Federal Reserve Board ("FRB") Vice Chair for Supervision Randal K. Quarles considered proposed changes to the FRB's large bank stress testing regime that would increase transparency and efficiency.
In a speech at the Brookings Institution, Mr. Quarles said that the FRB is seeking to improve the measurement of trading book-related risks, and that a "single market shock" approach in existing stress testing practice does not adequately capture risks in firms' trading books. He said that the proposed changes "are not intended to alter materially the overall level of capital in the system or the stringency of the regime."
Mr. Quarles discussed changes to the Comprehensive Capital Analysis Review ("CCAR") indicating that the FRB will reconsider whether any part of the regulatory capital rule (the stress capital buffer or "SCB") proposal will remain for the 2019 CCAR. He said that he intends to request that the FRB exempt firms with less than $250 billion in assets from the 2019 CCAR quantitative assessment and supervisory stress testing in light of the FRB's recent tailoring proposal. In addition, Mr. Quarles expressed his support for "normaliz[ing] the CCAR qualitative assessment" by (i) removing the public objection tool and (ii) evaluating firms' stress testing practices through "normal supervision."
Mr. Quarles stated that elements of the proposal to integrate stress testing with the stress capital buffer will be amended after receiving public comment. As a result, the SCB, which was scheduled for the 2019 stress test cycle, will be delayed. Mr. Quarles said that the first SCB may go into effect after 2020.
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