It was a number fit for an ulcer: European regulators instructed some of the Continent's biggest banks to come up with a total of €106 billion ($147.4 billion) in new capital by the middle of next year, part of policy makers' latest bid to squelch a 2-year financial crisis. But the actual amounts banks will have to raise are less than expected.  Most banks, with the probable exception of those in Greece, won't actually be forced to attract new outside capital to insulate themselves against unexpected losses. Instead, they are likely to be able to fulfill the new requirements through a combination of internal balance-sheet shuffling and keeping future profits by cutting dividends or bonuses. As a result, the celebrated recapitalization of Europe's embattled banking system likely won't be as transformative as some had hoped. Analysts estimated that the overall amount that needs to be raised could be as small as €10 billion to €20 billion, after accounting for funds that are already earmarked for bank bailouts and certain capital instruments that banks, especially those in Spain, are expected to be permitted to count.  That would represent less than 0.5% of the sector's overall capital, according to Credit Suisse.  [WSJ, 10/28/11]