management 2019s discussion and analysis 128 jpmorgan chase & co./2010 annual report year ended december 31 .
what was the annual decline in wholesale lending-related commitments in 2010?
( a ) these hedges do not qualify for hedge accounting under u.s . gaap . lending-related commitments jpmorgan chase uses lending-related financial instruments , such as commitments and guarantees , to meet the financing needs of its customers . the contractual amount of these financial instruments represents the maximum possible credit risk should the counterpar- ties draw down on these commitments or the firm fulfills its obliga- tion under these guarantees , and should the counterparties subsequently fail to perform according to the terms of these con- tracts . wholesale lending-related commitments were $ 346.1 billion at december 31 , 2010 , compared with $ 347.2 billion at december 31 , 2009 . the decrease reflected the january 1 , 2010 , adoption of accounting guidance related to vies . excluding the effect of the accounting guidance , lending-related commitments would have increased by $ 16.6 billion . in the firm 2019s view , the total contractual amount of these wholesale lending-related commitments is not representative of the firm 2019s actual credit risk exposure or funding requirements . in determining the amount of credit risk exposure the firm has to wholesale lend- ing-related commitments , which is used as the basis for allocating credit risk capital to these commitments , the firm has established a 201cloan-equivalent 201d amount for each commitment ; this amount represents the portion of the unused commitment or other contin- gent exposure that is expected , based on average portfolio histori- cal experience , to become drawn upon in an event of a default by an obligor . the loan-equivalent amounts of the firm 2019s lending- related commitments were $ 189.9 billion and $ 179.8 billion as of december 31 , 2010 and 2009 , respectively . country exposure the firm 2019s wholesale portfolio includes country risk exposures to both developed and emerging markets . the firm seeks to diversify its country exposures , including its credit-related lending , trading and investment activities , whether cross-border or locally funded . country exposure under the firm 2019s internal risk management ap- proach is reported based on the country where the assets of the obligor , counterparty or guarantor are located . exposure amounts , including resale agreements , are adjusted for collateral and for credit enhancements ( e.g. , guarantees and letters of credit ) pro- vided by third parties ; outstandings supported by a guarantor located outside the country or backed by collateral held outside the country are assigned to the country of the enhancement provider . in addition , the effect of credit derivative hedges and other short credit or equity trading positions are taken into consideration . total exposure measures include activity with both government and private-sector entities in a country . the firm also reports country exposure for regulatory purposes following ffiec guidelines , which are different from the firm 2019s internal risk management approach for measuring country expo- sure . for additional information on the ffiec exposures , see cross- border outstandings on page 314 of this annual report . several european countries , including greece , portugal , spain , italy and ireland , have been subject to credit deterioration due to weak- nesses in their economic and fiscal situations . the firm is closely monitoring its exposures to these five countries . aggregate net exposures to these five countries as measured under the firm 2019s internal approach was less than $ 15.0 billion at december 31 , 2010 , with no country representing a majority of the exposure . sovereign exposure in all five countries represented less than half the aggregate net exposure . the firm currently believes its exposure to these five countries is modest relative to the firm 2019s overall risk expo- sures and is manageable given the size and types of exposures to each of the countries and the diversification of the aggregate expo- sure . the firm continues to conduct business and support client activity in these countries and , therefore , the firm 2019s aggregate net exposures may vary over time . in addition , the net exposures may be impacted by changes in market conditions , and the effects of interest rates and credit spreads on market valuations . as part of its ongoing country risk management process , the firm monitors exposure to emerging market countries , and utilizes country stress tests to measure and manage the risk of extreme loss associated with a sovereign crisis . there is no common definition of emerging markets , but the firm generally includes in its definition those countries whose sovereign debt ratings are equivalent to 201ca+ 201d or lower . the table below presents the firm 2019s exposure to its top 10 emerging markets countries based on its internal measure- ment approach . the selection of countries is based solely on the firm 2019s largest total exposures by country and does not represent its view of any actual or potentially adverse credit conditions. .