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repurchased all of the remaining outstanding notes. We issued commercial paper to fund the repurchases. 

We and the third-party holder of all of GMC’s outstanding Class A limited membership interests (Class A Interests) agreed to reset, effective on June 28, 2007, the preferred rate of return applicable to the Class A Interests to the sum of three-month LIBOR plus 65 basis points. On June 28, 2007, we sold $92 million of additional Class A Interests to the same third party. There was no gain or loss associated with these transactions. As of May 30, 2010, the carrying value of all outstanding Class A Interests on our Consolidated Balance Sheets was $245 million, and the capital account balance of the Class A Interests upon which preferred distributions are calculated was $248 million. 

On June 28, 2007, we repurchased for $150 million all of the outstanding Series A preferred stock of our subsidiary General Mills Capital, Inc. using proceeds from the sale of the Class A Interests and commercial paper. There was no gain or loss associated with this repurchase. 

During fiscal 2010, we repurchased 21 million shares of our com- mon stock for an aggregate purchase price of $692 million. During fiscal 2009, we repurchased 40 million shares of our common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $1,296 million. During fiscal 2008, we repurchased 48 million shares of our common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $1,385 million. In fiscal 2007, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to 150 million shares of our common stock. On June 28, 2010, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to 100 million shares of our common stock.The fiscal 2011 authorization terminated and replaced the fiscal 2007 authorization. Purchases under the authorization can be made in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions, including the use of call options and other derivative instruments, Rule 10b5-1 trading plans, and accelerated repurchase programs. The authori- zation has no specified termination date. 

Dividends paid in fiscal 2010 totaled $644 million, or $0.96 per share, a 12 percent per share increase from fiscal 2009. Dividends paid in fiscal 2009 totaled $580 million, or $0.86 per share, a 10 percent per share increase from fiscal 2008 dividends of $0.78 per share. On June 28, 2010, our Board of Directors approved a dividend increase to an annual rate of $1.12 per share, a 17 percent increase from the rate paid in fiscal 2010. 

## CAPITAL RESOURCES 

Total capital consisted of the following: 

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The decrease in total capital from fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2010 was primarily due to a decrease in current and long-term debt, par- tially offset by an increase in notes payable as a result of our debt tender offer. 

The following table details the fee-paid committed and uncom- mitted credit lines we had available as of May 30, 2010: 

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To ensure availability of funds, we maintain bank credit lines sufficient to cover our outstanding short-term borrowings. Com- mercial paper is a continuing source of short-term financing. We issue commercial paper in the United States and Europe. Our commercial paper borrowings are supported by $2.9 billion of fee-paid committed credit lines, consisting of a $1.8 billion facility expiring in October 2012 and a $1.1 billion facility expiring in October 2010. We also have $0.3 billion in uncommitted credit lines that support our foreign operations. As of May 30, 2010, there were no amounts outstanding on the fee-paid committed credit lines and $76 million was drawn on the uncommitted lines. The credit facil- ities contain several covenants, including a requirement to main- tain a fixed charge coverage ratio of at least 2.5. 

