In the eight months since President Donald Trump assumed office, the financial sector has been moved by quite a few catalysts.

There’s the bipartisan press for the 21st Century Glass-Steagall Act, which would more solidly bifurcate banks into commercial and investment segments to improve security and stability.

There’s the ongoing Republican effort to repeal and replace the Dodd-Frank Act, which could mean legalizing tax-funded bank bailouts, eliminating the Fiduciary Rule and providing banks greater control over trading and capital use.

The Federal Reserve has raised rates twice already, the U.S. Treasury has recommended less stringent banking stress tests, and the GOP has taken steps to weaken the threat of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

In this relatively favorable environment, the industry has spent just $127,858,425 on lobbying so far this year, a figure on pace to close 2017 at $180,506,012. That’s a 25-percent dip from 2016’s sum of $241,573,936, according to The Center for Responsive Politics.

The greatest decreases in lobbyist spending have come from securities and investment firms, finance and credit companies, credit unions and commercial banks.

Here are the top 10 financial bodies investing in lobbying in 2017:

1. American Bankers Association: $5.6 million

2. Securities Industry & Financial Market Association: $3.5 million

3. Financial Services Roundtable: $3.0 million

4. Independent Community Bankers of America: $2.7 million

5. Association of International CPAs: $2.6 million

6. Citigroup Inc (NYSE: C): $2.5 million

7. Investment Company Institute: $2.4 million

8. S&P Global Inc (NYSE: SPGI): $2.4 million

9. Credit Union National Association: $2.4 million

10. HSBC Holdings plc (ADR) (NYSE: HSBC): $2.4 million

Dozens of others spent more than $1 million, including Ally Financial Inc (NYSE: ALLY), Visa Inc (NYSE: V) and Navient Corp (NASDAQ: NAVI).

Related Links:

What Pharmaceuticals Spend On Lobbying To Influence Trump

What Defense Firms Spend On Lobbying To Influence Trump

What Retailers Spend On Lobbying To Influence Trump

Image Credit: By Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America (Donald Trump), via Wikimedia Commons

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