As Regulatory Climate Shifts, Banks See Opportunity in Stress Test Win

Also, Behnam will step down as CFTC chairman on Inauguration Day; Atkins hits the Hill

For years, under both Democratic and Republican administrations, the Fed has resisted calls to lift the veil of secrecy surrounding its annual stress tests of the largest lenders. That posture suddenly, and surprisingly, took a U-turn when the central bank announced two days before Christmas that it would overhaul the exams and provide more details abou…