Bill Summary
The "Stress Testing Accountability and Transparency Act" is proposed legislation aimed at enhancing the oversight and transparency of stress testing methodologies used by the Federal Reserve. Key provisions include:
1. **Rulemaking for Stress Testing**: The Federal Reserve Board (the Board) is required to establish specific methodologies, models, and assumptions for conducting stress tests within 90 days of the enactment. This includes determining capital requirements for covered companies based on these tests.
2. **Public Disclosure**: The Board must publicly disclose the scenarios used in stress tests at least 60 days before conducting them, promoting transparency in the process.
3. **Prohibition on Climate Stress Tests**: The legislation prohibits the Board from applying climate-related stress tests to nonbank financial companies or bank holding companies under its authority.
4. **Study and Reporting**: The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is tasked with conducting a study every three years to assess the effectiveness of the stress tests in evaluating the safety and soundness of financial institutions and the overall stability of the U.S. financial system.
Overall, the Act seeks to ensure that stress testing practices are transparent, consistent, and effective in maintaining financial stability while preventing any double counting of capital requirements.
Possible Impacts
The "Stress Testing Accountability and Transparency Act" proposed legislation can affect people in several ways. Here are three examples:
1. **Increased Transparency for Consumers and Investors**: By requiring the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to publicly disclose the scenarios used in stress tests at least 60 days in advance, consumers and investors will have better insight into the financial health of covered companies. This transparency can help individuals make more informed decisions about where to invest their money or which banks to trust with their deposits, thereby enhancing consumer confidence in the financial system.
2. **Regulatory Impact on Financial Institutions**: The legislation mandates that the methodologies for conducting stress tests must be established through a formal rule-making process, limiting arbitrary changes by the Board. This stability in regulatory requirements could affect how financial institutions manage their capital and risk strategies. For employees of these institutions, this could lead to changes in job responsibilities, as companies may need to adjust their practices to comply with new stress capital buffer requirements and ensure that they meet regulatory standards.
3. **Potential for Enhanced Financial Stability**: By conducting regular stress tests and ensuring that no double-counting of capital requirements occurs, the Act aims to strengthen the overall resilience of the financial system. For the general public, this could translate into a lower risk of financial crises that affect job security, savings, and overall economic stability. A more robust financial system can lead to greater economic growth, which benefits individuals through job creation and improved access to credit.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5270 Reported in House (RH)]
<DOC>
Union Calendar No. 318
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5270
[Report No. 119-366]
To require the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to
issue rules to establish certain methodologies and scenarios used in
stress testing, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 10, 2025
Mr. Huizenga (for himself and Mr. Barr) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services
November 4, 2025
Additional sponsor: Mr. Sessions
November 4, 2025
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed
in italic]
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on
September 10, 2025]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to
issue rules to establish certain methodologies and scenarios used in
stress testing, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Stress Testing Accountability and
Transparency Act''.
SEC. 2. RULEMAKING RELATED TO STRESS CAPITAL BUFFER REQUIREMENTS.
(a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the
enactment of this section, the Board of Governors of the Federal
Reserve System (in this Act referred to as the ``Board'') shall issue a
rule--
(1) establishing the models, assumptions, formulas, and
other decisional methodologies that are used to conduct any
stress test pursuant to section 165(i) of the Financial
Stability Act of 2010 (12 U.S.C. 5365(i)), including any such
test that is used to determine any component or subcomponent of
the stress capital buffer requirement for a covered company;
and
(2) to determine, where the Board has supervisory stress
test results from two or more periodic analyses of a covered
company, the covered company's stress capital buffer
requirement on the basis of supervisory stress test results
from two or more periodic analyses of that covered company.
(b) Changes.--The Board may only make material changes to the
methodologies established in the rule issued under subsection (a)(1)
through notice and comment rulemaking.
(c) No Double-count.--The Board shall ensure no double-count of
capital requirements for the same risks in the stress capital buffer
requirement and the risk-based capital requirements.
(d) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Covered company.--The term ``covered company'' means a
company to which section 225.8 of title 12, Code of Federal
Regulations, or section 238.170 of title 12, Code of Federal
Regulations, applies.
(2) Stress capital buffer requirement.--The term ``stress
capital buffer requirement'' has the meaning given that term
under--
(A) section 225.8(d) of title 12, Code of Federal
Regulations; and
(B) section 238.170(d) of title 12, Code of Federal
Regulations.
(e) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section may be construed
to imply that the Board is required to establish a stress capital
buffer requirement for any bank holding company or any other company
regulated by the Board.
SEC. 3. RULEMAKING RELATING TO STRESS TESTING.
(a) In General.--Beginning in the first calendar year beginning
after the date of the enactment of this section, the Board shall, not
less than 60 days before conducting a stress test pursuant to section
165(i) of the Financial Stability Act of 2010, publicly disclose each
scenario to be used in such stress test.
(b) Prohibition.--The Board may not, by rule or otherwise, subject
any nonbank financial company or bank holding company to a climate-
related stress test using the authority provided in section 165(i) of
the Financial Stability Act of 2010.
SEC. 4. GAO REPORT.
(a) In General.--The Comptroller General of the United States
shall, every 3 years, conduct a study and submit a report to the
Congress with respect to the stress tests conducted by the Board under
section 165(i) of the Financial Stability Act of 2010 in the 3 most
recent calendar years.
(b) Contents.--The report submitted to the Congress under
subsection (a) shall consider the effectiveness of the stress tests in
evaluating--
(1) the safety and soundness of the nonbank financial
companies and bank holding companies subjected to stress tests;
and
(2) the stability of the United States financial system.
Union Calendar No. 318
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5270
[Report No. 119-366]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to
issue rules to establish certain methodologies and scenarios used in
stress testing, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
November 4, 2025
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed