Regional US banks claimed easier capital rules would turbocharge loans Three of the biggest regional banks in the US banks claimed easier capital rules, were able to persuade regulators to relax capital requirements in 2019 by deducting fictitious losses on their investment portfolios. They argued that by doing this, they would be able to manage interest rate risk better while increasing lending and boosting the American economy. A Financial Times research reveals lending at the three banks — PNC, US Bank, and Capital One — as well as lenders they have since purchased, in fact, expanded more slowly than at competitors, as authorities ponder rolling back those improvements in the wake of Silicon Valley Bank’s failure. Loans Issues of Trios Less than half of the 15% increase experienced by the entire industry, loans issued by the trio of banks increased by just 6% over the three-year period from 2019 to 2022. Over the same time period, JPMorgan Chase, which was subject to the guid...