FED to Modify its Capital Planning and Stress Testing Regulations

The Federal Reserve Board has proposed a rule to modify its capital planning and stress testing regulations.  The proposed changes would take effect for the 2016 capital plan and stress testing cycles.

The proposed rule would modify the timing for several requirements that have yet to be integrated into the stress testing framework.  Banking organizations subject to the supplementary leverage ratio would begin to incorporate that ratio into their stress testing in the 2017 cycle.  The use of advanced approaches risk-weighted assets–which is applicable to banking organizations with more than $250 billion in total consolidated assets or $10 billion in on-balance sheet foreign exposures–in stress testing would be delayed indefinitely, and all banking organizations would continue to use standardized risk-weighted assets.

Banking organizations are currently required to project post-stress regulatory capital ratios in their stress tests.  As the common equity tier 1 capital ratio becomes fully phased in under the Board’s regulatory capital rule, it would generally require more capital than the tier 1 common ratio.  The proposal would remove the requirement that banking organizations calculate a tier 1 common ratio.

The Board is also currently considering a broad range of issues related to its capital plan and stress testing rules.  Any modifications will be undertaken through a separate rulemaking and would take effect no earlier than the 2017 cycle.

Comments on the proposal will be accepted through September 24, 2015.

Author: Martin North

Martin North is the Principal of Digital Finance Analytics

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