From this morning's Earlybird:

• "The 2008 collapse of the financial sector also spawned a contraction in the number of banking lobbyists on K Street, leaving the industry with a smaller bench as Congress begins rewriting the rules for Wall Street," Politico reports. "In 2007, the last boom year, 3,002 lobbyists were registered to represent the finance, insurance and real estate sector, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Today, 2,370 financial services lobbyists are registered -- a loss of more than 600 jobs or contracts."

• "Lobbyists and political action committees delivered more than $330,000 worth of bundled campaign contributions to House Members during the third fundraising quarter this year, according to Federal Election Commission disclosures filed last week," Roll Call (subscription) reports. "Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) was the quarter's big winner, raking in nearly $120,000 combined from J.C. Watts Cos. lobbyist Tripp Baird, Phillip Holt of the National Installment Lenders, and Geoffrey Gradler of Roberts, Raheb & Gradler. House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) also made out handsomely this summer, bringing in nearly $70,000 from the Managed Funds Association and John Pappas of the Poker Players Alliance."

• "The healthcare negotiator for one of nation's most powerful unions made clear that it opposes a tax on high-cost-insurance plans, despite abstaining from an multi-union campaign objecting to the plan," The Hill reports. "The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) was not among the 27 unions to sign on to an ad criticizing a proposed tax on 'Cadillac' insurance plans that was included in the Senate Finance Committee healthcare bill."