Starting October, DISB officially launched an integrated social marketing and branding campaign to make our agency better known to the District’s residents and consumers. 

As an agency that regulates all financial-service industries, DISB’s work is instrumental to the health of the District’s economy and the quality of life of District residents. Yet, since the majority of the agency’s work deals with licensing and supervising the businesses it regulates, many consumers do not know much about DISB as a resource and a protector of consumer interests. 

For the past two years, DISB has been making a conscientious effort to introduce itself to the District’s diverse communities.  In 2007 alone, our staff has visited all eight wards and participated in more than 70 community events, in addition to using the Web site, newsletters, the media including TV and radio interviews and newspaper coverage, and consumer-education campaigns to get our messages across. 

The branding campaign will expand upon our current channels of communication to include direct mail, newspaper inserts, Public Service Announcements and advertisements in public areas, etc., to make more District residents and consumers aware of what DISB can do for them. We want to drive home a key point that DISB is the District consumers’ first responder to abusive financial activities and a key resource on financial matters. 

In the coming weeks, look out for a new DISB image complete with a new logo, new messages and an ensemble of new publications that will make it easier for anyone to understand and connect with DISB. 

For more information on the branding campaign, please contact the Public Information Officer, Lily Qi, at (202) 442-7820. 

DISB Launches Its First Biennial Report

During the last week of September, the combined Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB) released its first Biennial Report (October 1, 2004 to September 30, 2006).
 
The 28-page publication highlights the five bureaus and the areas each regulates, focusing on their core functions, as well as special programs and new initiatives. The report examines the inner workings of the agency, for instance how DISB keeps a $7 billion insurance industry solvent and reliable; how it fosters a trustworthy securities market; how the agency is able to ensure the flow of credit and capital in the banking industry; how it fights financial fraud; its significant legislation; and how DISB is promoting economic development through the captive market and the District’s Certified Capital Companies program. It also touches on some of the consumer-education programs and outreach work.  It is a comprehensive yet concise report that showcases DISB’s contributions to the health of the District's financial-service industries and quality of life.

“I am pleased to see DISB putting consumer protection first while continuing its success in attracting quality financial businesses to the District,” wrote DC Mayor Adrian M. Fenty in introductory remarks in the Biennial Report. “As the District continues its economic growth, we need to remember that a prosperous business environment is built upon a strong foundation of consumer and investor confidence.”

The report, colored in muted pastels, features several charts, tidbits and little known facts about the agency. According to DISB Commissioner Thomas E. Hampton, the report reflects DISB’s progress in implementing the District’s vision of strengthening consumer protection, increasing operational transparency and building on the remarkable success of the District’s captive insurance program, which exemplifies the enormous potential of the DC market. He added that the report highlights DISB’s transformation into a more open, inviting and consumer service-oriented agency that understands and addresses the needs of its diverse local communities.

As the District’s premier financial-service regulator, DISB is undergoing this exciting transformation. Elements such as the Biennial Report, the branding campaign, the Insurance Open House, the continuing presence of the agency in the community at events as well as consumer tips, alerts and news releases all contribute toward that goal of transparency. The agency is becoming increasingly known to the public as a great resource on financial matters.

The report coincides with the agency’s launch of its branding campaign in October, with the hope of making the agency better known to the District’s population. DISB will be launching a new logo and a new set of collateral materials reflecting different aspects of what it does.

The Biennial Report may be found on the DISB website under News Room. Alternatively, you may call the Public Information Office at (202) 727-8000 for a copy.