Stress lifts ahead of today's bank test report

Federal regulators today unveil what Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said will be a "reassuring" picture of a US banking system able to withstand whatever stresses the recession may inflict on it once a handful of institutions add to their capital base.

Federal Reserve stress tests on the 19 biggest lenders show Bank of America Corp, Wells Fargo & Co and Citigroup Inc together require about $54 billion, said people familiar with the conclusions.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc, JPMorgan Chase & Co and Bank of New York Mellon Corp have enough capital to help prop up flows of credit to businesses and consumers fighting the worst recession in five decades.