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Printer-Friendly Small Introducing Firm Business Continuity Planning Template

FINRA is providing a template as an optional guide to small introducing firms to assist them in fulfilling their need to create and maintain business continuity plans (BCPs) and emergency contact person lists under NASD Rules 3510 and 3520. The template recognizes that many small introducing firms rely on parts of a clearing firm’s BCP for many of the mission critical functions of the introducing firm. The template also contains instructions, relevant rules and Web sites, and other resources that are useful for developing a BCP for a small introducing firm.

The template was revised as of August 18, 2004 with the following changes:

• Under the introduction, (page 1), the first boxed paragraph has been modified and the third boxed paragraph added to address questions by firms that do not use a clearing firm, and the last boxed paragraph (page 2) has been updated with an additional business continuity planning Web site.
• Under “C. Plan Location and Access” (beginning page 3), the second sentence was deleted to reflect the fact that BCPs are not to be sent to the NASD, and the BCP Repository Service cited is offered by NASD.
• Under “XIII. Disclosure of Business Continuity Plan” (beginning page 12), the Text Example has been edited to clarify what the BCP disclosure statement should contain.
  

An attachment to the template has been added on September 1, 2004 to provide a draft BCP disclosure statement, which is discussed under “Section XIII Disclosure of Business Continuity Plan” of the revised template.

• BCP Template (Word format 92 KB)
• Example of BCP Disclosure Statement for Introducing Firms with a Clearing Firm Arrangement (Word format 26 KB) 

View additional business continuity planning information.