ChatGPT answers, unedited

• Fintech Digital - 1165 N Clark St #700, Chicago, IL 60610, United States
• Americaneagle.com, Inc. - 200 W Jackson Blvd Fl 22, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• cre8 - Chicago, IL 60607
• Solid Digital - 100 N LaSalle St #1400, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• Trungale, Egan + Associates - 8 S Michigan Ave #2310, Chicago, IL 60603, United States
• Windy City Web Solutions - 801 S Wells St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Marcel Digital - 445 W Erie St #200, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Thirdwave - 15 W Hubbard St, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Valenture Managed IT Services – Chicago IT Support & Technology Solutions Provider - 155 N Wacker Dr #4250, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• YourPortal - 2211 N Elston Ave Ste 208, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
• Osmo Web Agency, LLC - 7427 S South Shore Dr #4K, Chicago, IL 60649, United States
• Beyond AUM - 1628 W Irving Park Rd Ste 1W, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• CSW Solutions Inc - 111 W Jackson Blvd Unit 1700, Chicago, IL 60604
• Flamingo Agency - 3752 N Southport Ave, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Brand Vision Marketing - Web Design & Branding - 30 N Michigan Ave #504, Chicago, IL 60602, United States

If I were advising a Chicago financial-services firm, I’d shortlist 3–4 agencies rather than run a broad beauty-contest RFP. For your situation, the key is finding a firm that can make the site look institutional and handle security, compliance, governance, CMS architecture, and long-term support.

My shortlist

1. Fintech Digital — best financial-services specialist

• Chicago-based and focused specifically on financial services, including regulated categories.
• Offers website/UX work with security and accessibility considerations.
• Particularly compelling if you're an investment, wealth-management, lending, insurance, or fintech business and want an agency that already speaks the industry's language.
• My take: Probably the first call I'd make if financial-services expertise is your #1 criterion.
• Americaneagle.com, Inc. — best for enterprise-grade execution

• Has a substantial Chicago operation and works with mid-market and enterprise organizations.
• Its financial-services practice explicitly emphasizes security, accessibility and compliance, alongside web development, integrations, hosting and ongoing support. Americaneagle.com
• My take: I'd favor them if this is a significant corporate site with complex integrations, multiple stakeholders, stringent security requirements, or a long expected lifespan.
• cre8 — interesting boutique option

• Chicago-based and specifically positioned around complex B2B organizations, including finance/investment management and other regulated industries.
• Their emphasis is on the underlying CMS, integrations, performance and operational architecture—not just the visual redesign.
• My take: Worth interviewing if you want senior-level attention without hiring a huge enterprise agency.
• Solid Digital — strong design + corporate digital option

• Chicago-based with capabilities spanning web design, branding, applications, support and ongoing optimization.
• My take: I'd put them on the RFP if brand sophistication and executive-level presentation matter as much as the technology.

One other agency I'd seriously consider

Trungale, Egan + Associates has particularly relevant financial-services experience and combines strategy, branding, creative, web and marketing. That's attractive if the underlying problem isn't simply "our website is old," but rather "our digital presence doesn't accurately position the firm we're becoming."

What I'd do in your shoes

I'd invite Fintech Digital, Americaneagle.com, cre8 and TE+A to a tightly scoped pitch.

But I would not ask them merely for homepage concepts. Give them a hypothetical or sanitized version of your requirements and make them demonstrate:

• Their security architecture and threat model
• Hosting/cloud architecture and responsibility matrix
• CMS permissions and governance
• MFA/SSO options for administrators
• Vulnerability scanning, penetration testing and patching
• Backup/disaster recovery and uptime monitoring
• Third-party scripts, analytics and cookie/data handling
• Compliance workflow for disclosures and regulated content
• Accessibility/WCAG approach
• How they handle forms and personally identifiable information
• Post-launch SLAs and incident response
• Who actually owns the code, CMS, hosting accounts and design files
• Two or three financial-services clients comparable to your firm

That's important because "secure website" can mean very different things. Orbit Media, for example, explicitly describes security/uptime monitoring, backups, updates and dedicated support for its financial-services clients, while Digital Authority Partners discusses financial-services data security, encryption and controls. Orbit Media Studios Digital Authority Partners

If I had to pick one without knowing anything else about your firm, I'd start with Fintech Digital for sector expertise and Americaneagle.com for enterprise depth. If you're a sophisticated investment/financial-services firm where brand positioning is especially important, I'd add TE+A to that conversation.

If you tell me what type of financial-services firm you are (PE, asset management, RIA, broker-dealer, bank, fintech, etc.), approximate firm size, and whether the site is primarily corporate/marketing or has authenticated client functionality, I can narrow this to a top 2–3 and give you a side-by-side evaluation of likely fit, strengths, weaknesses, and questions to ask each agency.

• Orbit Media Studios - 4043 N Ravenswood Ave #316, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Americaneagle.com, Inc. - 200 W Jackson Blvd Fl 22, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Solid Digital - 100 N LaSalle St #1400, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• Marcel Digital - 20 N Wacker Dr Ste 1285, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• ArtVersion® Creative Agency - 211 W Wacker Dr Ste 1130, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Marcel Digital - 445 W Erie St #200, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• YourPortal - 2211 N Elston Ave Ste 208, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
• Brand Vision Marketing - Web Design & Branding - 30 N Michigan Ave #504, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• SEOLEVELUP Website Design SEO Company Chicago - 355 N Laflin St Ste 101C, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Artversion - 205 N Michigan Ave 8th Floor, Chicago, IL 60601
• Alpha Digital Marketing - 4043 N Ravenswood Ave #316, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• SEO Design Chicago - 2068 N Western Ave 1F - Front, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Flamingo Agency - 3752 N Southport Ave, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States

For a Chicago-based financial services firm, I would not hire a generalist “pretty website” shop. You want an agency that understands institutional trust, compliance review cycles, security architecture, content governance, and the expectations of high-net-worth clients, investors, or corporate counterparties.

My shortlist would be:

1. Orbit Media Studios — best overall fit for many financial firms

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 773-348-4581)

Best for: wealth managers, investment firms, advisory firms, B2B financial services companies needing a premium corporate site.

Why I’d consider them:

• Chicago-based with a strong corporate/B2B website track record.
• They specifically market financial services website work and discuss security, maintenance, monitoring, backups, and CMS management. Orbit Media Studios
• Strong balance of strategy, UX, content, SEO, and development rather than just visual design. Orbit Media Studios

My fit rating for a financial services partner: ★★★★★

2. Americaneagle.com, Inc. — best for enterprise complexity

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 312-291-5970)

Best for: larger firms, regulated environments, complex integrations, portals, multiple business lines.

Why:

• They have a dedicated financial services practice focused on secure web platforms, integrations, accessibility, and compliance-oriented development. Americaneagle.com
• They have experience with banks and financial institutions, including multi-site financial website projects. Americaneagle.com
• Better choice if your website touches CRMs, client portals, account systems, or enterprise infrastructure. Americaneagle.com

My fit rating: ★★★★★ for enterprise, ★★★★☆ for a simpler corporate site

3. Solid Digital — best for B2B brand modernization

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 877-899-9981)

Best for: firms that need a sophisticated corporate presence and ongoing digital support.

Why:

• Chicago presence and experience with corporate website redesigns, branding, UX, development, and maintenance.
• Good fit if your website is primarily about credibility, thought leadership, recruiting, and business development.

My fit rating: ★★★★☆

4. Marcel Digital — best if growth analytics matter

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 312-255-8044)

Best for: firms where the website is expected to generate leads, improve marketing attribution, and integrate with CRM workflows.

Why:

• Chicago-based agency with web development plus analytics, CRO, SEO, and marketing capabilities.
• More performance-marketing oriented than some pure brand/design agencies.

My fit rating: ★★★★☆

5. ArtVersion® Creative Agency — best design-led option

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 312-837-7466)

Best for: firms where brand perception and executive-level polish are the priority.

Why:

• Chicago design consultancy with corporate website, UX, and digital experience capabilities.
• Stronger on brand/design sophistication than compliance-heavy financial infrastructure.

My fit rating: ★★★★☆

Who I would hire depending on your situation

• Registered investment advisor / wealth management firm: Orbit Media
• Private equity, asset management, institutional investment firm: Orbit Media or MBC Strategic (financial-services specialist) MBC Strategic
• Bank, lender, fintech, insurance, regulated platform: Americaneagle.com
• Large corporate financial services firm with multiple stakeholders: Americaneagle.com or Solid Digital
• Boutique firm wanting a “top-tier institutional” look: Orbit Media or ArtVersion

Questions I would ask before signing anyone

1. Can you provide examples of financial services sites that went through legal/compliance review?
2. Who owns security reviews, hosting, patching, and incident response?
3. What CMS do you recommend and why (WordPress, Drupal, Sitecore, Webflow, etc.)?
4. How do you handle: - client data submitted through forms
5. CRM integrations
6. accessibility (WCAG)
7. audit trails and content approvals
8. Can our compliance team approve content without blocking marketing velocity?

If I were running the agency selection process for a Chicago financial firm, I would put Orbit Media, Americaneagle.com, and Solid Digital into the first round and ask each for a discovery workshop rather than a generic proposal.

For a Chicago-based financial-services firm, I’d narrow the field pretty aggressively. You don’t just need a beautiful corporate site—you need an agency that understands institutional credibility, compliance workflows, security, content governance, and the scrutiny that comes with financial services.

My shortlist

1. Orbit Media Studios — my pick

This is the one I'd put at the top of your RFP.

They're actually Chicago-based, have been doing web work for 20+ years, and explicitly specialize in financial-services websites. Their financial-services portfolio includes Zuckerman Investment Group, HFR Investments, WestPoint Financial Group, Byline Bank and OneUnited Bank. www.orbitmedia.comwww.orbitmedia.com

More importantly for your situation, Orbit addresses security monitoring, backups, CMS/plugin updates, uptime monitoring and ongoing maintenance, rather than treating security as something that happens after launch. www.orbitmedia.com

They also have a particularly strong combination of strategy + UX + content + development, which is important for a financial firm where the website is effectively part of the firm's credibility package. Their Chicago office is at 4043 N Ravenswood Ave. www.orbitmedia.comwww.orbitmedia.com

I'd hire Orbit if: you want a premium, highly credible corporate site without bringing in a giant enterprise integrator.

Orbit Media Studios

2. MBC Strategic — best if you're an investment firm

If by "financial services" you mean asset management, private equity, private credit, hedge funds, wealth management, RIA, etc., I'd seriously consider MBC.

They are unusually specialized: their entire practice is focused on investment/financial-services firms, including asset managers, investment advisors, PE, private credit, hedge funds and alternatives. Their website practice includes fund/strategy pages, investor communications, analytics and digital optimization. mbcstrategic.com

They've worked with names including AIG, Russell Investments, Polen Capital, RiverNorth, Angel Oak Capital Advisors and Ancora. mbcstrategic.com

The catch: they're headquartered in Santa Monica, not Chicago, so I wouldn't choose them simply because you want a local agency.

I'd hire MBC if: the primary objective is to make the firm look and communicate like a top-tier institutional investment manager.

MBC Strategic

3. Americaneagle.com — best for enterprise complexity

Americaneagle is the one I'd consider if your website touches substantial infrastructure—CRM, authentication, core financial systems, applications, portals, etc.

They explicitly work with banks, credit unions, mortgage lenders and financial institutions, and emphasize security, accessibility, compliance and integrations with systems such as Salesforce Financial Services Cloud and major banking platforms. They say they've worked with 170+ financial institutions. www.americaneagle.com

This is more of an enterprise digital partner than a boutique corporate-web agency.

I'd hire them if: security, integrations, governance and scalability matter more than having the most boutique creative experience.

Americaneagle.com

4. Clear Digital — strong enterprise/B2B contender

Clear Digital has a dedicated financial-services practice covering banks, fintech, credit unions and insurance. They explicitly discuss GLBA, PCI-DSS, SOC 2, accessibility, secure hosting, encrypted data transmission and regulatory validation. www.cleardigital.com

They'd be particularly interesting if your firm is somewhere between financial services and technology/B2B, rather than a traditional investment manager.

Clear Digital

What I'd do in your shoes

I'd invite exactly three agencies to pitch:

1. Orbit — benchmark for Chicago execution and overall website quality.
2. MBC Strategic — benchmark for financial/investment-industry expertise.
3. Americaneagle — benchmark for enterprise security/infrastructure.

Then make them respond to the same technical brief, rather than letting each agency sell you its preferred solution.

For a financial-services firm, I'd specifically require the winning agency to demonstrate:

• SOC 2/ISO 27001 posture of the agency and the proposed hosting environment
• penetration testing / vulnerability scanning responsibilities
• WAF, CDN, DDoS and bot protection
• MFA and least-privilege access for administrators
• encrypted data in transit and at rest
• secure handling of contact forms and any PII
• third-party scripts/tag governance
• CMS/plugin patching SLAs
• backup and disaster-recovery procedures
• accessibility/WCAG compliance
• documented content approval and compliance workflow
• audit logs and administrator controls
• incident-response procedures
• separation of development/staging/production
• who owns the code, hosting account, domain, analytics and CMS after termination

One important distinction: a corporate marketing website generally shouldn't be collecting or storing sensitive financial information in the first place. I'd architect the site so that anything involving genuinely sensitive client/account information stays in your existing secure systems and the website simply hands users off to them.

Bottom line

If I had to pick one today: Orbit. Their combination of Chicago presence, financial-services experience, strong corporate web work, and explicit ongoing security/maintenance is unusually well aligned with what you're asking for. www.orbitmedia.comwww.orbitmedia.com

If you're specifically an investment manager: I'd put MBC Strategic vs. Orbit head-to-head, with MBC potentially winning on industry positioning and Orbit winning on technical/web execution.

If you tell me roughly what kind of financial firm you are (PE, hedge fund, wealth manager, RIA, lender, fintech, etc.), firm size, and whether the site will collect any client data, I can narrow this to the 2–3 agencies I'd actually interview and give you an RFP scorecard.

If you’re a partner at a Chicago financial-services firm, I’d prioritize agencies that understand regulated financial services, enterprise stakeholder review, and security—not just agencies that make attractive WordPress sites.

My shortlist:

1. Orbit Media Studios — best overall
   • Chicago-based and unusually strong in financial-services websites.
   • Explicitly addresses financial-sector security, uptime monitoring, backups, CMS/plugin updates, and complex financial integrations. www.orbitmedia.com
   • Strong choice if this is primarily a high-end corporate/marketing website rather than a transactional platform.
   • My first call.

2. Trungale, Egan + Associates — best financial-services specialist
   • Particularly interesting if your firm is in wealth management, asset management, brokerage, fintech, exchanges, trading, or institutional finance.
   • Their positioning spans financial-services strategy, creative, web and digital marketing, so they can help with the broader brand—not just the build.
   • I'd put them in the RFP if positioning and industry fluency matter as much as engineering.

3. Solid Digital — best corporate/enterprise option
   • Chicago office, with strategy, UX, web design/development, support and ongoing advisory capabilities.
   • I'd consider them if you want something that feels more enterprise B2B than traditional financial-services marketing.

4. Envisionit — best creative/brand-led option
   • Chicago-based, with web development, UX, integrations, analytics and ongoing support.
   • Worth considering if the website is part of a larger brand repositioning.

5. Sandstorm Design — best for complex stakeholder environments
   • Chicago-based and focused on UX, accessibility and enterprise web development.
   • Particularly appealing if your website has lots of internal stakeholders, compliance review, accessibility requirements and complicated content governance.

One I'd seriously consider outside the typical agency shortlist

Clear Digital has a particularly explicit financial-services practice. It discusses security architecture, encryption, PCI-DSS/GLBA/SOC 2 considerations, accessibility testing, compliance validation and integrations with CRM/core financial systems. www.cleardigital.com

For a financial-services firm where the website itself touches sensitive information or connects to internal systems, I'd put Clear Digital into the competitive set.

How I'd rank them for your situation

If I were making the decision myself, I'd invite Orbit, Clear Digital, and Trungale Egan to pitch. That gives you three meaningfully different approaches: Chicago financial-services web expertise, enterprise/security depth, and financial-services brand/marketing specialization.

One important caveat: I'd not accept an agency's claim that a site is "secure" at face value. For your RFP, require them to specify hosting architecture, CMS, WAF/CDN, MFA/SSO, access controls, logging, vulnerability scanning, patch SLAs, backups, incident response, penetration testing, third-party vendors, data flows, and exactly what information their platform will store. That's where the difference between a polished corporate site and an appropriately engineered financial-services site becomes apparent.

If I were advising a Chicago financial-services firm, I’d shortlist three agencies rather than run a broad RFP. The key is finding a firm that can combine executive-level brand/design with enterprise-grade security, governance, accessibility, and ongoing support—not just a beautiful WordPress site.

My shortlist

1. Fintech Digital — best financial-services specialist

This would be my first call if industry fluency is the priority. They’re Chicago-based and specifically focused on financial services, including regulated businesses, with website design/development, compliance considerations, UX, SEO and digital strategy. www.orbitmedia.com

Why I like them: They should understand the difference between marketing a financial-services firm and marketing a generic B2B company—particularly around disclosures, trust, compliance and regulated claims.

2. Solid Digital — best overall Chicago B2B/corporate choice

For a partner-level, sophisticated corporate website, I'd put Solid Digital very high on the list. They're Chicago-based and oriented toward B2B organizations, with web design, development, branding and ongoing digital support.

I'd favor them if the project is primarily a high-end institutional brand/website rather than a complex financial platform.

3. Americaneagle.com, Inc. — best for enterprise complexity/security

This is the one I'd consider if your website has substantial technical requirements: integrations, sophisticated CMS architecture, authenticated areas, complex infrastructure, or stringent IT/security review. Americaneagle explicitly positions its financial-services practice around secure, accessible and compliant digital platforms, and it has a substantial Chicago presence. www.americaneagle.com

The tradeoff is that it's a much larger organization, so you may get more enterprise capability but less of the boutique-agency feel.

One more I'd interview

Marcel Digital is worth adding if SEO, analytics, CRM integration and lead generation matter as much as the actual site. They're Chicago-based, work with financial organizations, and have substantial B2B/enterprise web-development experience. www.marceldigital.com

How I'd rank them for your situation

My recommendation: If you're a traditional financial-services firm—asset management, private equity, wealth management, investment banking, insurance, etc.—I'd invite Fintech Digital, Solid Digital, and Americaneagle.com to pitch. I'd make them answer the same technical/security questions before comparing creative work.

And I would not let the agency's generic claim that a site is "secure" carry much weight. Your RFP should require specifics around hosting architecture, WAF/CDN, MFA/admin access, patching, backups, vulnerability scanning, penetration testing, SOC 2/vendor controls, accessibility, incident response, disaster recovery, and who actually owns the infrastructure.

If you tell me what kind of financial-services firm you are (PE, wealth management, RIA, hedge fund, investment bank, fintech, etc.) and roughly what you'd spend ($50–100k, $100–250k, $250k+), I can narrow this to the 2–3 agencies I'd actually hire and tell you which one I'd pick.

For a Chicago-based financial-services firm, I’d avoid treating this as a generic “web design agency” search. You want a partner that can combine institutional credibility, excellent UX, security/compliance discipline, and the ability to integrate with your existing systems.

My shortlist

1. Orbit Media — I'd probably hire them

Orbit Media Studios

This is the most compelling overall fit. Orbit is Chicago-based and specifically markets its financial-services practice. Its portfolio includes HFR Investments, Zuckerman Investment Group, Byline Bank, WestPoint Financial Group and American Chartered Bank. It also explicitly offers security/uptime monitoring, backups, CMS updates, secure hosting and ongoing support. www.orbitmedia.com

The bigger reason I'd put them first: they appear to understand that a financial firm's website isn't merely a brochure. Their process covers strategy → information architecture → content → UX → development → QA → launch → ongoing optimization, and they have experience integrating with complicated financial tools without necessarily disturbing the underlying systems. www.orbitmedia.com

Best if: you're building a sophisticated corporate site that needs to look exceptionally credible to institutional clients, investors, prospects and recruits.

2. Americaneagle.com — best if security/enterprise architecture dominates

Americaneagle.com

I'd put these guys into the RFP if your site has meaningful integrations, authenticated experiences, multiple business lines, stringent hosting requirements or a larger technology stack.

They claim 170+ financial-services clients and 500+ financial projects, with work spanning banks, credit unions, lenders, wealth-management/advisory firms and fintechs. Their financial-services practice explicitly addresses security, accessibility, compliance, CRM/core-system integrations and secure account experiences. www.americaneagle.com

They also have a Chicago presence and offer in-house PCI-compliant hosting with 24/7 monitoring. www.americaneagle.com

Their financial-services case studies are particularly relevant: they've worked on sites for Northwest Bank, First Secure Holding Group, Corporate America Family Credit Union and other financial institutions. www.americaneagle.com

Best if: your CISO/CTO, legal or compliance team is going to have a significant say in the selection.

3. Blacksmith — interesting challenger

Blacksmith

Blacksmith is worth interviewing if you want a more engineering-led partner. They explicitly target finance and say they build secure, compliant platforms, conduct security penetration testing and QA, and handle enterprise integrations. blacksmith.agency

They also have a finance case study involving Coastal Community Bank, where the engagement addressed security, accessibility and performance problems. blacksmith.agency

Best if: you're looking for something more technically ambitious than a conventional corporate-site redesign.

4. Fintech Digital — specialist financial-services marketer

Fintech Digital

Fintech Digital is Chicago-based and focuses specifically on financial services, including banking, lending, insurance/mortgage and fintech. Its offering includes website design/development alongside SEO, UX, messaging and compliance-aware marketing.

Best if: the real problem is positioning and communicating a complicated financial-services offering—not just rebuilding the technology.

Who I'd invite to pitch

If I were sitting in your seat, I'd make the shortlist Orbit + Americaneagle + Blacksmith, with Fintech Digital as the specialist fourth bid.

I'd give all four the same brief and make them answer these questions:

1. Show us 3 financial-services sites you personally built — not merely branded.
2. Who actually writes the code, and is development in-house or outsourced?
3. What is your security-development lifecycle?
4. What penetration testing do you perform before launch?
5. Who owns the hosting infrastructure and security patching?
6. How do you handle PII, forms, CRM integrations and third-party scripts?
7. What are your accessibility standards?
8. What CMS do you recommend, and why is it appropriate for a financial-services firm?
9. Give us the names/roles of the actual senior people who will work on our account.
10. What happens when there's a critical vulnerability or site outage at 2 a.m.?

One important distinction: if this is primarily a marketing/corporate website with no client login or movement of sensitive financial data, I would weight brand, UX, content and maintainability heavily—and Orbit would be my pick. If you're talking about authenticated client functionality, sensitive data, major integrations or a more application-like platform, I'd lean toward Americaneagle.com or Blacksmith.

If you tell me roughly firm size/AUM, current CMS, whether there's client login, and your expected budget ($100–250k, $250–500k, $500k+), I can narrow this to a specific winner and a recommended RFP shortlist.

If I were advising a Chicago financial-services firm, I’d shortlist 4 agencies rather than run a huge RFP. The right choice depends on whether you want a high-end corporate/brand site or something closer to an enterprise digital platform.

My shortlist

1. One North, A TEKsystems Company — my top pick for a serious enterprise firm

This is the one I’d interview first if security, governance, and enterprise credibility are genuinely important. One North is Chicago-based, works with sophisticated professional-services organizations, and has an ISO/IEC 27001-certified information-security management system covering areas including hosting, remote access, onboarding/offboarding and client-data protection. It also provides 24/7/365 monitoring for hosted applications. www.onenorth.com

They also have substantial Sitecore/enterprise experience, including Platinum Solution Partner status. www.onenorth.com

Best for: institutional asset management, private equity, investment banking, wealth management, large professional-services firms, or anyone with a serious IT/security review.

My take: Probably the safest choice if your website will go through your firm's CIO/CISO, legal, compliance and marketing teams.

One North

2. Americaneagle.com, Inc. — best if the site is technically complex

Americaneagle is much larger and more implementation-heavy. Its financial-services practice specifically covers secure websites, accessibility, compliance, integrations with banking/CRM/loan systems, and managed hosting. It says it has worked with 170+ financial clients and completed 500+ financial projects. www.americaneagle.comartversion.comwww.orbitmedia.com

Their Northwest Bank case study is particularly relevant: the engagement involved redesign, CMS modernization, security/hosting and content-management improvements for a financial institution. www.americaneagle.com

Best for: a site with integrations, authenticated areas, complex CMS requirements, multiple business units, or significant traffic.

My take: More engineering muscle than you may need for a straightforward corporate site, but I'd put them on the RFP if the project has substantial technical complexity.

Americaneagle.com

3. Solid Digital — best middle ground

I'd consider Solid Digital if you want something more boutique and design-led without sacrificing technical capability. Their Chicago team handles strategy, UX, web design/development, applications and ongoing support/maintenance.

Best for: a mid-sized financial-services firm that wants a polished institutional presence without hiring a giant enterprise integrator.

My take: Worth interviewing, particularly if the partners care a lot about how the firm's brand comes across digitally.

Solid Digital

4. ArtVersion® — best design/brand option

ArtVersion is Chicago-based and has been around since 1999. It combines brand strategy, UX and corporate/enterprise web development and has experience with large organizations and financial-services brands. Its work is particularly appealing if the problem is "our website makes us look less sophisticated than the firm actually is." artversion.com

Best for: a partner-driven firm where positioning, visual sophistication and differentiation matter as much as the underlying technology.

My take: I'd seriously consider them if this is primarily a corporate website rather than a technology platform.

ArtVersion

One more I'd put in the mix: Orbit

Orbit Media Studios is unusually relevant to financial services. It has a dedicated financial-services practice, explicitly addresses security/compliance, provides ongoing security monitoring and backups, and has done websites for firms including WestPoint Financial Group and ProSight Financial Association. www.orbitmedia.com

Best for: a corporate site where content, SEO, thought leadership and lead generation are major objectives.

Orbit Media Studios

What I'd do in your shoes

I'd invite One North, Orbit, ArtVersion and Americaneagle.com to a tightly scoped pitch.

My expected ranking would be:

One important distinction: "secure website" shouldn't mean merely SSL + a firewall. For a financial-services firm I'd make the agencies answer, in writing, about their hosting architecture, SOC 2/ISO certifications, vulnerability management, penetration testing, patching, backups/DR, access controls, third-party scripts, CMS governance, data retention, incident response and whether your website ever handles regulated/client information.

If you tell me what kind of financial-services firm you are (PE, hedge fund, RIA/wealth manager, investment bank, lender, fintech, etc.), approximate firm size, and whether this is a $100k / $250k / $500k+ website, I can narrow this to the 2–3 agencies I'd actually hire and explain why.

If I were advising a Chicago financial-services firm, I’d shortlist 4 agencies rather than run a 10-agency beauty contest. For your situation, I’d prioritize security architecture, financial-services/compliance experience, enterprise CMS discipline, accessibility, and the ability to produce a site that feels appropriately institutional without looking stale.

My shortlist

1. Marcel Digital — my best overall fit

Chicago-based, with a strong B2B/enterprise orientation and explicit financial-services experience. They combine website development with analytics, SEO, CRO and ongoing optimization, and have substantial enterprise CMS experience, including Umbraco, Azure and headless/composable approaches. www.marceldigital.com

Why I'd interview them: likely the best balance of serious corporate presence + modern UX + measurable business outcomes.

Marcel Digital

2. Artversion — best for brand/design

ArtVersion is a Chicago creative agency specifically focused on corporate websites, enterprise platforms, UI/UX and digital experiences. www.marceldigital.comartversion.com

Why I'd interview them: if the mandate is "make us look like a sophisticated, differentiated financial institution," I'd put them high on the list. I'd just scrutinize their security/DevSecOps capabilities and proposed hosting architecture during diligence rather than assuming the agency itself should own that layer.

ArtVersion

3. Orbit Media Studios — best proven financial-services web specialist

Orbit has been building financial websites since 2001 and explicitly discusses custom development, integrations, CMS, QA, data privacy and ongoing website management. www.orbitmedia.com

Why I'd interview them: unusually strong evidence that they've dealt with the particular content, stakeholder and technical complexity of financial-services sites. They're probably the safest "we've done this many times" choice.

Orbit Media Studios

4. Fintech Digital — best if you're specifically in regulated/fintech territory

Their focus is financial services rather than generic corporate marketing, including banking, lending, insurance, fintech and other trust-sensitive categories. Their stated capabilities include website/UX work with security and accessibility considerations.

Why I'd interview them: particularly attractive if your website has to work hard for business development and marketing, not simply function as a corporate brochure.

One wildcard: security-first

If "secure" means genuinely security-critical—for example, the site will have authenticated areas, client data, APIs, sophisticated integrations or sensitive workflows—I would also talk to NetCoreSolutions. It's a Chicago technology/security firm that combines web application development with cybersecurity, GRC, penetration testing and compliance work. www.netcoresolutions.com

NetCoreSolutions

That's a different proposition from hiring a conventional creative web agency: I'd consider them if the project is closer to a digital platform than a marketing website.

Who I'd actually call

For a partner-level selection process, my first three calls would be:

1. Marcel Digital — strongest overall
2. Orbit Media — strongest financial-services web pedigree
3. ArtVersion — strongest design/brand alternative

Then I'd bring Fintech Digital into the process if your business is heavily regulated or fintech-oriented.

One important caveat: don't let an agency's claim that it builds "secure websites" substitute for an actual security review. In your RFP, I'd require specifics around hosting, CMS hardening, SDLC/DevSecOps, vulnerability scanning, penetration testing, WAF/CDN, MFA/SSO for administration, third-party scripts, data retention, incident response, backups, accessibility, and SOC 2/ISO evidence where relevant.

If you tell me what kind of financial-services firm you are (PE, hedge fund, wealth manager/RIA, investment bank, lender, fintech, etc.) and roughly what you're spending ($50–100k, $100–250k, $250k+), I can narrow this to the 2–3 agencies I'd hire and give you a recommended RFP/scoring framework.

For a Chicago financial-services firm, I’d narrow the field considerably. You don’t just need a pretty corporate site—you want an agency that understands regulated content, security, accessibility, integrations, governance, and executive-level stakeholder management.

My shortlist

If I were hiring

I'd probably interview three:

1. Marcel Digital — my first call.
They're particularly interesting for a financial-services firm because they combine enterprise web development with digital strategy/measurement rather than treating the website as a standalone creative project. Their Chicago team has deep Umbraco/enterprise experience. www.marceldigital.com

2. Fintech Digital — the specialist.
If your firm is an asset manager, private-equity firm, wealth manager, lender, fintech, broker/dealer, etc., I'd want them in the pitch. Their positioning is unusually specific to financial services and regulated categories. studiosunup.com

3. Sandstorm or Clique — depending on the brief.
I'd favor Sandstorm if the challenge is primarily brand + UX + accessibility + corporate communications; Clique if you're really building a digital platform with integrations and substantial engineering.

One other agency I'd seriously look at is Trungale, Egan + Associates. Its financial-services specialization is unusually deep—wealth management, RIAs, fintech, broker/dealers, custodians, exchanges, trading platforms, mutual funds, banking and insurance—so it could be particularly compelling if your website is as much a positioning/communications exercise as a technology project.

What I'd insist on in the RFP

For a financial-services firm, I'd make these non-negotiable:

• Security architecture: hosting, WAF/CDN, vulnerability management, patching, backups, incident response and penetration testing.
• Compliance: ability to accommodate your compliance/legal review process, disclosure management, archival/versioning and applicable SEC/FINRA/GLBA requirements.
• CMS governance: granular permissions, approval workflows and auditability—not everyone should be able to publish.
• Accessibility: target WCAG 2.2 AA.
• Privacy: analytics/cookie architecture and third-party scripts reviewed by your security/privacy team.
• Integrations: CRM, marketing automation, investor/client systems and other internal platforms without unnecessarily exposing sensitive systems.
• Ongoing support: defined SLAs, security updates, monitoring and emergency response—not just "call us if something breaks."
• Ownership: your firm owns the code, content, domains, analytics accounts and infrastructure credentials.
• Security evidence: ask for their most recent independent security assessment/SOC 2 information where applicable, subcontractor list, SDLC/security practices and incident-response process.

For comparison, agencies such as Orbit explicitly describe financial-sector security monitoring, backups, updates and dedicated support, while Clear Digital discusses financial-services architecture including encrypted transmission, SOC 2 hosting and security audits. www.orbitmedia.com

Bottom line: I'd start with Marcel Digital, Fintech Digital, and Sandstorm/Clique and make them compete on the same tightly specified RFP. If you tell me roughly what kind of financial-services firm you are (PE, asset management, wealth management, investment banking, insurance, fintech, etc.), your approximate website budget, and whether you're redesigning an existing site or building from scratch, I can narrow this to 2–3 agencies and tell you exactly why I'd pick one over the others.

For a Chicago-based financial services firm, I would not optimize for a “beautiful marketing site” agency alone. You want a partner that understands enterprise UX, security controls, regulatory review cycles, CMS governance, accessibility, and the expectations of institutional clients.

My shortlist would be:

My likely ranking for a Chicago financial services partner

1. Americaneagle.com — if you have complex requirements (client portals, integrations, multiple business lines, enterprise CMS). www.americaneagle.com
2. Orbit Media Studios — if this is a premium corporate site for an investment, advisory, or wealth firm and you want strong strategy/content/design. www.orbitmedia.com
3. Solid Digital — if the main goal is institutional credibility, brand positioning, and lead generation.
4. Marcel Digital — if marketing performance and pipeline generation are priorities.

For a financial services firm, I would ask every finalist these questions before hiring:

• Have you built sites reviewed by legal/compliance teams under SEC/FINRA or similar constraints?
• What is your security process? (code review, dependency management, hosting controls, vulnerability scanning)
• Where will the site be hosted, and who manages patches?
• Do you support SOC 2 environments or enterprise CMS governance?
• How do you handle forms, lead capture, CRM integrations, and sensitive data?
• Can you provide two references from regulated financial companies?

If you are a private equity, asset management, hedge fund, wealth management, or institutional investment firm, my first calls would be Orbit + Americaneagle + Solid Digital. If you have investor portals, authenticated areas, or complex integrations, I would lean heavily toward Americaneagle. www.americaneagle.com

For a Chicago-based financial-services firm, I’d shortlist agencies differently than I would for a normal corporate website. You want strong design, but also a partner that understands security, compliance-sensitive content, accessibility, integrations, governance, and long-term maintenance.

My shortlist

1. Orbit Media Studios — my first call

This is the strongest overall fit I found. Orbit is Chicago-based and has a dedicated financial-services practice, including work for banks and investment-related organizations. It explicitly addresses security monitoring, backups, updates, secure hosting, accessibility/regulatory considerations, and complex financial integrations. www.orbitmedia.com

They also have a fairly mature process: discovery → UX/content → development → QA → launch → ongoing optimization. That matters for a partner-level firm where the website needs to communicate sophistication rather than simply look pretty. www.orbitmedia.com

Orbit Media's financial-services practice

Verdict: Hire them unless another agency demonstrates substantially stronger security/compliance credentials in the pitch.

2. Fintech Digital — best if regulatory/compliance expertise is paramount

This is the specialist I'd put in the RFP alongside Orbit. They're specifically focused on financial services and regulated categories, including banking, lending, insurance, fintech and related businesses. Their offering includes website design/development with security and accessibility considerations. Fintech Digital

The tradeoff is that I'd want to see high-end corporate website examples comparable to your firm's brand ambitions before choosing them over Orbit.

Verdict: Very compelling specialist; especially worth interviewing if compliance is a major concern.

3. Americaneagle.com, Inc. — best for a technically complex/enterprise build

Americaneagle is the one I'd consider if your website is more than a marketing site—for example, if it involves authenticated experiences, sophisticated integrations, substantial content migration, or unusually demanding hosting/security requirements. Its Chicago-area operation covers development, hosting, managed cloud services and security, including 24/7 monitoring/support. Americaneagle.com, Inc.

Verdict: Strongest technical/enterprise option, but potentially more agency than you need for a relatively straightforward corporate site.

4. Solid Digital — strong B2B alternative

Solid Digital is Chicago-based and oriented toward B2B organizations, with website strategy, UX/UI, development and ongoing support. Solid Digital

I'd put them on the shortlist if your priority is premium B2B positioning + modern digital experience, rather than deep financial-services specialization.

5. Beyond AUM — interesting financial-services specialist

Beyond AUM is particularly focused on RIAs, wealth managers, advisors, planners, TAMPs and WealthTech. It also advertises marketing-compliance review, digital risk assessments and cybersecurity due diligence. Beyond AUM

I'd investigate them if you're an investment/wealth-management business rather than a broader financial-services enterprise.

What I'd do in your shoes

I'd issue an RFP to three firms:

1. Orbit Media — benchmark for overall quality and financial-services web expertise
2. Fintech Digital — benchmark for regulatory/compliance understanding
3. Americaneagle.com — benchmark for enterprise security/technology

Then make them answer the same questions. In particular:

• Who is responsible for security after launch?
• Where is the site hosted, and who controls the infrastructure?
• What vulnerability scanning/penetration testing is included?
• How are CMS/plugins/dependencies patched?
• What's the backup and disaster-recovery architecture?
• What are your incident-response SLAs?
• How do you handle SOC 2, GDPR, WCAG and other applicable requirements?
• Can our IT/security team conduct its own assessment?
• Who owns the code, hosting accounts, analytics and CMS?
• Can you provide references from financial-services clients with comparable security requirements?
• What happens when our compliance team needs a last-minute content change?
• What's included in the post-launch retainer?

One important distinction: don't let an agency's use of the word "secure" substitute for an actual security architecture. A marketing agency can build an excellent secure corporate site without itself being your security assessor. I'd have your firm's IT/security team independently review the proposed hosting, CMS, authentication, integrations, data flows and vendor controls.

My ranking for your situation: Orbit > Fintech Digital > Americaneagle > Solid Digital > Beyond AUM.

If you tell me roughly what type of financial-services firm you are (PE, wealth management, investment banking, asset management, insurance, fintech, etc.) and your approximate website budget, I can narrow this to the 2–3 agencies I'd actually interview and give you a side-by-side comparison.

If I were advising a Chicago financial-services firm, I’d shortlist 3–4 agencies rather than run a broad RFP. For your use case, I’d prioritize proven financial-services experience, security/compliance discipline, enterprise CMS capability, and the ability to handle sophisticated stakeholder review—not just visual design.

My shortlist

1. Gate 39 Media — my first call for a financial-services specialist

Gate 39 Media

This would be my first choice if you're an investment, wealth-management, private-equity, trading, or other financial-services firm. Gate 39 explicitly focuses on financial-sector websites and offers secure portals, forms, CRM integrations, hosting/support and cybersecurity alongside design and development. They also emphasize financial-industry content and messaging expertise. www.gate39media.com

Why I'd call them: They're less likely to need educating about the regulatory/trust nuances of financial-services marketing.

2. Americaneagle.com, Inc. — best for a large/complex enterprise build

Americaneagle.com

If this is a major corporate-site rebuild with integrations, sophisticated CMS requirements, hosting, security and long-term support, I'd put Americaneagle.com at the top of the RFP. Its financial-services practice specifically addresses security, accessibility and compliance, and it handles integrations with banking/core systems, CRMs and third-party platforms. www.americaneagle.com

Downside: It may be more agency than you need if this is primarily a polished corporate brochure site.

3. Orbit Media Studios — best Chicago corporate-web specialist

Orbit Media Studios

Orbit is particularly compelling if you want a very polished corporate website without turning the project into a giant enterprise-IT exercise. It has been doing financial websites since 2001 and explicitly handles complex integrations, migrations, QA, privacy configuration and ongoing management. www.gate39media.comwww.americaneagle.comwww.orbitmedia.comwww.fly-equity.com

I'd seriously consider them if your site is primarily about brand credibility, thought leadership, recruiting and business development, rather than authenticated financial transactions.

4. Rinnet — interesting choice if security/engineering matters most

Rinnet

Rinnet is different from the traditional marketing agency: it's a Chicago software-engineering studio that builds websites and applications and also performs cybersecurity reviews. It emphasizes custom development, documented architecture, secure-by-default practices and tracing where customer data goes. rinnet.io

I'd consider them if you have nontrivial integrations, proprietary functionality, client portals, or a strong internal technology/security team.

Who I'd actually hire

For a typical Chicago-based financial-services firm needing a new corporate website, my ranking would be:

If you're specifically private equity / asset management, I'd also take a look at Fly+Equity. It explicitly specializes in private equity, venture capital and financial firms and lists clients including Aurora Capital, Shamrock Capital and TDP. www.fly-equity.com

One important caveat on "secure"

I wouldn't select an agency simply because its website says "secure." For a financial-services firm, I'd make the RFP require:

• SOC 2 Type II for relevant hosting/vendors, where applicable
• documented secure SDLC
• independent penetration testing before launch
• OWASP-based application security testing
• MFA/SSO for administrative access
• least-privilege access and separate production/staging environments
• encrypted data in transit and at rest
• documented incident-response procedures
• dependency/plugin vulnerability management
• backup and disaster-recovery procedures
• accessibility testing (ideally WCAG 2.2 AA)
• clear ownership of your domain, code, CMS, analytics and cloud accounts
• contractual language around breach notification and subcontractors

For a financial firm, I'd also have your own IT/security team or outside security counsel review the architecture. An excellent web agency is not a substitute for an independent security assessment.

If I had to make only three introductory calls: Gate 39, Orbit, and Americaneagle.com. I'd give Rinnet the fourth slot if your site has meaningful technical/integration requirements.

If I were hiring for a Chicago-based financial-services firm where credibility, security, compliance, and executive-level polish matter, I’d narrow the field to three agencies rather than run a broad RFP.

My shortlist

1. Bounteous — my first call for a sophisticated institutional firm

Bounteous
Bounteous
Web
Address: 4115 N Ravenswood Ave #101, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
Phone: +1 877-220-5862

Bounteous is particularly compelling because it has deep financial-services experience and an actual Chicago pedigree. Its financial-services practice covers wealth/asset management, capital markets, banking, and alternative investments, and it explicitly emphasizes security/privacy by design and governance. www.bounteous.com

Most importantly, it has a highly relevant Chicago reference: Mesirow, an independent Chicago financial-services firm. Bounteous handled Mesirow's replatform, redesign, CMS, SEO migration, and digital experience work. www.bounteous.comwww.orbitmedia.com

Why I'd hire them: Best combination of financial-services fluency, enterprise-grade engineering, design sophistication, and ability to handle a complicated stakeholder environment.

Potential drawback: They're a substantial consultancy. If you simply need a beautiful 20–30 page corporate site, you could be paying for considerably more machinery than necessary.

Bounteous financial services practice

2. Rightpoint — best if brand + digital experience are equally important

Rightpoint
Rightpoint
Web
Address: 29 N Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
Phone: +1 312-920-8383

Rightpoint is another Chicago heavyweight. Its work combines strategy, UX, design, content and engineering, with explicit capabilities around security, privacy and compliance. www.rightpoint.com

It also has substantial financial-services experience. One particularly relevant case involved redesigning a commercial bank's corporate-loans portal, including research, strategy, UX and functionality. www.rightpoint.com

Why I'd hire them: If you're trying to reposition the firm and want the website to feel like a genuine upgrade in institutional stature—not merely a redesigned brochure.

Potential drawback: Like Bounteous, they're more digital-transformation consultancy than boutique website shop.

Rightpoint

3. Orbit Media Studios — my choice if you want a more focused website specialist

Orbit is a Chicago web agency that specifically markets financial-services website development. Its process covers discovery, UX/design, development, migration, QA, privacy configuration, launch and ongoing support. It has been doing financial websites since 2001. www.orbitmedia.com

Why I'd hire them: If the mandate is primarily "build us an exceptional corporate website" rather than "transform our entire digital experience." They're likely to be more nimble than the large consultancies.

They're also actually in Chicago:

Orbit Media Studios
Orbit Media Studios
Web
Address: 4043 N Ravenswood Ave #316, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
Phone: +1 773-348-4581

Orbit Media's financial-services web practice

One wildcard: Beyond AUM

Beyond AUM
Beyond AUM
Web
Address: 1628 W Irving Park Rd Ste 1W, Chicago, IL 60613, United States

If your firm is specifically wealth management / RIA / advisor / independent broker-dealer oriented, I'd interview Beyond AUM as the specialist option. They're focused specifically on financial-services firms and combine website work with marketing-compliance review, digital-risk assessments and cybersecurity due diligence. That's an unusually relevant combination for a regulated firm.

Who I'd actually put in the RFP

I'd do a 3-agency bake-off:

I would not choose primarily based on visual portfolio. For a financial-services firm, I'd make the selection hinge on whether the agency can demonstrate:

• Secure architecture and hosting model
• SOC 2 / security controls and vendor-risk documentation
• CMS permissions, MFA/SSO and admin security
• Vulnerability scanning, patching and penetration testing
• Disaster recovery and incident-response procedures
• Privacy/cookie/data governance
• SEC/FINRA marketing-review workflow where applicable
• Accessibility/WCAG compliance
• SEO migration and redirect strategy
• Clear separation between the public website and any sensitive client functionality
• Who actually owns the code, CMS, hosting accounts and intellectual property after launch

My instinct: Start with Bounteous and Rightpoint, then use Orbit as the control bid. If Bounteous comes back dramatically more expensive than Orbit without a compelling security/technology advantage for your particular requirements, I'd seriously consider Orbit.

If you tell me what kind of financial-services firm you are (PE, wealth management, investment banking, asset management, private credit, hedge fund, etc.) and roughly how sophisticated the site needs to be, I can narrow this to 2–3 agencies and tell you exactly what I'd ask each one in the first meeting.

For a Chicago-based financial-services firm, I’d narrow the field considerably. You want more than a beautiful site—you want an agency that understands regulated environments, executive-level stakeholders, security, accessibility, CMS governance, and the reputational stakes of a corporate site.

My shortlist

1. Solid Digital — my first call for a modern B2B financial-services site

Chicago-based, with a strong B2B orientation and capabilities spanning strategy, design, web development, and ongoing support. I’d put them near the top if this is primarily a corporate/marketing website rather than a transactional financial platform.

2. Americaneagle.com, Inc. — best for enterprise complexity/security

This is the safer choice if you expect a substantial CMS, integrations, sophisticated infrastructure, or long-term managed hosting. Their financial-services practice specifically emphasizes security, accessibility and compliance, and their Chicago operation offers hosting/security as well as development. www.americaneagle.com

3. Marcel Digital — best if marketing performance matters

A particularly interesting option if the website needs to become a serious business-development engine, rather than simply a corporate brochure. They're Chicago-based and combine web development with SEO, analytics, CRO and broader digital strategy, with significant B2B/enterprise orientation. www.marceldigital.com

4. Clique Studios — best high-end design/strategy alternative

I'd consider them if brand positioning and the experience of the site are especially important to the partnership. They're a Chicago digital-transformation studio combining strategy, design, engineering, CMS, integrations, QA, accessibility and ongoing support.

5. Fintech Digital — best specialist option

Worth interviewing because they're specifically focused on financial services and regulated/trust-sensitive categories. Their offering includes financial-brand website design/development alongside compliance-oriented marketing and UX work.

One specialist I'd also put on the RFP list

Orbit Media Studios is unusually relevant: Chicago-based, has a dedicated financial-services website practice, and explicitly discusses security monitoring, backups, updates, complex financial integrations and working within existing back-end systems. They've worked with financial institutions including American Chartered Bank. www.americaneagle.comwww.marceldigital.comwww.orbitmedia.com

How I'd choose

If I were making the decision for a financial-services partnership, my first three pitches would be Solid Digital, Americaneagle.com, and Orbit.

I'd score them on:

One important distinction: don't let an agency's claim that a site is "secure" substitute for actual security diligence. In the RFP I'd ask for their secure-development lifecycle, hosting architecture, penetration-testing approach, dependency/vulnerability management, incident-response procedures, access controls, backup/DR practices, SOC 2/ISO certifications where applicable, and exactly what your firm—not the agency—would be responsible for.

If you tell me roughly your firm's size, AUM/revenue, whether you're PE/asset management/wealth/banking/advisory/etc., and whether this is a $100k, $250k, or $500k+ website, I can narrow this to the 2–3 agencies I'd actually hire and what I would expect each to charge.