The Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released its annual list of 2020 Examination Priorities on Jan. 7, 2020. Many of OCIE’s 2020 examination priorities, including the focus on retail investors, fraud, conflicts (and related disclosures), among others, are perennial risk areas that OCIE routinely prioritizes. While the … Continue Reading
On Jan. 9, 2020, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) released its 2020 Risk Monitoring and Examination Priorities Letter, in which it identifies its areas of examination focus for 2020. The cover note also highlights key changes in FINRA’s risk monitoring and examination program. These changes include the consolidation of FINRA’s three examination programs into a … Continue Reading
In October 2019, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) released its “2019 Report on FINRA Examination Findings and Observations.” FINRA publishes a report yearly to highlight its examination “findings” (i.e., findings of violations committed by member firms) detected throughout the year. In addition to findings, the 2019 Report advances further than years past and consists … Continue Reading
On Oct. 11, 2019, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), published a Joint Statement on Activities Involving Digital Assets. The purpose of the Joint Statement was “to remind persons engaged in activities involving digital assets of their anti-money laundering and … Continue Reading
The SEC’s Division of Trading and Markets and the Office of the General Counsel of FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) published on July 8, 2019, a joint staff statement (Custody Release) on broker-dealer custody of digital assets. The statement has been eagerly awaited by market participants, including broker-dealers, given significant uncertainty in the application of … Continue Reading
In 2018 the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) undertook efforts to have member firms contact FINRA before engaging in activities involving digital assets by issuing Regulatory Notice 18-20. That approach led to many discussions between FINRA staff and member firms, and FINRA found that process useful to help it become aware of developing practices and … Continue Reading
On Jan. 22, 2019, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) released its 14th Annual Risk Monitoring and Examination Priorities Letter, where it identifies its areas of examination focus for 2019. The FINRA president’s cover note points out the addition to the title of a reference to “risk monitoring.” While the Priority Letter describes the multiple … Continue Reading
FINRA recently issued Notice to Members 17-42, which proposes sweeping changes to the process by which a securities broker may seek to expunge reference to a customer complaint from his or her public record. The comment period for the proposed rule amendments ended on Feb. 5, 2018. The proposed changes will now to go the … Continue Reading
As it does every January, FINRA released its annual Regulatory and Examinations Priorities Letter identifying areas of examination focus for the coming year, recurring challenges faced by firms, and possible risks impacting the financial sector. FINRA’s 2018 exam priorities for the first time identify cryptocurrencies and related initial coin offerings (ICOs). Other first-mentions include technology governance, … Continue Reading
Shareholders Carl A. Fornaris and William B. Mack of global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP will be participating at the Financial Markets Association’s 2017 Treasury and Capital Markets Legal and Legislative Issues Conference, Oct. 25 – Oct. 26. Mack is also a member of the conference’s 2017 Program Planning Committee. Fornaris will be moderating, “Recent … Continue Reading
On Thursday, July 27, regulators and industry professionals gathered in Washington, D.C. to discuss the current regulatory environment, cybersecurity, and other hot topics at the SEC and FINRA’s 2017 National Compliance Outreach Program for Broker-Dealers. The panelists, including SEC Commissioner Michael Piwowar, FINRA President and CEO Robert Cook, and Susan Axelrod, the Executive Vice President of … Continue Reading
An increasingly common tactic among claimants’ lawyers in Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) arbitrations is to issue subpoenas to securities regulators, including FINRA itself, calling for the production of investigative files. This is accomplished by asking the arbitration panel to issue a subpoena pursuant to FINRA Rule 12512 (or Rule 13512 in an employee versus … Continue Reading
On Jan. 4, 2017, FINRA released its 12th annual Regulatory and Examination Priorities Letter in which it identifies its areas of examination focus for 2017, recurring challenges faced by firms, and possible risks impacting the financial sector. FINRA’s 2017 exam priorities do not appear to be revolutionary or new relative to its pronouncements during the … Continue Reading
FINRA recently sent a sweep letter (or targeted exam letter) to select broker dealers, inquiring about those firms’ sale of non-traded Business Development Companies (BDCs). BDCs are SEC-registered investment companies (usually closed-end funds) that pool investor funds in a debt or equity portfolio (typically of small- or medium-sized companies), with the objective of generating income … Continue Reading
FINRA has issued a regulatory notice (RN 16-18) regarding new Rule 2273, which requires member firms, when hiring a new broker from the competition, to send an “educational communication” to that broker’s customers if and when those customers move or seek to move their assets to the hiring firm. The new rule, which was recently … Continue Reading
Nearly all U.S. broker-dealers are members of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). FINRA regulates, and provides oversight and guidance for its member firms. When a broker-dealer becomes a FINRA member, they enter into a membership agreement which, among other things, specifies which financial products and services the broker-dealer is permitted to offer to its … Continue Reading
Earlier this month, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) each published their 2016 exam priorities letters. Each agency publishes an exam priority letter annually in which they identify topics of examination focus for the coming year, recurring challenges faced by firms, and perceived areas of heightened risk to … Continue Reading
FINRA recently released its 2016 Regulatory and Examination Priorities Letter, an annual event which serves to highlight both emerging and existing risks in the financial services industry. The letter serves as a guide to FINRA’s priorities for the upcoming year, and highlights the issues which FINRA deems most important to its regulatory mission at the moment. … Continue Reading
On Dec. 16, 2015, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) simultaneously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rule proposals that will have broad and substantial impacts on the political giving of broker-dealers, investment advisers and municipal advisors and their ability to engage in business with governmental entities … Continue Reading
On Nov. 30, 2015, the SEC approved a change to FINRA’s rule regarding release of certain disclosure information on the BrokerCheck Website. The change will release certain adverse information reported to BrokerCheck on Form U4, U5, or U6, three days after such information is received by FINRA, rather than the current fifteen days. FINRA has announced that … Continue Reading
The SEC has approved a proposal to amend FINRA Rule 2210, which governs “Communications with the Public.” The new rule will require Internet hyperlinks to FINRA’s BrokerCheck database on websites maintained by broker-dealers, their branch offices, and their registered representatives. BrokerCheck is a searchable database that contains the employment, registration, and disciplinary histories of all … Continue Reading
FINRA has proposed new rules to protect senior investors and other vulnerable adults from financial exploitation. The proposed rules would require member firms to make reasonable efforts, at the time of account opening for a senior investor, to obtain the name and contact information of a trusted contact person. The proposed rules would also allow firms to … Continue Reading
Yesterday, the new FINRA Rule 2040 became effective. The rule was approved by the SEC earlier this year. Rule 2040(c) requires a broker-dealer who sells EB-5 securities to disclose to investors the amount of fees paid to foreign finders. In addition, a broker-dealer must receive written acknowledgement from an investor which shows that the investor is aware … Continue Reading
When producing documents to regulators, financial services firms should remain mindful that such disclosures may inadvertently waive attorney-client privilege and work product protection as to third parties. In In re Steinhardt Partners, L.P., the Second Circuit held that the voluntary disclosure of documents to the SEC waived any work product protection of the same documents … Continue Reading
