(CCAR) is a United States regulatory framework introduced by the Federal Reserve to assess, regulate, and supervise large banks and financial institutions – collectively referred to in the framework as bank holding companies (BHCs).
The assessment is conducted annually and consists of two related programs:
- Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review
- Dodd–Frank Act supervisory stress testing
The core part of the program assesses whether:
- BHCs possess adequate capital.
- The capital structure is stable given various stress-test scenarios.
- Planned capital distributions, such as dividends and share repurchases, are viable and acceptable in relation to regulatory minimum capital requirements.
The assessment is performed on both qualitative and quantitative bases. The Federal Reserve may order banks to suspend their planned capital distributions to shareholders until the target capital balance is restored.