Java catch block, caught exception is not final

Question

I am checking out the new features of Java SE7 and I am currently at this point:

http://docs.oracle.com/javase/7/docs/technotes/guides/language/catch-multiple.html

Answer 1

The reason I can think of to enforce it final is due to performance. Once the catch evaluation starts, having a final immutable value in the mechanics of the evaluation ensures a faster evaluation of all catches. Since try-catch is extensively used throughout any java code, the highest performance design is preferable.

Based on the above, it implies a performance improvement that affects most programs.