Wayne A. Abernathy is executive vice president for financial institutions policy and regulatory affairs at the American Bankers Association. Previously he served as assistant secretary of the Treasury for financial institutions and as staff director of the Senate Banking Committee.
Policymakers should continue to simplify requirements, so that banks and regulators alike can focus on the most important measures of stability.
The banking agencies are right to review capital requirements for banks of all sizes to ensure the rules are efficient and clear.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.s recent statements encouraging new bank applications are promising, but some barriers to new charters may remain inside the FDIC and we are still waiting for the first de novo of 2016.