H.R. 6955

Main Street Capital Access Act

Sponsor: J. French Hill · 33 cosponsors

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Official summary

Written by the Congressional Research Service.

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.  

Text of the bill

Expand all
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents Changed · Jul 21

Where this section came from

  1. Jan 7, 2026 · Introduced in House Referred to House Committee on Financial Services, Jan 7
  2. Apr 20, 2026 · Reported in House Marked up by House Committee on Financial Services, Mar 4 Reported by House Committee on Financial Services, Apr 20 Committee members' individual votes aren't in our records.
  3. Jul 21, 2026 · Engrossed in House H.Amdt. 241: Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 1438, in lieu of the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Financial Services now printed in the bill, an amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of Rules Committee Print 119-35 is considered as adopted. Official page › H.Res. 1438: On Ordering the Previous Question — Passed, 213–209 · Roll Call 253 H.Res. 1438: On Agreeing to the Resolution — Passed, 214–211 · Roll Call 254 On Motion to Recommit — Failed, 210–216 · Roll Call 270On Passage — Passed, 270–155 · Roll Call 271
What changed in the text

(a) Short title. This Act may be cited as the Main Street Capital Access Act or the Main Street Act.

(b) Table of contents. The table of contents for this Act is as follows: Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.Title I—New Bank Formation and Local Community AccessSec. 101. Promoting New Bank Formation.Sec. 102. New Bank Application Numbers Knowledge.Sec. 103. Rural Depositories Revitalization Studies.Sec. 104. Community Investment and Prosperity.Sec. 105. CDFI Fund Transparency.Sec. 106 104 . CDFI Bond Guarantee Improvement.Title II—Tailoring Bank RegulationSec. 201. Taking Account of Institutions with Low Operation Risk.Sec. 202. Small Bank Holding Company Relief.Sec. 203. Community Bank Leverage Improvement and Flexibility for Transparency.Sec. 204. Tailoring and Indexing Enhanced Regulations.Sec. 205 204 . Community Bank Regulatory Tailoring. Sec. 206. Credit Union Board Modernization. Title III—Fair and Transparent Bank SupervisionSec. 301. Halting Uncertain Methods and Practices in Supervision.Sec. 302. Fair Audits and Inspections for Regulators’ Exams.Sec. 303. Supervisory Modifications for Appropriate Risk-based Testing.Sec. 304. Tailored Regulatory Updates for Supervisory Testing.Sec. 305. Financial Integrity and Regulation Management.Title IV—Regulatory Accountability and TransparencySec. 401. FDIC Board Accountability.Sec. 402. Stop Agency Fiat Enforcement of Guidance.Sec. 403. Regulatory Efficiency, Verification, Itemization, and Enhanced Workflow. Sec. 404. American Financial Institution Regulatory Sovereignty and Transparency. Title V—Strengthening Local Bank FundingSec. 501. Bringing the Discount Window into the 21st Century.Sec. 502. Keeping Deposits Local. Sec. 503. Community Bank Deposit Access. Title VI—Promoting Bank Competition and Merger ClaritySec. 601. Bank Competition Modernization.Sec. 602. Merger Agreement Approvals Clarity and Predictability.Sec. 603. Merger Process Review.Sec. 604. Bank Failure Prevention.Title VII—Strengthening Transparency and Involvement in Bank ResolutionsSec. 701. Least Cost Exception.Sec. 702. Enhancing Bank Resolution Participation.Sec. 703. Failing Bank Acquisition Fairness. Sec. 704. Systemic Risk Authority Transparency. Title VIII—Facilitating Innovation and Bank PartnershipsSec. 801. Merchant Banking Modernization.Sec. 802. Bank-Fintech Partnership Enhancement. Sec. 803. Discretionary surplus fund.

What does "considered adopted" mean?

When a chamber approves a rule that says a change is "considered adopted", the change becomes part of the bill as soon as the rule passes, without a separate vote on the change itself.

What is a markup?

A markup is a committee meeting where members go through a bill and vote on changes before sending it to the full chamber.

(a) Short title. This Act may be cited as the Main Street Capital Access Act or the Main Street Act.

(b) Table of contents. The table of contents for this Act is as follows: Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.Title I—New Bank Formation and Local Community AccessSec. 101. Promoting New Bank Formation.Sec. 102. New Bank Application Numbers Knowledge.Sec. 103. CDFI Fund Transparency.Sec. 104. CDFI Bond Guarantee Improvement.Title II—Tailoring Bank RegulationSec. 201. Taking Account of Institutions with Low Operation Risk.Sec. 202. Small Bank Holding Company Relief.Sec. 203. Tailoring and Indexing Enhanced Regulations.Sec. 204. Community Bank Regulatory Tailoring.Title III—Fair and Transparent Bank SupervisionSec. 301. Halting Uncertain Methods and Practices in Supervision.Sec. 302. Fair Audits and Inspections for Regulators’ Exams.Sec. 303. Supervisory Modifications for Appropriate Risk-based Testing.Sec. 304. Financial Integrity and Regulation Management.Title IV—Regulatory Accountability and TransparencySec. 401. FDIC Board Accountability.Sec. 402. Stop Agency Fiat Enforcement of Guidance.Sec. 403. Regulatory Efficiency, Verification, Itemization, and Enhanced Workflow.Title V—Strengthening Local Bank FundingSec. 501. Bringing the Discount Window into the 21st Century.Sec. 502. Keeping Deposits Local.Title VI—Promoting Bank Competition and Merger ClaritySec. 601. Bank Competition Modernization.Sec. 602. Merger Agreement Approvals Clarity and Predictability.Sec. 603. Merger Process Review.Sec. 604. Bank Failure Prevention.Title VII—Strengthening Transparency and Involvement in Bank ResolutionsSec. 701. Least Cost Exception.Sec. 702. Enhancing Bank Resolution Participation.Sec. 703. Failing Bank Acquisition Fairness.Title VIII—Facilitating Innovation and Bank PartnershipsSec. 801. Merchant Banking Modernization.Sec. 802. Bank-Fintech Partnership Enhancement.Sec. 803. Discretionary surplus fund.

I New Bank Formation and Local Community Access

II Tailoring Bank Regulation

III Fair and Transparent Bank Supervision

IV Regulatory Accountability and Transparency

V Strengthening Local Bank Funding

VI Promoting Bank Competition and Merger Clarity

VII Strengthening Transparency and Involvement in Bank Resolutions

VIII Facilitating Innovation and Bank Partnerships