In unanimous votes, the House last night passed two bills consistent with ABA’s Agenda for America’s Hometown Banks. H.R. 1553, introduced by Reps. Scott Tipton (R-Colo.), Lacy Clay (D-Mo.) and Andy Barr (R-Ky.), would raise the asset threshold for qualifying for the 18-month exam cycle from $500 million to $1 billion.
Meanwhile, H.R. 1839 — introduced by Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) — would permit conditional sales of privately held or restricted stock, a longstanding goal that will help community banks raise capital by making their shares more liquid.
