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The 'Stress Test' 19

In February, regulators began performing "stress tests" on the nation's 19 largest banks in an effort to see how much more money they need to survive a steep economic downturn. Testing the bank's assets against a pessimistic economic scenario, regulators will establish whether the bank needs an "additional capital buffer." If so, the bank will have three options. Banks that need additional cash will have a six-month window to raise it privately. If they can't, the Treasury Department will come through with an investment. And in some cases, banks that have already taken bailout money will be given the option to simply convert those preferred shares to common stock.

Those results are due to be released next week. In preparation, we've launched a new feature for our all-seeing bailout database: a page listing the 19 companies undergoing the stress tests (a list we first published in early March). As the list shows, 18 of the 19 companies have already taken bailout cash. Check back as the results of the tests are revealed, as we'll be updating our list.

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