HR 6955 · Passed House · 07-22-26
Main Street Capital Access Act
What does the Main Street Capital Access Act do?
HR 6955 is a House bill sponsored by Rep. J. French Hill (R-AR-2). This bill rewrites a broad range of federal banking laws to ease regulation of smaller banks, speed up new-bank formation, and limit how agencies use supervisory guidance. It raises several size thresholds, exempts most bank mergers under $10B from antitrust review, and orders studies of bank-fintech partnerships.
Did HR 6955 pass? Where it stands
As of August 30, 2026, HR 6955 has passed the House.
Status: Passed House
Latest vote: House Passed 270–155 on July 21, 2026
Outlook: Possible
Key provisions
- Community Bank Regulatory Relief
- Raises the Small Bank Holding Company threshold to $6B
- Tailors capital and reporting rules for banks under $6B in assets
- Indexes enhanced-regulation thresholds every 5 years
- Bank Merger and Competition Changes
- Exempts most bank mergers under $10B from antitrust review
- Adds merger-approval clarity and process reviews
- Supervision and Guidance Limits
- Requires agencies to state their guidance is not legally binding
- Shortens the regulatory-review cycle from 10 to 8 years
- Cuts the new-bank de novo review period from 180 to 90 days
Last updated July 24, 2026