In opening remarks at an Economic Growth and Regulatory Paperwork Reduction Act (EGRPRA) outreach meeting, Federal Reserve Board Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle W. Bowman argued that US bank regulation has become overly complex and costly, and positioned the EGRPRA review as a mechanism to eliminate unnecessary and outdated requirements while maintaining safety and soundness. Bowman said stakeholder feedback has highlighted the need to revisit parts of the supervisory framework, regulatory capital and the applications process, alongside more specific topics such as loans to insiders, bank activities, anti-money laundering requirements and the burden of data collections including the Call Report. She noted that many Board regulations have not been comprehensively reviewed in more than 20 years and suggested simplifying rules and updating thresholds and benchmarks, including indexing thresholds for economic growth and inflation. She also pointed to ongoing Board work, including possible modifications to the Community Bank Leverage Ratio, changes to stress testing intended to reduce volatility in capital requirements, proposed changes to the enhanced supplementary leverage ratio, an FAQ on mutual capital instruments for mutual banking organizations, efforts to streamline merger, acquisition and de novo review processes, and supervisory changes to focus on material financial risks, revise the large bank ratings framework, review CAMELS with other FFIEC agencies, and end the use of reputational risk in supervision. Looking ahead, Bowman indicated the Board will continue evaluating comments received through Federal Register notices and outreach meetings and will use the EGRPRA process to pursue further tailoring and transparency across regulation and supervision.
Federal Reserve Board 2025-10-30
Federal Reserve Board vice chair Bowman outlines EGRPRA agenda to simplify bank regulation and streamline capital and supervision
Federal Reserve Board Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle W. Bowman discussed the complexity and cost of US bank regulation at an EGRPRA meeting, advocating for eliminating outdated requirements while ensuring safety. She emphasized revisiting supervisory frameworks, regulatory capital, and applications processes, suggesting simplifying rules and updating thresholds. Bowman noted ongoing Board efforts to modify the Community Bank Leverage Ratio, stress testing, and supervisory processes, focusing on material financial risks and transparency.