Stress Test Improvement Act

Apr. 11, 2018 | H.R. 4293

The misnamed bill would significantly weaken stress testing by preventing regulators from assessing the capacity of big banks to perform adequate data analysis or risk management as part of the stress testing process. Specifically, the bill would ban the Federal Reserve from assessing the capacity of big banks to perform crucial data management and risk assessment tasks as part of the stress testing process. H.R. 4293 would undermine the effectiveness of stress testing for the largest and most complex banks and cut the frequency of stress tests in half. If enacted this bill has the potential to unravel the regulatory system aimed at preventing the need for future bailouts of “too-big-to-fail” financial institutions. The bill passed the House on April 11, 2018, and referred to the Senate Banking Committee.