diff --git a/core/src/banking_stage.rs b/core/src/banking_stage.rs
index a0a83dee88a6b8..941c079fd692c3 100644
--- a/core/src/banking_stage.rs
+++ b/core/src/banking_stage.rs
@@ -93,6 +93,8 @@ const MAX_NUM_TRANSACTIONS_PER_BATCH: usize = 128;
 const NUM_VOTE_PROCESSING_THREADS: u32 = 2;
 const MIN_THREADS_BANKING: u32 = 1;
 
+const SLOT_BOUNDARY_CHECK_PERIOD: Duration = Duration::from_millis(10);
+
 pub struct ProcessTransactionBatchOutput {
     // The number of transactions filtered out by the cost model
     cost_model_throttled_transactions_count: usize,
@@ -771,7 +773,7 @@ impl BankingStage {
         data_budget: &DataBudget,
         qos_service: &Arc<QosService>,
         slot_metrics_tracker: &mut LeaderSlotMetricsTracker,
-    ) -> BufferedPacketsDecision {
+    ) {
         let (decision, make_decision_time) = Measure::this(
             |_| {
                 let bank_start;
@@ -871,8 +873,6 @@ impl BankingStage {
             }
             _ => (),
         }
-
-        decision
     }
 
     fn handle_forwarding(
@@ -952,11 +952,14 @@ impl BankingStage {
         let socket = UdpSocket::bind("0.0.0.0:0").unwrap();
         let mut buffered_packet_batches = VecDeque::with_capacity(batch_limit);
         let mut banking_stage_stats = BankingStageStats::new(id);
+
         let mut slot_metrics_tracker = LeaderSlotMetricsTracker::new(id);
+        let mut last_metrics_update = Instant::now();
+
         loop {
             let my_pubkey = cluster_info.id();
-            while !buffered_packet_batches.is_empty() {
-                let (decision, process_buffered_packets_time) = Measure::this(
+            if !buffered_packet_batches.is_empty() {
+                let (_, process_buffered_packets_time) = Measure::this(
                     |_| {
                         Self::process_buffered_packets(
                             &my_pubkey,
@@ -979,36 +982,34 @@ impl BankingStage {
                 );
                 slot_metrics_tracker
                     .increment_process_buffered_packets_us(process_buffered_packets_time.as_us());
-
-                if matches!(decision, BufferedPacketsDecision::Hold)
-                    || matches!(decision, BufferedPacketsDecision::ForwardAndHold)
-                {
-                    // If we are waiting on a new bank,
-                    // check the receiver for more transactions/for exiting
-                    break;
-                }
             }
 
-            let (_, slot_metrics_checker_check_slot_boundary_time) = Measure::this(
-                |_| {
-                    let current_poh_bank = {
-                        let poh = poh_recorder.lock().unwrap();
-                        poh.bank_start()
-                    };
-                    slot_metrics_tracker.update_on_leader_slot_boundary(&current_poh_bank);
-                },
-                (),
-                "slot_metrics_checker_check_slot_boundary",
-            );
-            slot_metrics_tracker.increment_slot_metrics_check_slot_boundary_us(
-                slot_metrics_checker_check_slot_boundary_time.as_us(),
-            );
+            // avoid excessively locking poh_recorder
+            if last_metrics_update.elapsed() >= SLOT_BOUNDARY_CHECK_PERIOD {
+                let (_, slot_metrics_checker_check_slot_boundary_time) = Measure::this(
+                    |_| {
+                        let current_poh_bank = {
+                            let poh = poh_recorder.lock().unwrap();
+                            poh.bank_start()
+                        };
+                        slot_metrics_tracker.update_on_leader_slot_boundary(&current_poh_bank);
+                    },
+                    (),
+                    "slot_metrics_checker_check_slot_boundary",
+                );
+                slot_metrics_tracker.increment_slot_metrics_check_slot_boundary_us(
+                    slot_metrics_checker_check_slot_boundary_time.as_us(),
+                );
+
+                last_metrics_update = Instant::now();
+            }
 
             let recv_timeout = if !buffered_packet_batches.is_empty() {
-                // If packets are buffered, let's wait for less time on recv from the channel.
-                // This helps detect the next leader faster, and processing the buffered
-                // packets quickly
-                Duration::from_millis(10)
+                // If there are buffered packets, run the equivalent of try_recv to try reading more
+                // packets. This prevents starving BankingStage::consume_buffered_packets due to
+                // buffered_packet_batches containing transactions that exceed the cost model for
+                // the current bank.
+                Duration::from_millis(0)
             } else {
                 // Default wait time
                 Duration::from_millis(100)