On December 9, the Federal Reserve Board (the “Board”) released a proposed rule (the “Proposed Rule”) to establish risk-based capital surcharges for U.S. bank holding companies identified as “global systemically important banking organizations (“GSIBs”).  The Proposed Rule is one of several enhanced prudential standards developed by the Board in accordance with Section 165 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.  Also, it is based on the framework adopted by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision as modified to address risks unique to the U.S. financial system.

Under the methodology described in the Proposed Rule, to determine whether it is a GSIB, each U.S. top-tier bank holding company with total consolidated assets of $50 billion or more that is not a subsidiary of a non-U.S. banking organization would be required to annually calculate a systemic indicator score beginning December 31 of the year it crosses the $50 billion threshold.  Such score would be based on five systemic indicators—size, interconnectedness, substitutability, complexity and cross-jurisdictional activity.  If it is 130 basis points or greater, then such bank holding company would be designated as a GSIB and be subject to a GSIB surcharge.  A GSIB surcharge would be calculated using two methods—(a) method 1 based on the sum of systemic indicator scores reflecting size, interconnectedness, cross-jurisdictional activity, substitutability and complexity and (b) method 2 based on the sum of systemic indicator scores reflecting size, interconnectedness, cross-jurisdictional activity and complexity as well as a measure of use of short-term wholesale funding but excluding the systemic indicator scores reflecting substitutability.  The higher of the two surcharges determined under the two methods would be imposed on such bank holding company as a GSIB surcharge.

Currently, eight U.S. bank holding companies would be identified as GSIBs under the Proposed Rule.  The Board’s regulatory capital rule would need to be amended to increase a GSIB’s capital conservation buffer by the amount of its GSIB surcharge. 

The Proposed Rule would be phased in beginning 2016 at a rate of 25% per year and become fully effective on January 1, 2019.

Public comment is due no later than February 28, 2015.  Release.  Proposed Rule.