At a time when many companies have stopped or significantly reduced dividend payments, The McGraw-Hill Companies’ Board of Directors announced the 36th consecutive annual dividend increase in January 2009. The annualized rate of $0.90 per share represents an average compound annual dividend growth rate of 10.1% since 1974. Since 1996, the Corporation has returned $9.1 billion to shareholders through a combination of dividends and stock repurchases.