Merger Process Review Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6546 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 6546

 To require the Inspector General of each Federal prudential regulator 
  to carry out a review every 3 years of the regulator's handling of 
   insured depository institution merger applications, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 9, 2025

Mr. Williams of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                 to the Committee on Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the Inspector General of each Federal prudential regulator 
  to carry out a review every 3 years of the regulator's handling of 
   insured depository institution merger applications, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Merger Process Review Act''.

SEC. 2. INSPECTOR GENERAL REVIEW OF THE HANDLING OF INSURED DEPOSITORY 
              INSTITUTION MERGER APPLICATIONS.

    (a) Review.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 
this Act, and every 3 years thereafter, the Inspector General of each 
Federal depository institution regulatory agency shall review the 
Federal depository institution regulatory agency's record of timeliness 
and efficiency in reviewing and acting upon insured depository 
institution merger applications. The review shall--
            (1) include an evaluation of relevant quantifiable metrics, 
        including mean and median application processing times;
            (2) identify sources of delay that may hinder the timely 
        consummation of proposals that meet the relevant statutory 
        factors; and
            (3) include specific recommendations to improve the 
        timeliness and efficiency of application processing, consistent 
        with the Federal depository institution regulatory agency's 
        statutory responsibilities.
    (b) Report.--Each Inspector General described under subsection (a) 
shall, at the conclusion of each review required under subsection (a), 
issue a report to Congress containing all findings and determinations 
made in carrying out the review.
    (c) Agency Response.--In response to each report issued to Congress 
under subsection (a), the appropriate Federal depository institution 
regulatory agency shall submit to Congress a written response, 
including a plan to implement the recommendations in the report, to the 
extent such implementation is appropriate.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Application.--The term ``application'' means an 
        application, notice, or other similar request for permission 
        submitted to a Federal depository institution regulatory 
        agency.
            (2) Federal depository institution regulatory agency.--The 
        term ``Federal depository institution regulatory agency'' means 
        the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the 
        Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance 
        Corporation, and the National Credit Union Administration 
        Board.
            (3) Insured depository institution.--The term ``insured 
        depository institution''--
                    (A) has the meaning given that term in section 3 of 
                the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1813); and
                    (B) means an insured credit union, as defined in 
                section 101 of the Federal Credit Union Act (12 U.S.C. 
                1752).
            (4) Insured depository institution merger application.--The 
        term ``insured depository institution merger application'' 
        means an application with respect to the acquisition of an 
        insured depository institution, its equity interests, its 
        assets, or its deposits under--
                    (A) section 10(e) of the Home Owners' Loan Act (12 
                U.S.C. 1467a(e));
                    (B) section 205(b) of the Federal Credit Union Act 
                (12 U.S.C. 1785(b));
                    (C) section 7(j) of the Federal Deposit Insurance 
                Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j));
                    (D) section 18(c)(2) of the Federal Deposit 
                Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1828(c)(2));
                    (E) section 3 of the Bank Holding Company Act of 
                1956 (12 U.S.C. 1842); and
                    (F) section 4 of the Bank Holding Company Act of 
                1956 (12 U.S.C. 1843).
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