Before the Bush tax cut, dividends labored under a heavy handicap--they were taxed twice: once when the company earned the money, a second time when the dividend passed into the hands of the investor.

FORBES: When Patience Pays

And cash flow on the industrial side, stripped of the borrowed money passed through as a "dividend" from the finance side in years past, was down a reasonable 13% in 2009, given the worldwide financial meltdown.

FORBES: GE Earns: If It Looks Like A Bank...

It selects the 50 companies that have passed the previous criteria--and have the highest dividend yield.

FORBES: O'Shaughnessy's Approach Yields Five Big Caps

Such income is taxed once at the corporate rate of 35% and again when it is passed through to the individual as a capital gain or dividend at 15%, for a highest marginal tax rate of about 44.75%.

WSJ: Review & Outlook: The Buffett Ruse

Citigroup passed the stress test, but its plan to up its dividend was rejected by the Fed, a setback widely-believed to have played a role in the departure of former CEO Vikram Pandit last month.

FORBES: Fed Stress Test's Worst-Case Scenario: Unemployment Tops 10%, Stock Market Cut In Half

Thats what passed for good news in 1958: The bellwether stock wasnt cutting its dividend.

FORBES: Why Korea rang my bell

The Fed will release the results in March and though BofA passed last year CEO Brian Moynihan and his team did not ask for a dividend increase.

FORBES: Bank Of America Opens 2013 With A Bang, Shares Hit $12 For First Time Since May '11

The bank passed stress test with 5.9% capital ratio but apparently did not request any capital returns after its proposed dividend hike was rejected in 2011.

FORBES: Bank Of America Shares Hit $10, Is It All Uphill From Here?