"Regulators Introduce Game-Changing Capital Rules for Big Banks, Impacting Buybacks and CEO Concerns"

U.S. regulators have proposed sweeping changes to banks' capital requirements, aiming to address evolving international standards and recent regional banking crises. The changes, which incorporate parts of the Basel III regulations, will raise the level of capital that banks need to maintain against potential losses. While the heightened requirements apply to all banks with at least $100 billion in assets, the biggest and most complex banks are expected to be impacted the most. The proposal also aims to eliminate a regulatory loophole that allowed regional banks to exclude unrealized losses and gains from their capital ratios, following the failure of Silicon Valley Bank in March.