The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation issued a semiannual update on its Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) Restoration Plan, reporting that the DIF reserve ratio rose to 1.28 percent as of 31 December 2024 and that staff continue to project a return to the 1.35 percent statutory minimum ahead of the statutory deadline, with no changes recommended to the plan. The reserve ratio fell below 1.35 percent in September 2020 after insured deposits grew faster than DIF net worth, with insured-deposit growth attributed to COVID-era fiscal and monetary stimulus. Since the prior update, the reserve ratio increased by 6 basis points, from 1.22 percent as of 30 June 2024 to 1.28 percent as of 31 December 2024, and a further update is expected alongside the first quarter Quarterly Banking Profile. Separately, Acting Chairman Travis Hill asked staff to analyze whether the assessment base (generally total consolidated assets minus tangible equity) should be used instead of insured deposits as the denominator for measuring DIF exposure, citing a mismatch between the basis for charging assessments and the metric used to gauge the fund’s health.