. these charge-offs resulted in an increase to provision for loan losses of $ 50 million for the year ended december 31 , 2012 . the provision for loan losses has declined four consecutive years , down 78% ( 78 % ) from its peak of $ 1.6 billion for the year ended december 31 , 2008 . we expect provision for loan losses to continue to decline over the long term , although it is subject to variability in any given quarter. .