Main Street Capital Access Act
Sponsored by J. French Hill
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Jul 22, 2026
The Main Street Capital Access Act modifies banking regulations across several areas. It establishes a three-year phase-in period for new banks to meet capital requirements, reduces leverage ratios for certain rural community banks, and requires financial regulators to tailor regulatory actions based on institutions' risk profiles and conduct more frequent regulatory reviews. The bill eases bank merger approval by allowing regulators to approve certain mergers without considering competitive effects, raises asset thresholds that exempt more financial institutions from various fees and reporting requirements, and increases thresholds for Federal Reserve Board approval of acquisitions by financial holding companies. It also provides flexibilities for small bank holding companies regarding debt levels, examination cycles, reciprocal deposits, and bank failure resolution procedures.
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Main Street Capital Access Act or the Main Street Act This bill lessens and otherwise modifies banking regulations, including those regarding institution formation, supervision by federal financial regulators, and bank merger requirements. Under the bill, new banks have a three-year phase-in period to meet certain capital requirements. The bill also reduces the leverage ratio for certain rural community banks. Financial regulators must (1) tailor regulatory actions to limit burdens on financial institutions and must consider the institutions' risk profiles and business models, and (2) review their regulations more frequently and expand the scope of these reviews. The bill eases requirements regarding bank mergers, for example, by allowing financial regulators to approve certain bank mergers without considering if the merger is noncompetitive or monopolistic. The bill increases the dollar asset thresholds for various fees, reporting requirements, and other regulatory requirements so that more financial companies and banks are exempt from these requirements. For example, the bill increases the total asset threshold above which financial holding companies need Federal Reserve Board approval to acquire a company, thereby allowing for more acquisitions without board approval. The bill also raises certain asset thresholds so as to allow additional small bank holding companies to operate with higher debt levels and additional small banks to qualify for a longer examination cycle. The bill also provides flexibilities regarding the use of reciprocal deposits, the resolution of failed banks, and other regulated activities.