Free Trial

MNI POLICY: Quarles: Give Banks More Time to Study Stress Test

By Jean Yung
     WASHINGTON (MNI) - Federal Reserve Governor Randy Quarles on Friday laid
out proposals to increase transparency in how the Fed supervises banks,
including giving them more time to review their stress test results and seeking
public and Congressional input on the Fed's supervisory guidance. 
     The Fed Board could provide more transparency on the design of its stress
test, make their requirements less "volatile" from year-to-year and allow firms
more time to review their results, Quarles said in remarks prepared for an
American Bar Association meeting in Washington. 
     "The goal here is not to make the tests less strenuous but to give banks a
greater opportunity to plan for them and to meet our expectations ex ante rather
than through an ex post remedial process," he said. 
     "I expect that as part of the stress capital buffer, we will give banks
significantly more time to review their stress test results and understand their
capital requirements before we demand their final capital plan," he said.
     "We continue to look for ways to reduce the volatility of stress-test
requirements from year to year," he said. "We are considering a number of
options, such as averaging outcomes over multiple years or averaging the results
of the current year's stress test with the results of one or more previous
years."
     Regulatory interpretations by Fed supervision staff have "grown piecemeal
over the decades" and should be collated into one place, with significant
guidance inviting public comment and possibly even seeking Congressional
approval, Quarles said. 
     "I don't believe the Federal Reserve has communicated as clearly as it
could with the banks we supervise," Quarles said. 
--MNI Washington Bureau; +1 202-371-2121; email: jean.yung@marketnews.com
[TOPICS: MMUFE$,M$U$$$,MK$$$$,MGU$$$]

To read the full story

Close

Why MNI

MNI is the leading provider

of intelligence and analysis on the Global Fixed Income, Foreign Exchange and Energy markets. We use an innovative combination of real-time analysis, deep fundamental research and journalism to provide unique and actionable insights for traders and investors. Our "All signal, no noise" approach drives an intelligence service that is succinct and timely, which is highly regarded by our time constrained client base.

Our Head Office is in London with offices in Chicago, Washington and Beijing, as well as an on the ground presence in other major financial centres across the world.