# H.R. 4544 (119th): American Access to Banking Act

American Access to Banking Act This bill requires federal financial regulators to review and streamline the application process for the formation of de novo, or new, depository institutions or credit unions. Regulators must (1) review the application process; (2) to the extent practicable, collect necessary information from other agencies in order to minimize requests for applicant information; and (3) review how de novo financial intuitions raise capital while maintaining investor protections, including the impact of restrictions on raising capital. At the request of an applicant, regulators must (1) designate an employee as a caseworker to assist in the application process, and (2) provide a list of similar institutions interested in serving as a mentor. Each regulator must also develop a state and stakeholder engagement plan to assist interested parties with understanding the relevant regulatory processes.

## How this bill is scored

Tier: no Tier 1 record. A bill with no record cannot newly become Tier 1.
Lane: banking_access. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: financial_regulation. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: regulatory_process. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Tier 1 sign-off: no record. A bill with no record cannot newly become Tier 1.
Stored polarity: mixed. Only tags the rules mark scoreable on a mixed bill are scored. A yea can draw a penalty or a credit according to the tag. A nay on a tag scored as good can draw a penalty.
Roll 178: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended. Vote type: final_passage.
Polarity rationale: Reviewed enrichment (llm_import) polarity: The bill combines prudential goods (reducing unnecessary regulatory friction, improving access for new community-oriented lenders, and keeping investor protections in view) with ordinary regulatory-design questions about how far streamlining should go. It does not directly restrain or advance a named moral harm.
Theological note: The measure concerns ordinary economic governance: easing lawful entry into banking and credit union formation and reducing administrative burden on new institutions. It touches stewardship of honest commerce and fair access to economic participation, and it preserves investor protections. These are prudential matters, not a direct moral verdict on the bill's aims.

## Recorded votes

Roll 178: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended. Yea 405 · Nay 4 · Other 21.

HTML: https://justmeasure.org/bill/hr-4544-119/