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Run the firm
Operating, payroll, and reserve accounts that receive monthly retainers and project fees and cover salaries, partner draws, and Capitol Hill overhead. Analyzed checking can offset eligible service charges with an earnings credit.
Commercial · Industry Specific
Lobbying and Government Affairs Banking
Deposit, treasury, and lending for lobbying, government affairs, and public affairs firms, and for the PACs they sponsor, from a bank that knows the political ecosystem of Washington, D.C.
Overview
Banking built for a government affairs firm
Chain Bridge Bank, N.A. banks lobbying, government affairs, and public affairs firms in Washington, D.C., and, through its national charter, across the country. A firm can hold its operating, payroll, and reserve accounts, separate escrow accounts for client and retainer funds, treasury management with fraud controls, and a deposit account for a PAC it sponsors, all at one bank, with a relationship officer it can reach directly.
The Bank has long worked with the kinds of organizations these firms operate alongside, from candidate campaigns and party committees to PACs and Super PACs. That experience, and a national charter, let a firm and the committees it advises keep their banking in one place.
Chain Bridge Bank, N.A. is a national bank chartered by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (Charter No. 24755), in operation since 2007, with fiduciary powers authorized by the OCC since 2020. For the Bank’s charter and corporate structure, see the corporate structure and regulatory profile page.
Informational only. This page describes banking with Chain Bridge Bank, N.A. It is not legal, tax, campaign-finance, or lobbying-compliance advice. Registration and reporting under the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA), the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), and Federal Election Commission rules are governed by those authorities and your own counsel.
What we offer
How Chain Bridge Bank, N.A. banks your firm
A government affairs firm has a few distinct banking needs at once: run the firm, hold money it owes to clients, move payments safely, fund the gap between billing and collection, and bank any PAC it sponsors. The Bank covers each.
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Hold client & retainer funds
Escrow and pass-through accounts that keep advance retainers, client expenses, and coalition funds separate from the firm’s own money until they are earned or disbursed, with records the firm needs for its bookkeeping.
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Move payments safely
Treasury Management with Positive Pay, dual control and multi-level approvals, and multi-factor authentication, the controls that defend retainers, vendor payments, and client funds against business email compromise.
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Bridge billing and collection
Lines of credit that bridge the gap between billing and collection, plus financing for partner buy-ins, firm buyouts, and owner-occupied office real estate. Subject to credit approval.
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Bank the firm’s PAC
A separate deposit account for a connected or sponsored PAC, and access to the Bank’s Political Committees and Corporate PACs teams for the committees a firm advises.
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A banker who answers
A dedicated relationship officer reachable directly, alongside the online and mobile platform a firm uses every day. That pairing separates the Bank from a branch-only bank and a software-only provider.
Who we serve
Firms and practices we bank
Chain Bridge Bank, N.A. banks the range of firms that work at the intersection of business and government, from K Street lobbying shops to state capital practices.
Lobbying firms
Contract firms registered under the Lobbying Disclosure Act that represent clients before Congress and federal agencies.
Government affairs & relations firms
Federal, state, and local advocacy practices and multi-client consultancies.
Public affairs & PR firms
Communications, coalition-building, and grassroots firms that work alongside a policy practice.
Political & campaign consulting firms
Strategy, media, fundraising, and compliance consultancies serving campaigns and committees.
Law firms with a lobbying practice
Firms whose registrants lobby alongside legal work. See also Law Firms.
Trade associations & in-house teams
Membership organizations and corporate government affairs offices with in-house lobbying and a sponsored PAC.
Treasury management & fraud controls
Tools to move money, and controls to protect it
Treasury Management gives a firm a structured digital environment for cash flow, payments, and reporting, with configurable permissions, multi-level approvals, and visibility across every payment channel. A firm opens and manages accounts, approves wires and ACH, deposits checks through remote deposit, and monitors balances online and from the mobile app.
The same platform protects the money. The Bank recommends at least dual control and verifying any new or changed payment instructions through an independent channel before funds are sent, the main defense against business email compromise. See the Security Center for detail.
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Positive Pay
Check and ACH monitoring with optional payee-name verification, so altered or unauthorized payments are flagged before they post.
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Dual control & approvals
Up to four authorization levels for wires and ACH, up to two for business bill pay. The Bank recommends at least dual control.
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Multi-factor authentication
Required at login and again when wires and ACH are initiated, using authenticator apps, passkeys, or security keys.
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ACH & wire origination
Domestic ACH and Fedwire plus international wires, with reusable templates and configurable approval tiers.
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Direct connection for bookkeeping, client billing reconciliation, and reporting.
Frequently asked questions
Lobbying and government affairs banking questions
The answers below are general information about banking with Chain Bridge Bank, N.A. They are not legal, tax, campaign-finance, or lobbying-compliance advice. For the rules that govern your firm or committee, consult the LDA and FARA authorities, the FEC, and your own counsel.
Which accounts does a lobbying or government affairs firm need?
Most firms use several: an operating account that receives client retainers and project fees, a payroll account for salaries and partner draws, a reserve account for an operating buffer and set-asides, and, where the firm holds money for others, a client or retainer escrow account and a separate account for any coalition or pass-through funds it administers. Firms that sponsor a PAC also keep a separate committee account. Chain Bridge Bank, N.A. offers each of these.
Does Chain Bridge Bank, N.A. open a bank account for a lobbying firm’s PAC?
Yes. Chain Bridge Bank, N.A. opens deposit accounts for a firm’s connected or sponsored PAC, including separate segregated funds (SSFs) and nonconnected or leadership PACs, kept separate from firm and client funds. The Bank banks campaigns, party committees, PACs, and Super PACs nationwide, so a firm and the committees it advises can bank in one place. Committee registration and FEC or state reporting remain with the committee and its counsel. See the Political Committees and Corporate PACs pages.
Can a firm hold client or retainer funds in a separate account?
Yes. Chain Bridge Bank, N.A. opens client and retainer escrow accounts that hold advance retainers and pass-through expenses separate from the firm’s own funds until they are earned or disbursed for the client, and separate accounts for coalition or association funds a firm administers. The terms of who controls and receives the funds follow the engagement or escrow agreement. A relationship officer sets up the account and the records the firm needs for its bookkeeping.
Are the firm’s deposit accounts FDIC insured?
Yes. Operating, payroll, reserve, escrow, and PAC accounts opened as bank deposit accounts are deposits at Chain Bridge Bank, N.A. and are insured by the FDIC up to the limits set by law; for funds a firm holds for others, that coverage may pass through to each underlying party when the FDIC’s recordkeeping requirements are met. Trust, fiduciary, investment, and custody accounts established through the Bank’s Trust & Wealth Department are not deposits, are not FDIC insured, and may lose value. A relationship officer can confirm which structure applies.
What fraud controls are available to a firm?
The Treasury Management platform includes Positive Pay for checks and ACH (with optional payee-name verification), dual control with up to four approval levels for wires and ACH and up to two for business bill pay, and multi-factor authentication at login and when payments are initiated. The Bank also recommends verifying new or changed payment instructions through an independent channel before funds are sent, which guards against business email compromise. See the Security Center for detail.
Can the firm’s accounts work with its accounting software?
Yes. Treasury Management connects directly to QuickBooks and exports reports that support a firm’s bookkeeping, client billing reconciliation, and the records its registrants rely on for their own reporting.
Does Chain Bridge Bank, N.A. lend to lobbying and government affairs firms?
Yes. The Bank offers lines of credit that bridge the gap between billing and collection of retainers and project fees, along with financing for partner buy-ins, firm buyouts, capital expenditures, and owner-occupied commercial real estate, including office condominiums. Lending is subject to credit approval. See Commercial Loans.
Does Chain Bridge Bank, N.A. have branches, or is it online only?
Chain Bridge Bank, N.A. operates from a single office, its headquarters in McLean, Virginia, rather than a network of retail branches. Firms can meet with the Bank in person there, and can also work with it remotely through online banking and the Treasury Management platform, with a dedicated relationship officer they can reach directly. Its national charter lets the Bank open accounts for firms anywhere in the United States, including firms based downtown in Washington, D.C.
Does Chain Bridge Bank, N.A. serve firms outside the Washington, D.C. area?
Yes. The Bank is headquartered in McLean, Virginia, and its national charter lets it serve lobbying, government affairs, and public affairs firms anywhere in the United States, including state capital practices, through online banking and Treasury Management, with direct access to a relationship officer. Firms outside the area work with the Bank remotely, and firms near McLean or downtown Washington can also meet in person at the Bank’s headquarters.
How does a firm open an account, and what is required?
To open accounts, a firm contacts the Bank’s Commercial Deposits team at (703) 748-3444, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time; calls are answered live during business hours. A firm can also email commercialdeposits@chainbridgebank.com or use the Bank’s contact form, which are typically answered within three business hours. A relationship officer follows up to confirm the accounts the firm needs, including any escrow or PAC accounts, and the documentation required, such as formation documents and identification for authorized signers.
Ready to begin
Open a banking relationship for your firm
To open accounts, or to discuss treasury, a PAC account, or financing, call Commercial Deposits or email the team. For a PAC or committee account, the Political Banking Team is reachable at (571) 899-6660.
Lending is subject to credit approval. Account opening is subject to the Bank’s approval and identity-verification requirements. This page is general information about banking with Chain Bridge Bank, N.A. and is not legal, tax, accounting, campaign-finance, or lobbying-compliance advice. Registration and reporting under the Lobbying Disclosure Act and the Foreign Agents Registration Act, and committee registration, contribution limits, and reporting under Federal Election Commission and applicable state law, are governed by those authorities; firms and committees should consult their own counsel.
Last reviewed: June 2026.
