House Financial Services chair unveils 'Main Street Capital Access' package to assist community banks

The House Committee on Financial Services on Tuesday unveiled the Main Street Capital Access Act, a package of stand-alone bills intended to strengthen community banks and credit unions by tailoring regulation, expanding funding tools and improving resolution planning.

Committee leaders framed the package as the result of work across 2025 to push ‘‘prosperity to Main Street,’’ not just large financial centers. The committee chair said the suite of bills is ready to be introduced this week and that leaders will urge House leadership to consider floor action while consulting with Senate counterparts.

The package includes measures described during the event by lawmakers in the committee. Representative Bill Huizenga summarized three bills he helped advance: the Stress Testing Accountability and Transparency Act, which would require the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve to clarify models, assumptions and scenarios used in bank stress tests; the FDIC Board Accountability Act, aimed at strengthening professional qualifications and governance for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s board; and an Enhancing Bank Resolution Participation Act directing the federal banking agencies to study certain historical practices and prepare ready-to-deploy resolution tools.

Representative Barry Loudermilk, the committee’s vice chair, said the Financial Institutions Subcommittee advanced more than 30 bills out of committee in 2025, with three already enacted into law. He characterized prior agency rulemaking as burdensome and said the bills in the new package are aimed at ‘‘rightsizing’’ regulation based on institution size, risk and complexity.

On specific funding and deposit measures, the chair said the package includes bipartisan provisions on reciprocal and custodial deposits and changes to the definition of a small bank holding company to permit subordinated debt or preferred stock as growth capital for smaller institutions.

Reporters pressed the committee on timing and next steps. A reporter identified as Emily asked when the public would see text and floor action; the chair said the package will be formally introduced that week and committee leaders will work with colleagues across the aisle and with the Senate to seek a path to the floor. The committee chair also said members have a record of markups and roll-call votes for the bills, and that the portfolio approach—moving multiple, narrower bills through committee—was intended to preserve bipartisan options for floor packages.

Lawmakers addressed related policy areas in the question-and-answer period. On ‘‘debanking,’’ the chair said the committee will wait to review information the executive branch provides and emphasized the committee does not intend to second-guess prudential board- or management-level decisions. On housing, the chair noted the committee’s bipartisan housing bill from the prior Congress and said lawmakers hope to align with the Senate and the administration on legislation the president could sign. The chair also reiterated past committee work on stablecoins, saying the committee’s bipartisan view has been to treat stablecoins as payment tokens that should not pay interest and suggested remaining technical issues be addressed through Treasury rulemaking.

The committee did not take votes at the event. Officials said the package is not final and could be amended as members consult across the aisle and with the Senate. The chair closed by thanking attendees and inviting a group photo.

The event did not include formal floor or committee votes; the next procedural step described by committee leaders is the formal introduction of the bills and outreach to House and Senate leadership to seek floor consideration.