In November of 2023, FINRA made an initial rule filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 19b-4, seeking to amend FINRA Rule 2210 – Communications with the Public (the...more
The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) has proposed to adopt rules that would require investment adviser representatives (IARs) to complete 12 credit hours of continuing education courses each...more
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...more
The SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) has published its 2018 examination priorities. Not surprisingly, it will continue to focus on the protection of retail investors and ensuring that...more
REGULATION -
DOL Issues Additional Guidance on Fiduciary Rule -
On January 13, 2017, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued a second set of guidance on its new fiduciary rules, which are scheduled to become...more
2/2/2017
/ Attorney-Client Privilege ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Brokers ,
Capital Acquisition Broker (CAB) ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Cross-Selling ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Examination Priorities ,
Exploitation ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Investment Adviser ,
Liquidity Risk Management Rule ,
Mutual Funds ,
OCIE ,
Pay-To-Play ,
Sales Load Variations ,
Section 36(b) ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Swing Pricing ,
Trustees
A recent enforcement action by FINRA underscores the regulator’s continuing concern regarding how financial advisers are paid to sell investment products. In a case announced on November 28, 2016, a member firm settled...more
Structured Notes Offered on an Agency Basis -
In our last issue, we discussed the potential impact of the Department of Labor’s new rules on sales of structured products. In that article, we discussed some of the...more
5/31/2016
/ Comment Period ,
Debt ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Deposit Accounts ,
FDIC ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Offerings ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Regulation S-K ,
Retirement Plan ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Structured Financial Products ,
Underwriting
On May 23, 2016, at FINRA’s annual conference in Washington, D.C., Richard Ketchum, FINRA’s chairman and CEO, delivered a speech that shed a little light on FINRA’s recent sweep letter relating to firm culture....more
The SEC recently approved FINRA’s new Rule 2273 (Educational Communication Related to Recruitment Practices and Account Transfers), which requires delivery of an educational communication prepared by FINRA to customers of a...more
Regulation -
Department of Labor Issues Fiduciary Regulations Under ERISA -
The Department of Labor (DOL) issued its long-anticipated final regulation (the “Regulation”) defining who is a fiduciary as a result of...more
2016 has arrived and, with the new year, FINRA has published its agenda of key examination priorities. This year’s 13-page Regulatory and Examination Priorities Letter sets forth both long-standing and new items for firms to...more
Regulation -
OCIE Cautions Advisers on Outsourcing Compliance Activities:
In a Risk Alert dated November 9, 2015, the SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) said it found that outsourced...more
11/18/2015
/ Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
CFTC ,
Compliance ,
Cybersecurity ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Investment Management ,
Investor Protection ,
OCIE ,
Outsourcing ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Swap Dealers ,
Swing Pricing ,
Volcker Rule
Citing significant growth in the size and scope of exchange-traded products (ETPs), on June 12, 2015, the SEC focused its attention on ETPs, including exchange-traded funds (ETFs), non-1940 Act pooled investment vehicles, and...more
In This Issue:
- SEC Proposes Rule Requiring Hedging Disclosure
- SEC Reports the Result of its Cybersecurity Sweep of Broker-Dealers and Investment Advisers
- House Passes Bill to Ease Volcker Rule and Other...more
2/27/2015
/ Background Checks ,
Broker-Dealer ,
CFTC ,
Compliance ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Protection ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Enforcement ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Equity Swaps ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Hedging ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Management ,
OCIE ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
FINRA recently sanctioned a broker-dealer (the “Firm”) for failure to deliver prospectuses in connection with its sale of ETFs. FINRA also found that the Firm failed to implement a supervisory system reasonably designed to...more
In This Issue:
- Regulation: Long-Awaited Money Market Fund Rules Adopted
- SEC Staff Offers Guidance Regarding Investment Advisers and Proxy Advisory Firms
- SEC Staff Closes Loophole on BDC Asset...more
9/17/2014
/ Banks ,
CFTC ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
CPO ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Hedge Funds ,
Investment Adviser ,
Liquidity Fees ,
Money Market Funds ,
Municipal Advisers ,
NAV ,
Pay-To-Play ,
Proxy Advisors ,
Redemption Gates ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Strategic Enforcement Plan ,
Whistleblowers
In This Issue:
- Regulation
..SEC Begins to Scrutinize Registrants’ Cybersecurity Practices
..SEC Staff Sets Boundaries for Adviser Testimonials in Social Media
..Chair White: SEC to Tackle High-Frequency...more
6/16/2014
/ Broker-Dealer ,
Cybersecurity ,
Dark Pool ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
High Frequency Trading ,
Investment Adviser ,
JOBS Act ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
New Legislation ,
Private Equity Funds ,
SEC Commissioner ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
SIFIs ,
Transaction Fees
Following closely on the heels of FINRA’s publication of its examination priorities for 2014 (see our recent client alert), OCIE’s National Exam Program (NEP) released a summary of its 2014 priorities. OCIE’s priorities...more
FINRA did not wait for any dust (or snow) to settle on the New Year before alerting the brokerage industry and the public about its regulatory and examination priorities for 2014. This year’s letter, issued earlier than ever...more
1/6/2014
/ Algorithmic Trading ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Compliance ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Crowdfunding ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Enforcement ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
High Frequency Trading ,
Qualified Benefit Plans ,
Recidivism
In This Issue:
Regulatory Updates -
SEC Continues to Look at a Uniform Fiduciary Standard for Broker-Dealers and Investment Advisers; SEC Grants Unusual Exemptive Relief from Pay-to-Play “Time-Out” Provision;...more
Both the SEC and FINRA believe that the question of whether a uniform fiduciary standard should be imposed on broker-dealers and investment advisers needs to be resolved. The problem is, neither one seems to have a view...more
- Regulatory Updates:
CFTC Adopts “Substituted Compliance” Approach for Registered Investment Companies that are Commodity Pools; SEC’s Final Rules on General Solicitation and Bad Actor Disqualification for Investment...more
10/24/2013
/ Audits ,
Bad Actors ,
Broker-Dealer ,
CFTC ,
Commodity Pool ,
Compliance ,
Continuity of Enterprises ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Enforcement ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
General Solicitation ,
Investment Adviser ,
JOBS Act ,
PCAOB ,
Private Funds ,
Rule 506 Offerings ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
In a recent formal disciplinary proceeding, FINRA reaffirmed member firms’ obligations to maintain adequate procedures for conducting due diligence on private placements, including the review of sales materials, and systems...more
FINRA is once again focusing on member firms’ communications with the public. Regulatory Notice 13-23 provides members with guidance regarding disclosure of fees in communications about retail brokerage accounts and...more
A recent FINRA disciplinary action sends a strong message to broker-dealers that the development of their compliance systems — particularly with respect to email review and retention — must keep pace with the growth of their...more