we include here by reference additional information relating to pnc common stock under the common stock prices/ dividends declared section in the statistical information ( unaudited ) section of item 8 of this report . we include here by reference the information regarding our compensation plans under which pnc equity securities are authorized for issuance as of december 31 , 2015 in the table ( with introductory paragraph and notes ) that appears under the caption 201capproval of 2016 incentive award plan 2013 item 3 201d in our proxy statement to be filed for the 2016 annual meeting of shareholders and is incorporated by reference herein and in item 12 of this report . our stock transfer agent and registrar is : computershare trust company , n.a . 250 royall street canton , ma 02021 800-982-7652 registered shareholders may contact the above phone number regarding dividends and other shareholder services . we include here by reference the information that appears under the common stock performance graph caption at the end of this item 5 . ( a ) ( 2 ) none . ( b ) not applicable . ( c ) details of our repurchases of pnc common stock during the fourth quarter of 2015 are included in the following table : in thousands , except per share data 2015 period total shares purchased ( a ) average paid per total shares purchased as part of publicly announced programs ( b ) maximum number of shares that may yet be purchased under the programs ( b ) .
total shares purchased as part of publicly announced programs in the fourth quarter of 2015 totaled what?
( a ) includes pnc common stock purchased in connection with our various employee benefit plans generally related to forfeitures of unvested restricted stock awards and shares used to cover employee payroll tax withholding requirements . note 12 employee benefit plans and note 13 stock based compensation plans in the notes to consolidated financial statements in item 8 of this report include additional information regarding our employee benefit and equity compensation plans that use pnc common stock . ( b ) on march 11 , 2015 , we announced that our board of directors had approved the establishment of a new stock repurchase program authorization in the amount of 100 million shares of pnc common stock , effective april 1 , 2015 . repurchases are made in open market or privately negotiated transactions and the timing and exact amount of common stock repurchases will depend on a number of factors including , among others , market and general economic conditions , economic capital and regulatory capital considerations , alternative uses of capital , the potential impact on our credit ratings , and contractual and regulatory limitations , including the results of the supervisory assessment of capital adequacy and capital planning processes undertaken by the federal reserve as part of the ccar process . our 2015 capital plan , submitted as part of the ccar process and accepted by the federal reserve , included share repurchase programs of up to $ 2.875 billion for the five quarter period beginning with the second quarter of 2015 . this amount does not include share repurchases in connection with various employee benefit plans referenced in note ( a ) . in the fourth quarter of 2015 , in accordance with pnc 2019s 2015 capital plan and under the share repurchase authorization in effect during that period , we repurchased 5.8 million shares of common stock on the open market , with an average price of $ 92.26 per share and an aggregate repurchase price of $ .5 billion . 30 the pnc financial services group , inc . 2013 form 10-k .