10:57 AM EST, 12/17/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Canada's financial regulator left capital requirements unchanged for the country's largest banks, signaling regulators believe systemic risks to bank balance sheets remain under control, Bloomberg is reporting Tuesday.

Following its semi-annual review, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions said the domestic stability buffer will remain at 3.5% of banks' risk-weighted assets, the third consecutive hold, according to a statement Tuesday. The regulator last boosted the buffer in June 2023.

"We expect further pressure on households as mortgages in 2025 and 2026 will renew at higher interest rates," Peter Routledge, superintendent of financial institutions, said in a media briefing. "However, this is less concerning than in June, since interest rates have declined and Canadian homeowners have weathered the current credit cycle well."

Bloomberg noted the stability buffer is like a rainy-day fund meant to protect the financial system by ensuring banks have enough capital on hand to absorb losses in a downturn. OSFI lowered it in the early days of the pandemic to free up capital for lending, but has raised it in stages since 2021 as the economy recovered.

Tuesday's decision means Canada's banks are required to have Common Equity Tier 1 capital of at least 11.5% of risk-weighted assets. All six large banks already exceed that ratio, and the regulator said the big lenders "have maintained an adequate level of capital to address emerging risks."

Routledge said the regulator would consider lowering the buffer if faced with a severe economic shock, such as the pandemic, or a pronounced downturn in the economy.

OSFI will also look at reducing the buffer over time as vulnerabilities in the system decrease, he said.

Bloomberg noted the major banks have set aside large provisions for potential loan losses, but said in recent quarterly earnings reports that they see credit stress easing over the course of 2025.

(Updates with comments from OSFI Superintendent starting in third paragraph.)

(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally, and/or from other media sources. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)

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