Critical Infrastructure Sector- Financial Services Sector

Financial Services Sector

Sector Overview

The Financial Services Sector represents a vital component of our nation's critical infrastructure. Large-scale power outages, recent natural disasters, and an increase in the number and sophistication of cyber attacks demonstrate the wide range of potential risks facing the sector. Financial institutions provide a broad array of products from the largest institutions with assets greater than one trillion dollars to the smallest community banks and credit unions. Whether an individual savings account, financial derivatives, credit extended to a large organization, or investments made to a foreign country, these products allow customers to:

1. Deposit funds and make payments to other parties;
2. Provide credit and liquidity to customers;
3. Invest funds for both long and short periods; and
4. Transfer financial risks between customers.

Financial institutions are organized and regulated based on services provided by institutions. Within the sector, there are more than 18,800 federally insured depository institutions; thousands of providers of various investment products, including roughly 18,440 broker-dealer, investment adviser, and investment company complexes; providers of risk transfer products, including 7,948 domestic U.S. insurers; and many thousands of other credit and financing organizations.

Sector-Specific Plan

The Financial Services Sector-Specific Plan (PDF, 96 pages – 3.37 MB) details how the National Infrastructure Protection Plan risk management framework is implemented within the context of the unique characteristics and risk landscape of the sector. Each Sector-Specific Agency develops a sector-specific plan through a coordinated effort involving its public and private sector partners. The Department of Treasury is designated as the Sector-Specific Agency for the Financial Services Sector. Presidential Policy Directive 21 changed the name of the Banking and Finance Sector to the Financial Services Sector in 2013.

Sector Resources

For resources available to Financial Services Sector partners, check out the links on the right hand sidebar.

Last Published Date: June 12, 2014