** U.S. bank stocks jump with the S&P 500 Banks Index .SPXBK, which tracks large-cap U.S. lenders, last up ~1.85%; KBW Regional Banking Index .KRX also trading ~2% higher

** Michael Barr, the Fed's top regulatory official, says he plans to step down from his post on Feb. 28, avoiding a potentially messy legal fight with President-elect Donald Trump over his future at the U.S. central bank

** The central bank says in a statement it would take up no major rulemaking until a successor to the regulatory role is confirmed

** Barr's exit clears the way for Trump, who will be sworn in on Jan. 20, to appoint all new bank regulators for the U.S. government

** U.S. lenders are hoping for an easier regulatory landscape under the new Trump administration

** Major U.S. banks JPMorgan Chase JPM.N, Wells Fargo WFC.N, Goldman Sachs GS.N, Morgan Stanley MS.N, Citigroup C.N and Bank of America BAC.N up between 1.2% and 3.8%

** Regional banks Western Alliance WAL.N, Banc of California BANC.N and Customers Bancorp CUBI.N were last up between 3.9% and 2.9%

(Reporting by Manya Saini in Bengaluru)

((Manya.Saini@thomsonreuters.com))