Who we are
Better Markets is a non-profit, non-partisan, and independent organization founded in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis to promote the public interest in the financial markets, support the financial reform of Wall Street and make our financial system work for all Americans again. Better Markets also works to restore layers of protection between hardworking Americans on Main Street and Wall Street’s riskiest activities. We work with allies – including many in finance – to promote pro-market, pro-business and pro-growth policies that help build a stronger, safer financial system that protects and promotes Americans’ jobs, savings, retirements and more. While often referred to as a “Wall Street watchdog,” Better Markets is also a government watchdog, calling attention to those who fail to serve the public, including regulators and prosecutors who fail to enforce the law on Wall Street. What we do
Over time, the big banks on Wall Street turned their economic power into political power, using an army of lobbyists to successfully dismantle many of the safeguards put in place to protect the American people following the Great Depression in the 1930s. Those protections worked for more than 70 years. However, Wall Street’s access and influence in Washington DC got almost all of them removed or unenforced by 2000. That is what brought on the 2008 financial crash, which will cost the country tens of trillions of dollars and has cost millions of middle-class families their jobs, homes and savings. That’s right: it took Wall Street about 7 years to recklessly blow up the entire financial system and almost cause a second Great Depression after taking down the protections that worked for 70 years. Better Markets works to rebuild those protections by restoring laws, rules and regulations that shield families on Main Street from the high-risk, dangerous activities on Wall Street. Our team of professionals - including President and Chief Executive Officer Dennis Kelleher and markets, regulatory and legislative specialists, along with lawyers and communicators – is the counterweight to Wall Street’s special interests in Washington DC. When Wall Street is pushing those special interests, they run right into Better Markets, which is right there pushing back with the public interest. We’re the American people’s voice in the courts, the Congress and the regulatory agencies, fighting against Wall Street recklessness while fighting for reform. Our agenda-setting analysis provides a critical balance in the rulemaking and policymaking debates, and our expert research has made Better Markets the go-to source for trusted and substantive information about our financial markets, economic policy and key policy proposals. How you can help
The money, might and influence of Wall Street are regularly deployed across Washington to prevent any attempt to put safeguards back in place to protect the American people and get finance back to supporting the real economy, not threaten it. With your continued support and engagement, we can counter the power, might and influence of Wall Street and build on the progress we’ve made. Get engaged, and please consider making a donation today to help us build a more secure financial system for all Americans.
