OCC 99 - 31
Risk-Based Capital
Basel Consultative Paper
Date: July 15, 1999

TO:	Chief Executive Officers of All National 
Banks, Department and Division Heads, and All Examining Personnel


Attached is a summary of a consultative paper, 
"A New Capital Adequacy Framework," issued by 
the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision 
(Basel Committee) on June 3. The paper solicits 
industry views on proposed revisions to the 
1988 Capital Accord.  National banks are encouraged 
to review and comment on the proposed revisions.  
The Basel Committee will carefully consider industry 
comments before endorsing any changes to the 
risk-based capital framework.  The U.S. federal 
banking agencies (the OCC, FRB, and FDIC) will 
alter their capital regulations only if adopted 
rough the agencies' rulemaking process 
(e.g., Federal Register notice and comment).

The Basel Committee and the OCC will accept 
comments on the proposal until March 31, 2000. 
Comments should be sent to the Basel Committee 
Secretariat at the Bank of International Settlements, 
CH-4002, Basel, Switzerland with copies to the OCC 
at Basel Capital Proposal, Mail Stop 7-13, Office 
of the Comptroller of the Currency, 250 E Street, 
SW, Washington, DC, 20219. 

A copy of the paper is available on the Basel 
Committee's Web site at 
http://www.bis.org/publ/index.htm.

For further information about this bulletin, 
contact Tommy Snow or Roger Tufts in the 
Capital Policy Division at (202) 874-5070.




Kevin J. Bailey
Deputy Comptroller of Core Policy 

Attachment