Fed Seeks to Bolster Confidence in Banks With Stress Tests

The Federal Reserve sought to bolster confidence in the U.S. banking system as concerns over the European sovereign-debt crisis roil financial markets and pose risks to the economic expansion.

The Fed yesterday told the 31 largest U.S. banks to test their loan portfolios against a deep recession to ensure they have enough capital to withstand losses. Banks with large trading operations will also test against a European market shock. The most severe scenarios outlined by the Fed include an unemployment rate of as much as 13 percent, an 8 percent drop in gross domestic product and a 52 percent plunge in stocks from the third quarter of 2011 to the fourth quarter of 2012.