Why So Hard to Make Banks Boost Capital?

Just about everyone agrees: Banks need to hold more capital. So why are so many predicting little real progress on that front at the G-20 summit?

For one thing, bank leverage is already down, and regulators are presumably keeping an eagle eye on capital cushions, says Stephen Auth, head of equity investment for Federated Investors, the big money manager based just blocks from the main G-20 venues in Pittsburgh. So the danger is no longer so imminent.