Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency of the Department of the Treasury relating to the review of applications under the Bank Merger Act.

This measure cancels a new rule from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) about how bank mergers are reviewed. The canceled rule would have changed the process by ending automatic approvals in fast-track reviews and stopping the use of shorter, streamlined application forms. By blocking that rule, those changes do not go into effect. It is a formal vote of disapproval under federal law aimed at the OCC’s bank merger review rule.

In everyday terms, banks that want to merge will not face the new, tougher review steps the OCC had planned. The current process stays in place instead of switching to the new system. This affects banks seeking to merge and the communities they serve, since merger reviews can shape which branches stay open and how services are offered.

• Who is affected: Banks applying to merge; communities and customers served by those banks.
• What changes: The OCC’s planned removal of fast-track automatic approvals and streamlined forms is blocked, so the existing review process remains.
• When: The action targets the OCC rule that was published on September 25, 2024.