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FINRA recently published its 2019 Risk Monitoring and Examination Priorities Letter (“Priorities Letter”) highlighting topics upon which FINRA will focus in the coming year. Unlike letters in prior years, the Priorities Letter focuses primarily on areas that FINRA considers to be material new priorities. Of particular interest to the growing number of companies providing financial…

In a July 2018 regulatory notice (Regulatory Notice 18-20, available here: http://www.finra.org/sites/default/files/notice_doc_file_ref/Regulatory-Notice-18-20.pdf), FINRA has requested that members notify it if they engage, or intend to engage, in any activities related to digital assets, such as cryptocurrencies. In addition, until July 31, 2019, FINRA requests that firms notify their point of contact with FINRA, their…

On March 19, 2018, FINRA updated its guidance on its recent amendments to Rule 2232. The new requirements, which are currently scheduled to take effect on May 14, 2018, apply to transactions with retail customers (not institutional accounts, as defined in Rule 4512(c)[1]) in corporate and agency debt securities. Beginning on the effective…

In January 2018, FINRA issued guidance on the provisions of Rule 2165 and the amendments to Rule 4512, which were approved in February 2017. The new requirements are aimed at preventing the financial exploitation of seniors, and are scheduled to take effect on February 5, 2018. The new FAQs principally reiterate prior guidance clarifying the…

In December 2017, FINRA issued a report highlighting several key findings from its recent examinations of broker-dealer members.  The report is available here.

The report focuses on several observations from recent examinations that FINRA believed would be worth highlighting to members.  Of course, the report cannot list all of FINRA’s concerns; however, FINRA selected…

On August 21, 2017, the North American Securities Administrators Association (“NASAA”) released a survey on senior citizens and financial exploitation. The survey of the state securities regulators highlighted, among other things, the need for the securities regulators to take a stronger role in prevention and detection.

The survey was conducted internally among NASAA’s membership of…

In August 2017, FINRA entered into a consent agreement with a Georgia-based broker-dealer arising from improper practices and procedures relating to its sales of leveraged ETFs.1  The sales included ETFs that were leveraged, inverse, or both inverse and leveraged, and that were sold to retail accounts.  The action reflects FINRA’s continuing concerns about the…