Who it affects
- Applicants seeking to open banks or credit unions
- Federal financial regulators
- States and groups involved in bank and credit union applications
Passed the HouseBanking
American Access to Banking Act
H.R. 4544 · House bill · Introduced July 17, 2025
The American Access to Banking Act would require federal financial regulators to review and simplify applications for opening new banks and credit unions.
At a glance
Where it stands
Passed the House 405 to 4 on May 20.
How South Carolina voted
Lobbying and money
No lobbying reported yet
Lobbyists report every three months, about 20 days after each quarter ends. We have January 2025 through September 2026 reports. Newer reports will be added once filed and published.
What it would do
- Federal financial regulators must review and simplify the application process for new banks and credit unions.
- Where practical, regulators must collect needed information from other agencies to reduce information requests to applicants.
- They must review how new institutions raise money, including fundraising limits, while maintaining investor protections.
- When applicants request it, regulators must assign an employee to guide them through the application process.
- When applicants request it, regulators must provide a list of similar institutions interested in serving as mentors.
- Each regulator must plan outreach to states and interested groups to explain the relevant regulatory processes.
Written with AI from the official summary by Congress's research office.
How South Carolina voted
House vote coverage is incomplete for 2025–2026. Vote and flagged-bill counts reflect imported records only; missing votes don't mean a member didn't vote.
House vote
Vote to pass
Fast-track vote that needs two-thirds
May 20, 2026 · Passed 405 to 4
- Republicans
- 199 yes
- 4 no
- Democrats
- 205 yes
- 0 no
- Independents
- 1 yes
- 0 no
Groups that lobbied on it and gave to SC's members
PAC, lobbyist campaign and qualifying employee money this election, shown separately and never added together. Lobbying reports name the bills a group worked on, not which side it took.
No lobbying reported yet. Lobbyists report every three months, about 20 days after each quarter ends. We have January 2025 through September 2026 reports. Newer reports will be added once filed and published.
Official record
Official title, sponsor and status
- Official title
- To direct certain Federal banking and credit union agencies to promote the formation of de novo regulated institutions through the review of application processes, the review of capital raising by de novo regulated institutions, and the establishment of various outreach programs, and for other purposes.
- Sponsor
- Rep. Waters, Maxine (D-CA)
- Introduced
- July 17, 2025
- Cosponsors
- 0
- Committees
- Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee; House Financial Services Committee
- Latest action
- May 21, 2026 · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Official summary from the Congressional Research Service
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.
Summary on Congress.gov ↗Everyone who lobbied on this bill (0 groups)
No lobbying report we have loaded names this bill. That doesn't mean no lobbying took place.
Lobbyists report every three months, about 20 days after each quarter ends. We have January 2025 through September 2026 reports. Newer reports will be added once filed and published. Reports for October through December 2026 are due January 20, 2027.