WASHINGTON — Federal bank regulators on Tuesday proposed a new system of fees paid by U.S. banks that would shift more of the burden to bigger institutions to support the deposit-insurance fund.
The board of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. voted to propose rules to change the basis for assessing a bank’s insurance fees from the amount of its deposits to its assets. The change is required by the financial-overhaul law enacted in July.
Officials said it would more clearly reflect the risks to the insurance fund.
It would be the first time since 1935, during the Great Depression, that insurance premiums wouldn’t be based on deposits.
The regulators also proposed changes to the way the FDIC determines how much it charges big banks to insure their deposits.
FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair said that while the amounts paid by individual banks would change, the proposal is designed “to keep the total amount collected from the industry very close to unchanged.” Also, because banks’ assets provide a much larger base for insurance premiums than deposits, the FDIC also is proposing to trim overall assessment rates.
The FDIC board opened the proposals to public comment for 45 days. They could be formally adopted sometime after that.
