New Bank Asset Requirements Leave Five Of The Big Six Banks Trailing Behind

Five of the six largest U.S. lenders, including JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) and Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS), wouldn't meet new minimum capital requirements that are being considered by U.S. regulators.

The new standard being considered by the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. would mean that banks would have to double the amount of capital they hold to 6 percent of total assets. The result could be that some banks may have to retain earnings and shareholder dividends to meet the new requirement, Bloomberg News reported Friday.

According to estimates by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Inc., the only bank in the big six that currently meets the new minimum is Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE:WFC) with a 7.3 percent ratio. JPMorgan and Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) would be at at 4.5 percent, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE:GS) at 4.6 percent and Bank of America Corp. (NYSE:BAC) at 5.1 percent, according to the KBW report.

The move comes after regulators proposed implementing the new rules to help prevent banks from borrowing too much against their assets. The Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. are under pressure from lawmakers to increase the 3 percent figure for some of the biggest banks.