People in the industry tend to scoff at the Goldman Sachs conspiracy theorists out there. For example, they laughed when Rolling Stone called the bank "a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money." But we've suggested that all the public controversy would wear on the bank's image.

In a recent survey, Brand Asset Consulting found that Goldman Sachs' stature suffered in 2008 and 2009, according to the Financial Times. The question is, does it matter? The bank isn't exactly a retail powerhouse, but if Congress is taking an increasingly skeptical look at the bank, that should be cause for worry. My guess is that the bank is mulling ways to reverse its image woes right now. 

For more:
- here's the article

Related Articles:
Goldman Sachs faces probe
Goldman Sachs' risk draws controversy
The Goldman Sachs metaphor that stuck
Rolling Stone rolls Goldman Sachs
A good PR move by Goldman Sachs?
Good for Goldman, bad for America?
Anger at Goldman Sachs?