As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 9, 2002 Registration No. 333- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 ---------------------------------------- FORM S-8 REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 FLEETBOSTON FINANCIAL CORPORATION (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) -------------------------------------------------------------------- RHODE ISLAND 05-0341324 (State or other jurisdiction of (I.R.S. Employer incorporation or organization) Identification No.) 100 FEDERAL STREET, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02110 (Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code) FLEETBOSTON FINANCIAL CORPORATION EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN (Full title of the plan) ---------------------------------------- GARY A. SPIESS, ESQ. JANICE B. LIVA, ESQ. Executive Vice President, General Counsel Deputy General Counsel and and Secretary Assistant Secretary FLEETBOSTON FINANCIAL CORPORATION FLEETBOSTON FINANCIAL CORPORATION 100 FEDERAL STREET 100 FEDERAL STREET BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02110 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02110 617-434-2870 617-434-8630 (Names, addresses and telephone numbers, including area codes, of agents for service) ------------------------------------------- CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE ======================================================================================================= Amount Proposed Maximum Proposed Maximum Amount of Title of Securities to be Offering Price Per Aggregate Offering Registration Fee to be Registered Registered Share (1) Price (1) (1) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Common Stock, par value $.01 per share (2) 4,000,000 shares $18.27 $73,080,000.00 $6,724.00 (3) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Participation Interests (4) (4) (4) (4) ======================================================================================================= (1) Computed pursuant to Rule 457(h) solely for the purpose of determining the registration fee, based on the average of the high and low prices of the Registrant's Common Stock as reported by the New York Stock Exchange on October 7, 2002. (2) Including preferred share purchase rights. (3) This Registration Statement also covers such indeterminate amount of securities as may be offered or sold pursuant to the plan to prevent dilution, pursuant to Rule 416(a). (4) Pursuant to Rule 416(c), this Registration Statement also covers an indeterminate amount of interests to be offered or sold pursuant to the plan. Pursuant to Rule 457(h)(2), no additional fee is required. EXPLANATORY NOTE This registration statement is being filed solely to register the issuance of (i) up to 4,000,000 additional shares of common stock, par value $.01 per share ("Common Stock"), of FleetBoston Financial Corporation, a Rhode Island corporation (the "Company") and (ii) an indeterminate amount of interests, to be offered and sold pursuant to the FleetBoston Financial Corporation Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the "Plan"). The Company previously filed a registration statement on Form S-8 (File No. 333-44517) on January 20, 1998, as amended by Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 thereto filed on September 24, 2002, relating to the Plan (the "Prior Registration Statement"). Pursuant to General Instruction E to Form S-8, the contents of the Prior Registration Statement are incorporated herein by reference. PART II INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT Item 8. Exhibits. A list of the exhibits included as part of this Registration Statement is set forth in the Exhibit Index which immediately precedes such exhibits and is hereby incorporated by reference herein. II-1 SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe it meets all the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized in the City of Boston, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, on the 9th day of October, 2002. FLEETBOSTON FINANCIAL CORPORATION By: /s/ CHARLES K. GIFFORD ----------------------------------------- Charles K. Gifford President and Chief Executive Officer Each person whose signature appears below hereby constitutes and appoints the Chairman, the President, the Chief Financial Officer, the Chief Accounting Officer or the Secretary, or any of them, acting alone, as his true and lawful attorney-in-fact, with full power and authority to execute in the name, place and stead of each such person in any and all capacities and to file, an amendment or amendments to the Registration Statement (and all exhibits thereto) and any documents relating thereto, which amendments may make such changes in the Registration Statement as said officer or officers so acting deem(s) advisable. Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the 9th day of October, 2002. SIGNATURE TITLE --------- ----- /s/ TERRENCE MURRAY Chairman of the Board and Director -------------------------------------- Terrence Murray /s/ CHARLES K. GIFFORD President, Chief Executive Officer -------------------------------------- and Director Charles K. Gifford /s/ EUGENE M. MCQUADE Vice Chairman and Chief Financial -------------------------------------- Officer Eugene M. McQuade /s/ ERNEST L. PUSCHAVER Chief Accounting Officer -------------------------------------- Ernest L. Puschaver /s/ JOEL B. ALVORD Director -------------------------------------- Joel B. Alvord II-2 ' SIGNATURE TITLE --------- ----- Director -------------------------------------- William Barnet, III /DANIEL P. BURNHAM Director -------------------------------------- Daniel P. Burnham KIM B. CLARK Director -------------------------------------- Kim B. Clark /s/ PAUL J. CHOQUETTE, JR. Director -------------------------------------- Paul J. Choquette, Jr. /s/ JOHN T. COLLINS Director -------------------------------------- John T. Collins /s/ GARY L. COUNTRYMAN Director -------------------------------------- Gary L. Countryman Director -------------------------------------- T. J. Dermot Dunphy /s/ MARION L. HEARD Director -------------------------------------- Marian L. Heard Director -------------------------------------- Robert M. Kavner /s/ THOMAS J. MAY Director -------------------------------------- Thomas J. May /s/ DONALD F. MCHENRY Director -------------------------------------- Donald F. McHenry Director -------------------------------------- Michael B. Picotte /s/ FRANCENE S. RODGERS Director -------------------------------------- Francene S. Rodgers Director -------------------------------------- Thomas M. Ryan Director -------------------------------------- T. Joseph Semrod Director -------------------------------------- Paul R. Tregurtha II-3 Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the trustees (or other persons who administer the Plan) have duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Boston, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, on the 9th day of October, 2002. FLEETBOSTON FINANCIAL CORPORATION EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN By: /s/ PATRICIA CALLAHAN FAY ------------------------------------- Patricia Callahan Fay Director of Benefits Planning II-4 EXHIBIT INDEX Exhibit Number Exhibit ------- ------- 4 FleetBoston Financial Corporation Employee Stock Purchase Plan (July 1, 2000 Restatement), incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4 to the Company's Registration Statement on Form S-8 (File No. 333-44517). 5 Opinion of Edwards & Angell LLP 23.1 Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (the Company) 23.2 Consent of Ernst & Young LLP (the Plan) 23.3 Consent of Edwards & Angell LLP (included in opinion filed as Exhibit 5) 24 Power of Attorney (included on the signature pages hereto).