JPMorgan Lobbyist to Run Public Affairs at New Bank Trade Group

(Bloomberg) -- The newest large bank trade group has hired a longtime JPMorgan Chase & Co. lobbyist to run its advocacy and communications efforts.

Kate Childress, who helped lead JPMorgan's lobbying and regulatory efforts on the 2010 Dodd-Frank law, will join the Bank Policy Institute in September, the association announced Thursday.

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The hiring is a do-over for the policy institute, which had originally tapped Shahira Knight, a top Trump administration official for the job. Last month, however, Knight changed her mind and decided to remain at the White House to head the legislative affairs office.

The institute, which was formed in July after a merger of two other financial trade groups, is part of an industry attempt to streamline its lobbying and boost its clout in Washington. Its members include JPMorgan, Bank of America Corp., Wells Fargo & Co. and SunTrust Banks Inc.

Childress, 48, a former aide to Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, has spent 10 years at JPMorgan. Most recently, she was Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon's point person at the Business Roundtable, helping him revive what had been a venerable but sleepy trade group for CEOs. At the institute, Childress will be executive vice president and head of public affairs.

“I am delighted to have Kate joining us at BPI,” said the group's CEO, Greg Baer, who previously worked with Childress at JPMorgan.  “With her experience, energy and judgment, she is uniquely positioned to help us build out the organization.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Robert Schmidt in Washington at rschmidt5@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jesse Westbrook at jwestbrook1@bloomberg.net, Gregory Mott

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