As a self-regulatory organization, information sharing is key to FINRA's pursuit of its mission of investor protection and market integrity, and no single resource is a better example of that than FINRA's Annual Regulatory Oversight Report. On this episode, we hear from four leaders within FINRA's Member Supervision department to discuss highlights from the 2024 report.
Overview
The Broker-Dealer Written Supervisory Procedures Checklist ("WSP Checklist") is an outline of selected key topics representative of the range of business activities typically proposed by applicants seeking approval to become FINRA members or to expand their existing securities business under FINRA Membership and Registration Rules.
As part of the new member application
Gifts Rule
FINRA Rule 3220 (Influencing or Rewarding Employees of Others) (the Gifts Rule) prohibits any member or person associated with a member, directly or indirectly, from giving anything of value in excess of $100 per year to any person where such payment is in relation to the business of the recipient’s employer. The rule also requires members to keep separate records regarding gifts and
The 2019 National Compliance Outreach Program for Broker-Dealers is a one-day program intended for compliance, audit, and other senior personnel of broker-dealer firms and branch offices.
(a) No person associated with a member ("employer member") shall, without the prior written consent of the member, open or otherwise establish at a member other than the employer member ("executing member"), or at any other financial institution, any account in which securities transactions can be effected and in which the associated person has a beneficial interest.(b) Any
Municipal securities fall into two categories: 1) municipal bonds issued by states, cities, counties and other governmental entities to raise money to build roads, schools and a host of other projects for the public good; and 2) municipal fund securities. Municipal bonds are typically sold in minimum increments of $5,000, pay interest on a semi-annual basis, and have maturities that range from
Broker-dealers that recommend or sell private placements have additional requirements under FINRA and SEC rules. These requirements include:Filing certain offering documentsEnsuring the suitability of any investments they recommendFiling RequirementsTwo FINRA rules require firms to file certain offering documents and information about the issuer, the offering terms, and the firms selling the
FINRA is here to help keep investors and their investments safe. To ensure this protection, we enact rules and publish guidance for securities firms and brokers. We involve a number of interested parties in rulemaking deliberations so that broker-dealers and investors can have confidence they are collaborating on a level playing field. Our relationship to these participants, as well as the SEC, puts us in the unique position to guard the integrity of the market
FINRA does not regulate mutual funds directly, but regulates the broker-dealers and registered representatives that sell mutual funds. In this capacity, FINRA enforces rules on mutual fund advertising, sales practices, including the sales loads that broker-dealers may charge, the incentives provided to registered representatives and the execution of mutual fund portfolio transactions.
Crypto assets—also known as digital assets—are assets that are issued or transferred using distributed ledger or blockchain technology. They include, but are not limited to, so-called “virtual currencies,” “coins,” and “tokens.” A particular crypto asset may or may not meet definition of a “security” under the federal securities laws. FINRA rules that relate to securities, or that do not depend on securities status, may impose obligations on the crypto asset-related activities of member firms and associated persons.
