House Committee Reviews Main Street Capital Access Act to Ease Regulatory Burdens on Community Banks

4,131 community banks operated in the U.S. as of Q4 2024, accounting for more than 90% of all FDIC-insured banking institutions by count

New bank formations fell from roughly 130 per year (2000–2009) to approximately 6 per year after 2010 — a drop of more than 95%

Community banks hold roughly 11% of total U.S. banking assets but originate an estimated 37%–60% of small business loans and 63%–80% of agricultural loans

H.R. 6955 would raise the small bank holding company asset threshold from $3 billion to $25 billion and lift the Community Bank Leverage Ratio eligibility cap from $10 billion to $15 billion

The smallest community banks spend 11%–15.5% of their payroll on compliance tasks, compared to 6%–10% at larger community banks, according to a decade of CSBS survey data (2015–2024)