House · SJRES 13 · 119th Congress
A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency of the Department of the Treasury relating to the review of applications under the Bank Merger Act.
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Summary
This bill cancels a 2024 federal rule that changed how the government reviews bank merger requests. The canceled rule had removed automatic approvals and simplified application forms for bank mergers. Banks and federal regulators are the most directly affected.
In Favor
The canceled rule piled extra data requirements and longer timelines onto mergers that existing law already covered with adequate review. Those added delays discouraged smaller banks from consolidating to gain the scale needed to offer more competitive rates and services to customers. Restoring the prior streamlined process removes regulatory uncertainty without weakening the core oversight Congress originally required.
Against
The canceled rule added specific safeguards like extended review timelines, supplemental data requirements, and explicit competitive-effects analysis for proposed mergers. Those tools helped regulators catch deals that could reduce local-market competition or eliminate community banking options. Removing them means mergers with real consumer harms may now advance under a streamlined process that was never designed to flag those risks.
Additional Considerations
Purpose & Problem
Is the problem real and worth federal action?
This resolution cancels a federal rule that changed how the government reviews requests for bank mergers. The rule had removed some automatic approvals and simplified application forms for those reviews.
Scope & Related Provisions
Does it stay focused, or carry unrelated add-ons?
The resolution focuses entirely on canceling one specific rule about bank merger reviews. The provisions stay on topic.
Who Is Affected
Who benefits, and who bears the cost?
Banks seeking to merge with other banks face the return of the review process that existed before the 2024 rule. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency must now operate without the procedures that rule had set.
Cost & Funding
Is it affordable and responsibly funded?
The resolution does not authorize or spend federal funds. It shifts work back onto the agency, which must now conduct merger reviews under the older process rather than the one the 2024 rule established.
Risks & Implementation
What could go wrong in practice?
The agency must return to its prior review process, which could create questions about which exact procedures now apply. Any banks with pending merger applications may face uncertainty about which rules govern their review.
For the actual bill text, see congress.gov.
AI-generated · Published 6/5/2026