Financial Industry Showers House Financial Services Chairman With Contributions
Last year House Financial Services Committee Chairman Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., stated his philosophy on how the relationship between Washington and Wall Street should proceed, “In Washington, the view is that the banks are to be regulated, and my view is that Washington and the regulators are there to serve the banks.” According to first quarter campaign contribution filings due today the financial sector generously supports Chairman Bachus’ philosophy.
Bachus raised over seventy percent of his total first quarter campaign contributions from the finance, insurance, and real estate sector (FIRE). This totaled $212,335 out of Bachus’ haul of $299,439.
The majority of this money, $122,506, came from FIRE sector political action committees. This accounted for eighty-four percent of the total political action committee contributions Bachus received. Another $89,835–fifty-eight percent of all individual contributions to Bachus–was contributed by individuals who work in the FIRE sector.
Bachus is leading the charge against the implementation of a host of rules mandated by the Dodd-Frank law passed last year including those governing derivatives, consumer protection, and debit swipe fees. At the end of last year, Bachus stated that he would go “page by page . . . to identify job-killing provisions or lending-killing provisions.”
A previous Sunlight Foundation study found that Bachus was the most reliant on contributions from the FIRE sector in 2010 having raised sixty-three percent of all contributions from the sector.
Political action committees contributing to Bachus this year include big banks, credit unions, real estate companies, and electronic payment networks. Below is a full list of FIRE PACs giving to Bachus and the dates of their contributions:
PAC | Date | Amount |
Affinity Federal Credit Union | 03/04/11 | 2500 |
America Institute of Certified Public Accountants | 02/10/11 | 1000 |
America Institute of Certified Public Accountants | 03/31/11 | 4000 |
American Express | 01/27/11 | 2500 |
American Financial Services Association | 01/27/11 | 5000 |
Bank of America | 01/18/11 | 1000 |
C.V. Starr & Company | 03/31/11 | 2500 |
C.V. Starr & Company | 03/31/11 | 2500 |
Capital One Financial Corp | 03/24/11 | 5000 |
Chicago Board Options Exchange | 03/04/11 | 5000 |
Coastal Federal Credit Union | 02/25/11 | 1000 |
Community Financial Services Association | 03/31/11 | 2000 |
Compass Banc | 02/10/11 | 1000 |
Credit Union Legislative Action Council | 03/12/11 | 5000 |
Crowe Horwath | 03/31/11 | 4000 |
Credit Union National Association Mutual Group | 03/04/11 | 1000 |
Deloitte & Touche | 03/31/11 | 4000 |
Ernst & Young” | 02/10/11 | 5000 |
Independent Community Bankers Association | 01/27/11 | 1000 |
Independent Community Bankers Association | 03/11/11 | 4000 |
Independent Community Bankers Association | 03/11/11 | 5000 |
Independent Insurance Agents of America | 03/24/11 | 1000 |
Insured Retirement Institute | 03/24/11 | 1000 |
IntercontinentalExchange | 02/03/11 | 1000 |
Investment Company Institute | 02/10/11 | 2500 |
JPMorgan Chase | 02/11/11 | 5000 |
JPMorgan Chase | 02/11/11 | 5000 |
KeyCorp | 01/27/11 | 1000 |
MetLife | 03/11/11 | 2500 |
Mortgage Bankers Association | 03/31/11 | 1000 |
National Association of Federal Credit Unions | 01/27/11 | 5000 |
National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors | 02/03/11 | 1000 |
National Multi Housing Council | 01/27/11 | 5000 |
National Venture Capital Association | 01/07/11 | 2000 |
New York Life Insurance | 03/24/11 | 5000 |
QC Holdings | 03/04/11 | 4000 |
Security Service Federal Credity Union | 03/12/11 | 1000 |
The Northern Trust Company | 02/10/11 | 1000 |
Total System Services | 03/12/11 | 2500 |
UBS Americas | 03/08/11 | 5000 |
VISA | 01/27/11 | 5000 |