Portfolio

Issue Advocacy – Financial Services

Category: Financial Services

The Facts:

Almost two years after the 2008 financial crisis, Congress passed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, a sweeping reform of the financial services industry that totaled hundreds of pages and required thousands of subsequent rulings by regulatory agencies. Sphere was engaged by a leading global investment bank to provide strategic guidance regarding its domestic and international public policy objectives related to the Dodd-Frank Act.

How we got it done:

Sphere advised the client’s team on the still-fraught media environment, helped improve the firm’s public standing, and managed an integrated education campaign focused on the policymaking and regulatory communities in Washington.

Strategic Counsel:
Sphere provided strategic guidance to the firm’s government affairs and public policy professionals, as well as prepared political analyses and policy reports for its C-suite executives and Board.

Education Campaign:
Sphere developed and executed an educational campaign to address the “too-big-to-fail” concept and mitigate regulatory overreach during the rule-making phase of Dodd-Frank implementation, a campaign that garnered positive media attention. Sphere also assembled a coalition across major industry associations and Capitol Hill.

Media Relations:
Sphere monitored and engaged media sources in Washington, New York, and London regarding a number of Dodd-Frank-related subjects, creating briefing materials on subjects including the Volcker rule and the Merkley-Levin amendment and their effects on proprietary-trading desks, extraterritorial considerations, and numerous other regulatory issues.

Results:

With targeted media outreach and monitoring, white-paper and material development, and extensive third-party engagement, Sphere has helped the investment bank successfully navigate the post-crisis policy environment and avoid the public relations and regulatory fallout suffered by many of its competitors.

Stakeholders

  • Government: SEC, Congress, CFTC, Federal Reserve, CFPB, Treasury

  • Media: Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Reuters, Financial Times, New York Times, Politico