Protecting Critical Financial Infrastructure

The financial sector faces one of the most complex regulatory environments with respect to policy, cybersecurity, and resiliency. With over a dozen regulatory bodies and federal agencies that either oversee or shape policies, programs, and market infrastructures for banks, insurers, and other financial institutions. The scale and scope of these requirements has at times caused firms to divert resources away from keeping up with threats and implementing next generation security tools, to responding to compliance questionnaires or duplicative requests for information.

The Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council, or FSSCC for short, was established in 2002 by financial institutions to work collaboratively with key government agencies while coordinating critical infrastructure and homeland security activities within the financial services industry.

We are an industry-led non-profit organization and our mission is to bring together our members from financial services, trade associations, and other industry leaders to assist the sector’s response to natural disasters, threats from terrorists, and cybersecurity issues of all types.

The FSSCC partners with the public sector on policy issues to enhance the security and resiliency of the United States financial system.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recognizes the FSSCC as a member of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council on behalf of the banking and finance sector.

The Mission, Our Members, and Our Partners

The mission of the FSSCC is to strengthen the resiliency of the financial services sector against attacks and other threats to the nation’s critical infrastructure by proactively identifying threats, promoting protection, driving preparedness, collaborating with the U.S. Federal government, and coordinating crisis response - for the benefit of the Financial Services sector, consumers and the USA.

FSSCC has identified the following objectives to expand upon the mission statement:

  1. Foster collaboration and awareness between the Financial Services Sector, the public sector, and other critical infrastructure sectors.
  2. Facilitate public-private partnerships to address resiliency for the U.S. Financial Services Sector.
  3. Strengthen the Financial Services Sector through intra-industry coordination.
  4. Collaborate on operational risk initiatives with financial services trade association members and other entities.
  5. Develop and foster a strategic vision to address the convergence of cyber security and resiliency within the broader operational risk landscape.

Our 70+ members consist of financial trade associations, financial utilities, and the most critical financial firms. The FSSCC coordinates the development of critical infrastructure strategies and initiatives with its financial services members, trade associations, and other industry sectors.


Learn more about our Member Organizations >

FSSCC partners with the public sector on policy issues concerning the resilience of the sector.

The Department of the Treasury is the Sector Risk Management Agency (SRMA) assigned to financial services. The FSSCC and Treasury have developed a strong public-private partnership with the shared goal of maintaining a robust and resilient financial services sector.

The FSSCC also coordinates with its’ government counterpart the Financial and Banking Information Infrastructure Committee (FBIIC) who is charged with improving coordination and communication among financial regulators, promoting public-private partnerships within the financial sector, and enhancing the resiliency of the financial sector overall.

More information on the FBIIC can be found here.

FSSCC partners with the public sector on policy issues concerning the resilience of the sector.

The Department of the Treasury is the Sector Risk Management Agency (SRMA) assigned to financial services. The FSSCC and Treasury have developed a strong public-private partnership with the shared goal of maintaining a robust and resilient financial services sector.

The FSSCC also coordinates with its’ government counterpart the Financial and Banking Information Infrastructure Committee (FBIIC) who is charged with improving coordination and communication among financial regulators, promoting public-private partnerships within the financial sector, and enhancing the resiliency of the financial sector overall.

More information on the FBIIC can be found here.

Over the years, the FSSCC has also built and maintained relationships with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, all the federal financial regulatory agencies (e.g., Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Federal Reserve Board of Governors, Office of Comptroller of the Currency, Securities and Exchange Commission), and law enforcement agencies (e.g., Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Secret Service). Through these relationships, the FSSCC directly assists the sector’s response to natural disasters, threats from terrorists, and cybersecurity issues of all types.


Learn more about our Strategic Partners >


Highlighted Resources

Cyber Storm 2020 After-Action Report
On August 10-14, 2020, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) conducted Cyber Storm 2020 (CS 2020), the seventh iteration of the national capstone cyber exercise that brings together the public and private sectors to simulate response to a cyber crisis impacting the Nation’s critical infrastructure

Cybersecurity Profile
The FSSCC Cybersecurity Profile is now managed, updated, and maintained by the Cyber Risk Institute (CRI).

Automated FFIEC Cybersecurity Assessment Tool
Automated FFIEC Cybersecurity Assessment Tool The Automated FFIEC Cybersecurity Assessment Tool (ACAT) to provide all members of the financial services industry with an outline of the guidance and a means to collect and score their responses to the Assessment questions.

Business Services Resilience and Restoration
This white paper defines key terms used in discussions related to operational resilience, business continuity/disaster recovery, and business restoration.