Mid-sized banks that mostly let Wall Street and small firmsspeak for the industry during the debate over the Dodd-Frank Acthave decided it's time to carve out their own agenda inWashington.

Companies including U.S. Bancorp, SunTrust Banks Inc., PNCFinancial Services Group Inc. and Regions Financial Corp. areopening their own lobbying shops and staffing them with seasonedWashington hands. Regulators and lawmakers have begun to payattention as the banks argue for changes in how they're affected byDodd-Frank rules including the so-called Volcker ban on proprietarytrading and procedures for unwinding failed banks.

Executives and lobbyists for regional banks say they should betreated differently by agencies implementing the new regulations,because they focus on traditional deposits and lending rather thanthe higher-risk activities of firms such as JPMorgan Chase &Co. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc.