The Bank Act specifies certain important matters that must be dealt with by the Board, such as approval of financial
statements and declarations of dividends. By formal resolution, the Board reserves for itself the authority to make
certain decisions and delegates other decisions to management. Any responsibilities not delegated to management
remain with the Board and its committees. In some matters, management’s discretion is limited by dollar thresholds
beyond which approval by the Board is required. For example, such thresholds exist for investments and divestitures,
decisions relating to mergers and acquisitions, intra-group transactions, operating expenditures, capital and funding,
and project initiatives.
The Board’s functions are fully described in its charter, which is approved by the Board. The specific responsibilities of
the Board are described in our Annual Report and Proxy Circular and include the following matters:
strategic planning;
identifying risks and overseeing risk management;
succession planning and evaluating performance and approving compensation of senior management;
overseeing communications and public disclosure;
overseeing internal controls;
fostering a culture of integrity; and
establishing corporate governance structures, principles and practices that contribute to effective oversight of RBC
and its subsidiaries.