The American Bankers Association today joined the Financial Services Forum in proposing changes to the Federal Reserve’s stress capital buffer requirement for large banks.
The Fed in April proposed changing how it conducts stress tests for large banks to reduce the volatility of the capital requirements that stem from the tests. In a joint letter, the two associations said they welcomed the changes to the stress capital buffer, or SCB, requirement as the first step in reforming the broader stress testing framework.
The association had three “key recommendations” for SCB reform:
- Implement the revised SCB rule on Jan. 1, 2026, while allowing banks to continue operating under the current framework through Sept. 30, 2026.
- Introduce a two-year asymmetric averaging method to ease the impact of rising capital requirements.
- Remove the dividend add-on component, as existing regulations already govern distribution payments.