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House passes Main Street Capital Access Act for community banks
The bill, H.R. 6955, would tailor supervision by risk profile and give newly chartered banks three years to meet certain capital requirements, before moving to the Senate.
The U.S. House passed H.R. 6955, the Main Street Capital Access Act, by a vote of 270-154, with the legislation designed to ease parts of federal banking rules for community banks and other smaller institutions. HousingWire reports the bill would modify capital timelines, tailor supervision, and adjust certain bank merger and reporting thresholds as it heads to the Senate.
According to the bill’s summary, H.R. 6955 would lessen and otherwise modify regulations tied to institution formation, supervision by federal financial regulators, and bank merger requirements. The measure would give newly chartered banks three years to meet certain capital requirements and would reduce the leverage ratio for qualifying rural community banks.
The legislation also would require regulators to tailor supervisory actions based on an institution’s risk profile and business model, conduct more frequent reviews of regulations, and expand the scope of those reviews. HousingWire notes that industry analysts cited improving mortgage activity at large banks, with Keefe, Bruyette & Woods data showing a combined $56.1 billion in second-quarter 2026 mortgage volume, up from $46.4 billion in the first quarter.
HousingWire reports that executives told the outlet that potential changes to capital requirements could lead large banks to reenter or expand their mortgage market, though they expect lenders to move cautiously rather than make immediate strategic changes. The article includes a statement from Hill arguing the bill would spur the formation of new banks and restore tailoring that supports local lending.