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About Us


The mission of Pennsylvania’s Department of Banking and Securities is to regulate financial services and work to ensure consumers and businesses are well-informed about the marketplace.
 
We work to promote the safety and soundness of financial institutions and compliance with statutory requirements that provide protections to Pennsylvania residents. We work with a wide array of financial services institutions and professionals including banks, credit unions, trust companies, investment firms and professionals, mortgage lenders and brokers, and other consumer lenders. 
 
Here are some of the ways the Department of Banking and Securities balances its dedication to financial institution safety and soundness with our concern for Pennsylvania consumers and investors: 
 
We regulate more than 160 state-chartered banks, trusts, and credit unions to ensure that Pennsylvanians’ hard-earned deposits are safe and available when they need them.
 
We license and register more than 37,000 non-bank lenders, including mortgage brokers and lenders, auto sales finance companies, debt management and debt settlement companies, check cashers, pawnbrokers, and money  transmitters. We also enforce compliance with state and federal laws for non-bank lenders so that  consumer and business borrowers will have confidence in the fairness of their transactions. 
 
We license and register more than 260,000 investment firms and professionals doing business with Pennsylvania residents, including broker-dealers, broker-dealer agents, investment advisers, investment adviser representatives, and notice filers. 
 
We provide free help to anyone with a question, concern or complaint about Pennsylvania financial  institutions or products.  Pennsylvania consumers can call 1.800.PA.BANKS (800-722-2657; out of state: 717-787-2665). You can also fill out an online form and one of our consumer services specialists will respond within 24 hours. 
 
Our work is funded entirely by the assessments and fees paid by Pennsylvania’s regulated and licensed financial community.  No taxpayer dollars are used to support our work.