Electronic Fingerprinting - Quick Reference Guide for Funding Portals

Pursuant to Section 17(f)(2) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, (15 USC 78q(f)(2)), and Exchange Rule 17f-2 thereunder, as amended, the SEC requires Funding Portal organizations applying for FINRA membership to submit fingerprints for all partners, directors, officers or employees, unless they are exempt under those same provisions.

As part of the FINRA membership application process, a Funding Portal applicant will be assigned an Organization (Org) ID # from FINRA. An Org ID # is assigned when FINRA processes the Funding Portal applicant's New Funding Portal Organization Super Account Administrator (SAA) Entitlement Agreement to grant access to the FINRA Funding Portal Registration Depository (FPRD).

Once the Funding Portal applicant is assigned its Org ID #, fingerprints may be collected on FINRA-specific hardcopy fingerprint cards or electronically through a FINRA-approved fingerprint vendor. Funding Portal applicants should apply the Org ID# on all fingerprints submitted regardless of electronic or hard copy.

Sterling, FINRA’s fingerprint provider, processes all fingerprint transactions to the FBI and returns the results to FINRA for posting in FPRD where Funding Portal organizations are able to view fingerprint statuses. Statuses include the received status to indicate receipt of fingerprints for an associated individual and includes the FBI results of the Criminal History Record Information (CHRI) background check.

Key Fingerprint Information

Funding portals may purchase FINRA-specific fingerprint cardstock from Sterling for $14.00 (includes 25 cards with shipping & handling). Contact Sterling Client Support; see the Need Help? Section on the right-hand side of the page for contact information.

In order for fingerprint cards to be processed, firms must complete all required fields. Firms are responsible for submitting fingerprints with all required fields completed. Deficient fingerprint cards are not returned.

Please note that all non-deficient fingerprint cards are processed and charged applicable fees. If multiple sets of fingerprints for the same individual are submitted at the same time, only one set of fingerprints will be processed and the other set(s) will be immediately destroyed, following Sterling’s current process. Refer to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for more information.

Firms should send hardcopy fingerprints from within the United States or its territories to:

Sterling Identity
10220 SW Greenburg Rd
Suite 301
Portland, OR 97223

Per FBI requirements, hardcopy cards from outside the United States or its territories must be sent directly to FINRA’s address below. FINRA will forward these fingerprint cards via express mail to Sterling for processing.

First Class Mail
FINRA, Document Services
P.O. Box 9495
Gaithersburg, MD 20898-9495

Overnight/Courier Mail
FINRA, Document Services
9509 Key West Avenue, 3rd Floor
Rockville, MD 20850

Note: When sending Overnight/Courier Mail to FINRA, please include the following phone number: (301) 869-6699.

• Fees: Firms are charged two types of processing fees for fingerprint submissions: a FINRA fingerprint fee and an FBI fingerprint fee. Learn more about them on the Fingerprint Fees page.
• Fingerprint statuses from the FBI are generally posted to FPRD within 24 to 36 business hours following submission to the FBI.
• Entitled users can view the FBI response to fingerprint card submissions in FPRD. Users that have the required entitlement will have to Accept the Terms and Conditions to view the status received from the FBI.
• Fingerprint statuses in FPRD are identified as a code.
• A fingerprint status designated by the FBI as illegible (i.e., an ILEG code in FPRD) will require another fingerprint submission for the individual within 30 days of the ILEG status. A third illegible status will result in a Name Check that FINRA facilitates with the FBI.
• FINRA has a list of Frequently Asked Questions to help Funding Portal organizations submit fingerprint cards.
• All fingerprint cards must be submitted with the individual’s Social Security number, if applicable. The card must include the individual's signature, the signature of the individual taking the prints, Sex, Date of Birth (DOB), Place of Birth, Height, Weight, Hair and Eye Color as well. To ensure accurate processing, confirm that all fields are complete and include the correct identifying information.

Fingerprint Submission Process

• Initial Submission: The FBI fingerprint fee is assessed when the FBI result is posted to FPRD. The individual’s fingerprint status will depend on the result received. If the result is illegible (ILEG) or rejected (REJT), another fingerprint submission is required within 30 days of the last result.
• Second Submission: When the first fingerprint card submission is determined to be illegible, the second fingerprint card submission will only be assessed FINRA’s Fingerprint Fee. If the fingerprint card is illegible or rejected a second time, a third fingerprint submission is required within 30 days of the last result.
• Third Submission: When the third fingerprint card is submitted, both the FINRA and the FBI fingerprint fees are assessed. If the result of the third submission is illegible, the individual’s fingerprint status will be updated to Name Check (NMCK). The FBI will use the individual’s demographic information to check for any CHRI, and upon return of the FBI result, the fingerprint status will update to CLRX, RAPX, CMPX, or EXCX as applicable. If the result of the third submission is REJT, another fingerprint card must be submitted for the individual within 30 days.

Fingerprint Statuses