Federal Reserve releases stress test results

Federal Issues Stress Test Dodd-Frank Federal Reserve

On June 21, the Federal Reserve Board released the results of stress tests conducted on 35 financial institutions, representing 80 percent of the assets of all banks operating in the U.S. The results are from the eighth round of stress tests led by the Fed since 2009 and the sixth round under the Dodd-Frank Act. Under the most severe scenario tested by the Fed, consisting of a severe global recession with unemployment rising to 10 percent and a steepening Treasury yield curve, the Fed projected losses at the 35 institutions would total $578 billion and the aggregate common equity tier 1 capital ratio would fall from an actual 12.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2017 to 7.9 percent. The Fed also noted that several factors, including higher credit card balances and changes to the tax code, affected the post-stress capital ratios this year.