Minimum capital requirements

The agency said multiple stakeholders had requested more time to evaluate the proposal.

The letter from 29 Republicans, including some who may chair the House Financial Services Committee next year, urges the Federal Reserve’s top regulator to "recalibrate" the capital surcharge for banks like JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup.

The central bank has encountered criticism for allowing three banks to direct funds to dividends and buybacks even though their capital levels fell below required minimums.

The president’s signature tax reform law muddled this year’s stress test results, causing several banks to incur greater-than-expected losses and spurring the Federal Reserve to constrain capital distributions at a handful of banks.

All 35 banks passed the Federal Reserve's first round of tests, but their results were not as stellar as last year's.

Some continue to doubt there will be a premium cut, while others say there's no telling which way Brian Montgomery will go.

The central bank's rule-writing workload is expected to remain busy for the foreseeable future, thanks in large part to enactment of the recent regulatory relief bill.

No plan will be implemented as long as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac remain in conservatorship, but a capital framework for the companies could still have a substantive impact.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said the agency has its hand full between proposals on liquidity and capital requirements and additional mandates made by the recently enacted regulatory relief law.

The agency proposed new minimum capital requirements for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that would only go into effect if the government ends its conservatorships.