ANNUAL REPORT, OR 10-K: An annual report is a record of a publicly held company's financial condition. It includes the company's balance sheet, an income statement and a description of its operations. All shareholders must receive an annual report. A 10-K is an SEC filing that includes much of the same information, along with a comprehensive overview of the state of the business.

10-Q: Similar to the 10-K, but it looks only at quarterly performance.

MARKET VALUE OR CAPITALIZATION: The total dollar value of all outstanding shares, it is a way to measure a public company's size. The market value of companies on the Carolinas 100 was calculated based on the number of common shares outstanding, multiplied by the March 31 stock price.

NET INCOME: Companies' earnings before extraordinary and discontinued operations. Commonly known as profit or earnings.

PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANY: A company whose shares of common stock are purchased and owned by the public. The shares of publicly traded companies are bought and sold on the New York Stock Exchange, American Stock Exchange or Nasdaq Stock Market, or in the over-the-counter market. The companies are regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and must regularly file financial results and other information with the agency.

REVENUE: Actual or expected cash that a company receives from the sale of its goods or services. Revenue for banks is the sum of gross interest income and noninterest income.

STOCK CHANGE: Shows the percentage rise or decline in a stock's price between Dec. 29, 2006 and Dec. 31, 2007. For foreign companies with U.S. headquarters in North Carolina, the price refers to stock-like American depositary receipts. Dividends were not included in the calculations.