Business Continuity Planning

Rule 4370—FINRA's emergency preparedness rule—requires firms to create and maintain business continuity plans (BCPs) appropriate to the scale and scope of their businesses, and to provide FINRA with emergency contact information. This page provides general information related to BCPs for securities firms.

 

Pandemic Preparedness

 

One of the elements of Rule 4370 is a financial and operational assessment. This element requires firms to consider operational risk exposure to relevant threats, including a pandemic. For specific information about pandemic preparedness, please see FINRA's Pandemic Preparedness page.

 

Tools & Resources

 

• Business Continuity Planning FAQ
  
• FINRA Small Firm Business Continuity Plan Template 
  
• BCP Case Study (PDF 81 KB) – an exercise to help frame your BCP planning
  
• FINRA’s Business Continuity Plan
  
• Small Firm Emergency Partner Program: A Voluntary Addition to a Firm's BCP
   
• Securities and Exchange Commission/Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System/Office of the Comptroller of the Currency Joint White Paper on Business Continuity Planning
  
• General Accounting Office, "Report on Potential Terrorist Attacks: Additional Actions Needed to Better Prepare Critical Financial Market Participants: Report Nos. GAO-03-251 and GAO-03-414 (Feb. 2003)
   
• Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association's Business Continuity Planning Page
  
• The Disaster Recovery Institute
  
• Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council for Critical Infrastructure Protection and Homeland Security

 

FINRA Notices

 

• Regulatory Notice 09-60
  SEC Approval and Effective Dates for New Consolidated FINRA Rules
   
• Regulatory Notice 09-59
  FINRA Provides Guidance on Pandemic Preparedness
   
• Regulatory Notice 07-49
  Guidance for Firms Affected by the California Wildfires
   
• Notice to Members 06-74
  Member Business Continuity Experiences Regarding Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
   
• Notice to Members 06-31
  NASD Requests Comment on Regulatory Relief that Should Be Granted in Response to a Possible Pandemic or Other Major Business Disruption
   
• Notice to Members 05-57
  Guidance to Members Affected by Hurricane Katrina
   
• Notice to Members 04-37
  SEC Approves Rules Requiring Members to Create Business Continuity Plans and Provide Emergency Contact Information (Notice posted on 5/05/04)
   
• Notice to Members 02-23
  The NASD seeks Comment On Proposed Rules Relating to Member Firm Business Continuity Plans and Emergency Contact Information (Notice posted on 4/10/02)

 

Related Rulemaking

 

• SR-FINRA-2009-036
• SR-NASD-2002-108

 

FINRA News Releases

 

• 10/11/07: FINRA Announces Small Firm Emergency Partner Program
• 3/21/02: NASD Board Approves Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Plan

 

Education

 

• FINRA Business Continuity Planning Template (podcast) - July 19, 2010
• Pandemic Preparedness - Part II (podcast) - December 21, 2009
• Pandemic Preparedness - Part I (podcast) - November 23, 2009
• Small Firm Emergency Partner Program (podcast) - October 16, 2007
• Business Continuity Planning: Recent Survey Findings (podcast) - February 1, 2007