Bank Policy Institute

In 1996, the newly-created BITS (Business Innovation Technology and Security division) [8] under the former Bankers Roundtable, allowed collaboration on technological issues faced by the financial services industry.[9] Since the Roundtable's creation in 2000, this organization addresses "emerging threats and opportunities" especially threats to cybersecurity, fraud reduction and critical infrastructure protection.[10] Another part of the Roundtable, the Bankruptcy Coalition, lobbied for changes to the bankruptcy code in 2005.[11]

There are numerous other parts of the Roundtable.[12] One part, Agents for Change, was described as helping move forward the "modernization" of insurance regulation. Another part tries to officially improve working communities of the financial services industry and creating partnerships with non-profits and politicians. The Housing Policy Council and 34 member companies, another part of the Roundtable are engaged in an "effort to prevent foreclosures and preserve homeownership." In addition to these sections of the Roundtable, there are three initiatives pushed: InFact (provide Americans with "information...important to the financial services industry), ITAC (non-profit that fights identity theft) and www.MyMoneyManagement.net (providing consumers with "financial education").

The Bank Policy Institute (BPI) is a nonpartisan public policy, research and advocacy group, representing the nation’s leading banks. BPI’s members include universal banks, regional banks and the major foreign banks doing business in the United States. Collectively, they employ nearly 2 million Americans, make nearly half of the nation’s bank-originated small business loans and are an engine for financial innovation and economic growth.

According to its official website, the group focuses on financial services legislation and regulation. Such issues include:

• Accounting standards/FASB
• Anti-money laundering, bank secrecy act and sanctions.
• Bank conditions and credit availability
• Board governance
• Consumer affairs
• Cybersecurity, technology and data protection
• Digital assets
• Diversity and inclusion
• Dodd-Frank Act implementation
• Fintech and innovation
• Monetary policy
• Prudential regulations, including bank capital and liquidity
• Resolution and recovery planning
• Supervision and enforcement

BPI has approximately 42 members. Member companies include:[13]

Lobbying has always been a focus of the Roundtable. From 1998 to 2000, less than a million dollars was spent on lobbying.[15][16][17] But, by 2001 after the creation of the Roundtable, more than $1.1 million was spent.[18] For the next five years, the amount of money spent on lobbying increased. In 2006, less than $6.2 million was spent on lobbying.[19] The next two years, more money was spent on lobbying than in 2006: $6,380,000 was spent in 2007,[20] and $7,760,000 was spent in 2008.[21] The next year, the Roundtable spent about $6.9 million on lobbying in Washington, DC, with more than $900,000 going to outside lobbying firms.[22] The Center of Responsive Politics showed a continuation of this trend. From 2008 to 2011, an average of about $7.5 million was spent on lobbying each year.[23]

A good number of lobbyists representing the Roundtable have been involved in the revolving door between industry and government. Nine of them are part of the revolving door and one is a former congressman.[24]

Even before its founding, the money contributed toward federal candidates has been spent. OpenSecrets notes[25] that in the election cycles of 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, and 1998, less than $90,000 was spent each year, with the highest amount in 1992 with about $85,200 spent. However, in the 2000s, the amount spent went up exponentially. An upward tick in the amount spent reached a high of $615,808 in the 2010 election cycle. Even with this increase, the money spent in the 2012 election cycle dropped almost by half.

The money spent from the 1990s to the present has not been given to just one party, but to both major parties in Washington, Democrats and Republicans. In the three election cycles from 1990 to 1994, Democrats were given more money than Republicans. In the late 1990s, that changed with more money being given to Republicans than Democrats (1996 and 1998 election cycles). This only increased in the 2000s, with more contributions being given than ever before, with a height of more than $266,200 given to Republican Party candidates in the 2008 election cycle. Still, Democrats were the runner-up, and were given the highest amount of money in the same election cycle: more than $214,400. In the 2012 election cycle, $46,000 went to House Democrats, $122,000 to House Republicans and $36,500 to Senate Democrats and $38,000 to Senate Republicans.[26] Such recipients include Speaker of the House John Boehner, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Maryland Congressman Steny Hoyer, Congressional Progressive Caucus member Xavier Becerra, senior Republican Senator Orrin Hatch, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senate Majority Whip Jon Kyl and many others.[26]