden West in connection with the Golden West Merger or the businesses of Wachovia, Westcorp and WFS Financial Inc in connection with the Westcorp
Merger will not be integrated successfully or such integrations may be more difficult, time-consuming or costly than expected; (2) expected revenue synergies and cost savings from the Golden West Merger or the Westcorp Merger may not be fully realized or realized within the expected time frame; (3) revenues following the Golden West Merger or the Westcorp Merger may be lower than expected; (4) deposit attrition, operating costs, customer loss and business disruption following the Golden West Merger or the Westcorp Merger, including, without limitation, difficulties in maintaining relationships with employees, may be greater than expected; (5) the strength of the United States economy in general and the strength of the local economies in which Wachovia conducts operations may be different than expected, resulting in, among other things, a deterioration in credit quality or a reduced demand for credit, including the resultant effect on Wachovia’s loan portfolio and allowance for loan losses; (6) the effects of, and changes in, trade, monetary and fiscal policies and laws, including interest rate policies of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; (7) inflation, interest rate, market and monetary fluctuations; (8) adverse conditions in the stock market, the public debt market and other capital markets (including changes in interest rate conditions) and the impact of such conditions on Wachovia’s capital markets and capital management activities, including, without limitation, Wachovia’s mergers and acquisition advisory business, equity and debt underwriting activities, private equity investment activities, derivative securities activities, investment and wealth management advisory businesses, and brokerage activities; (9) the timely development of competitive new products and services by Wachovia and the acceptance of these products and services by new and existing customers; (10) the willingness of customers to accept third party products marketed by Wachovia; (11) the willingness of customers to substitute competitors’ products and services for Wachovia’s products and services and vice versa; (12) the impact of changes in financial services laws and regulations (including laws concerning taxes, banking, securities and insurance); (13) technological changes; (14) changes in consumer spending and saving habits; (15) the effect of corporate restructurings, acquisitions and/or dispositions we may undertake from time to time, and the actual restructuring and other expenses related thereto, and the failure to achieve the expected revenue growth and/or expense savings from such corporate restructurings, acquisitions and/or dispositions; (16) the growth and profitability of Wachovia’s non-interest or fee income being less than expected; (17) unanticipated regulatory or judicial proceedings or rulings; (18) the impact of changes in accounting principles; (19) adverse changes in financial performance and/or condition of Wachovia’s borrowers which could impact repayment of such borrowers’ outstanding loans; (20) the impact on Wachovia’s businesses, as well as on the risks set forth above, of various domestic or international military or terrorist activities or conflicts; and (21) Wachovia’s success at managing the risks involved in the foregoing.
Wachovia cautions that the foregoing list of factors is not exclusive. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements concerning Wachovia, the Golden West Merger, the Westcorp Merger or other matters and attributable to Wachovia or any person acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements above. Wachovia does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, relating to the matters discussed in this Current Report on Form 8-K.
The proposed Golden West Merger will be submitted to Wachovia’s and Golden West’s shareholders for their consideration. Shareholders are urged to read the definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus regarding the proposed Golden West Merger and any other relevant documents filed with the SEC, as well as any amendments or supplements to those documents, because they contain important information. You will be able to obtain a free copy of the definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus, as well as other filings containing information about Wachovia and Golden West, at the SEC’s website (http://www.sec.gov). You will also be able to obtain these documents, free of charge, at Wachovia’s website (http://www.wachovia.com) under the tab “Inside Wachovia - Investor Relations” and then under the heading “Financial Reports - SEC Filings”. Copies of the definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus and the SEC filings incorporated by reference in the definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus can also be obtained, free of charge, by directing a request to Wachovia Corporation, Investor Relations, One Wachovia Center, 301 South College Street, Charlotte, NC 28288-0206, (704)-374-6782; or to Golden West, Attn: Investor Relations Department, 1901 Harrison Street, Oakland, CA 94612, (510) 445-3420.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| WACHOVIA CORPORATION | ||||
| Date: August 22, 2006 | By: | /s/ Thomas J. Wurtz | ||
| Name: | Thomas J. Wurtz | |||
| Title: | Senior Executive Vice President | |||
| and Chief Financial Officer | ||||
Exhibit Index
| Exhibit No. | Description | |
| (99) | The News Release. |