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MEDIA CENTER

MEDIA CENTER

Facilitating Compliance
To best ensure investor protection as a self-regulatory organization, it is critical that FINRA engage in a two-way dialogue with its member firms. It is our duty to provide the information members need to understand and meet their regulatory obligations, and in turn we regularly solicit and incorporate member feedback in order to refine our efforts.
Facilitating Compliance

This begins with ensuring that all firms and individuals are appropriately registered with FINRA and that individuals have passed relevant qualification exams. From there, we require individuals to take continuing education courses as well as offer ongoing optional programs in subject areas such as compliance, regulatory, ethical and sales practice standards, among others.

FINRA regularly engages with member firms to provide resources, tools and effective practices that help facilitate compliance with our rules. Each year, we provide an annual Exam Findings and Observations Report, Annual Exam and Risk Monitoring Priorities Letter, and host other timely, topical events such as member roundtables and forums.

We also believe that it is appropriate, after a reasonable period, to look back at our significant rulemakings to determine whether a rule or rule set is meeting its intended investor-protection objectives. These retrospective reviews look at the substance and application of a rule or rule set, including any unintended consequences, as well as our processes to administer the rules.

Featured

News Release

FINRA Fines Interactive Brokers $15 Million for Widespread AML Failures

Podcast

Encore | Beyond Hollywood: Money Laundering in the Securities Industry

Podcast

Virtual Conference Panels: Fireside Chat on Current Issues

Blog Post
Highlights from FINRA’s Reg BI Conference for Member Firms
FINRA hosted a Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI) conference on Dec.18, 2019 in Washington, D.C. for firms to discuss best practices and approaches. Approximately 500 compliance officers and other industry participants attended the one-day event focused on assisting firms as they gear up for the June 30, 2020 compliance date for the SEC’s Reg BI and Form CRS.
Podcast
What to Expect: The 2020 Exam and Risk Monitoring Program
The 1920s was a period of great change and transition and the 2020s are shaping up to be the same—at least for FINRA’s Examination and Risk Monitoring program. On this episode, we kick off the new Roaring 20s with a look at what to expect from the program in the year ahead.
News Release
FINRA, Cboe, Nasdaq, NYSE and Affiliated Exchanges Fine Credit Suisse Securities $6.5 Million for Supervision and Market Access Rule Violations
WASHINGTON—FINRA, Cboe Global Markets, The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC, the New York Stock Exchange, and their affiliated Exchanges (collectively, “Exchanges”) today announced that they censured Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, and fined the firm a total of $6.5 million for supervisory violations and violations of various provisions of Rule 15c3-5 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (known as the Market Access Rule). The fine was apportioned among FINRA and the Exchanges.
News Release
FINRA Fines Robinhood Financial, LLC $1.25 Million for Best Execution Violations
WASHINGTON—FINRA announced today that it has fined Robinhood Financial, LLC $1.25 million for best execution violations related to its customers’ equity orders and related supervisory failures that spanned from October 2016 to November 2017. As part of the settlement, Robinhood also agreed to retain an independent consultant to conduct a comprehensive review of the firm’s systems and procedures related to best execution.
News Release
FINRA, NASDAQ, BX, PHLX, ISE, NYSE, NYSE Arca, NYSE American, Cboe, BZX, BYX, EDGA, and EDGX Permanently Bar Samuel Lek and Fine Lek Securities Corporation for Supervisory and Market Access Rule Violations
WASHINGTON — Samuel Lek, former Chief Executive Officer of Lek Securities Corporation (Lek Securities), has been permanently barred from the securities industry in all capacities, and Lek Securities was fined $900,000 for violating, among other things, FINRA and Exchange supervisory rules, and Rule 15c3-5 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Market Access Rule). The actions were taken by FINRA, along with The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC, the New York Stock Exchange LLC, Cboe Global Markets, and certain of their affiliated Exchanges (collectively, Exchanges).
News Release
FINRA Announces Senior Leadership Team Under New Examination and Risk Monitoring Program Structure
2020 Exams Will Be Conducted Under Unified Program WASHINGTON—FINRA announced today the senior leadership team under the new examination and risk monitoring structure within the organization. This marks the consolidation of FINRA’s three exam functions into a single, unified program—a process that began in October 2018.
Podcast
A Career Highlight: Exam and Risk Monitoring Program Transformation Update
FINRA’s examination and risk monitoring program is in the midst of a large-scale transformation to make FINRA a more effective, agile and risk-focused regulator. On this episode, Executive Vice President Bari Havlik provides an update on where the group is one year later.
News Release
FINRA Fines BNP Paribas Securities Corp. and BNP Paribas Prime Brokerage, Inc. $15 Million for AML Program and Supervisory Failures
WASHINGTON – FINRA announced today that it has fined BNP Paribas Securities Corp. and BNP Paribas Prime Brokerage, Inc. (collectively, BNP) $15 million for anti-money laundering (AML) program and supervisory failures involving penny stock deposits and resales, and wire transfers, that spanned four years. As part of the settlement, FINRA also required BNP to certify within 90 days that BNP’s procedures are reasonably designed to achieve compliance in these areas.
Guidance
2019 Report on Examination Findings and Observations
Introduction In both 2017 and 2018, FINRA issued Reports on Examination Findings in response to firms’ requests that we make publicly available a summary of key findings from FINRA’s examinations of member firms. Firms use this information, as well as effective practices observed by FINRA at certain firms, to anticipate potential areas of concern and improve their procedures and controls.
News Release
FINRA Publishes 2019 Report on Examination Findings and Observations
WASHINGTON – FINRA today published its 2019 Report on FINRA Examination Findings and Observations. The report reflects key findings and observations identified in recent examinations, and contains effective practices that could help firms improve their compliance and risk management programs.

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