International regulations known as Basel III will increase the costs of holding minority stakes in financial institutions, forcing big banks to set aside more capital in order to maintain regulators' key measures of balance-sheet strength.

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Hester has made progress improving the bank's health, trimming its once-sprawling balance sheet and returning most key businesses to profitability.

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He also indicated that Apple would likely continue to use its balance sheet to do partnerships to secure supplies of key components.

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