Fortis’ Banking subsidiaries are subject to the regulations of the various supervisory authorities in the countries where the subsidiaries operate. These guidelines require the Banking subsidiaries to maintain a minimum level of qualifying capital relative to the on- and off-balance sheet credit commitments and the bank's trading positions. The positions and credit commitments are weighted according to the level of risk involved (risk-weighted commitments). The requirement for total qualifying capital must be maintained at a minimum of 8% of risk-weighted commitments.