On August 25, 2023, Justice Wendlandt of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court issued a ruling in Robinhood Financial, LLC v. Secretary of the Commonwealth which upheld the legality of the fiduciary duty standard imposed...more
9/8/2023
/ Broker-Dealer ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Duty of Care ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
MA Supreme Judicial Court ,
NASD ,
Preemption ,
Regulation BI ,
Regulatory History ,
Robinhood Financial ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
FINRA’s recent overhaul of its Sanction Guidelines is the largest and most significant in two, if not three, decades. It would be quite the understatement to say that the time had come for FINRA to make a much-needed change...more
Key Takeaways:
..FINRA released its most recent Sanctions Guideline, effective immediately, on October 20, 2021. A link to that document can be found here.
..The key change in the 2021 Sanctions Guideline is a new...more
Key Takeaways:
..On September 28, 2021, FINRA released Regulatory Notice 21-34 which introduces additional new rules aimed at addressing high risk or “recidivist” brokers and the member firms that hire them.
..Under...more
Recap of FINRA Rule 1017(a)(7) -
If you recall from our May 11th alert, effective September 1, 2021, FINRA Rule 1017(a)(7) will require a member firm to file a CMA when a natural person seeks to become an owner, control...more
8/31/2021
/ Applications ,
Bad Actors ,
Banking Regulators ,
Banking Sector ,
Banks ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Compliance ,
Continuation Applications ,
Criminal Records ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Investment Adviser ,
Members ,
New Regulations ,
Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) ,
Registration Requirement
Key Takeaways:
..With pre-dispute arbitration agreements constantly under attack by PIABA and various federal legislators, FINRA recently issued Regulatory Notice 21-16 to address member firm agreements that extend too...more
Key Takeaways:
..According to FINRA, the number of reported instances involving broker-dealer fraudulent account takeovers (ATO) and related theft is on the rise.
..As set forth in recently released FINRA Regulatory...more
5/27/2021
/ Authentication ,
Best Practices ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Compliance ,
Data Protection ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Fraud ,
Identity Theft ,
Mobile Banking ,
Online Banking ,
Personal Information ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sensitive Personal Information
Key Takeaways:
..After years of warning firms of the need for enhanced diligence in retaining or hiring brokers with a significant history of misconduct, FINRA has adopted new rules to address such brokers.
..As set...more
5/19/2021
/ Applications ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Brokers ,
Compliance ,
Criminal Records ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
New Regulations ,
New Rules ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
SEC Examination Priorities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
As courts around the country navigate how to handle proceedings during the COVID-19 pandemic, arbitral tribunals face the same struggles. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) operates the largest arbitral...more
U.S. Securities firms are on the frontlines of one of the most volatile economic periods in history. With the Dow Jones Industrial Average flirting with the 30,000 mark in February, few firms could have predicted that the...more
KEY TAKEAWAYS -
..A proposed amendment to FINRA Rule 2111 eliminates the requirement for FINRA to prove the broker exercised “control” over the customer's account to establish excessive trading.
..FINRA acknowledges...more
Key Takeaways -
..While typically there is a relatively small portion of FINRA customer cases that proceed to an award of damages, approximately one out of every four damage awards goes unpaid.
..FINRA has proposed...more