It may have been a rough year for banks and other financial firms, but their lobbyists still seem to be winning. Throughout the month of May, The Hill newspaper has been publishing lists of the top Washington lobbyists, and there are some familiar faces among the crowd.
Several financial associations, including the American Bankers, the Independent Community Bankers of America, the Financial Services Roundtable and the National Association of Federal Credit Unions, made the Hill´s list of 50 or so stellar trade lobbying groups. And coming from among the big banks, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and Bank of America all had representation on the paper´s list of greatest corporate lobbyists. Those included Citi´s Nick Calio, BofA´s Ed Hill, and JPMorgan´s Naomi Camper and Rob Griner.
Some individuals, like Calio and Hill, made the list last year too. But other top persuaders from 2008 were gone-most notably representatives of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, who once ranked high on the list but whose companies are no longer allowed to lobby.
Is it time for a new slogan about the resilience of the financial lobby? Something harkening back to the old rhyming U.S. Mail adage? Neither rain nor sleet nor...credit crunch? Not greater curbs on the power lunch? No liquidity droughts to stop this bunch.
