Facing an examination or investigation by the Financial Industry and Regulatory Authority (FINRA) can be a stressful and intimidating experience for even the most seasoned financial advisor. Understanding the oversight role FINRA plays and the process can help you to properly prepare and reduce the risk of adverse consequences. If you find yourself the subject of a FINRA inquiry, here are some tips to help you navigate the process:
- Determine The Subject Of The Inquiry - If you find yourself involved in an inquiry, FINRA usually will send you a letter requesting information and ...
PIABA, the securities-investor plaintiff's bar, issued an October 16th press release roundly criticizing industry self-regulatory rules allowing a broker to seek expungement of a customer-claim from her permanent record. PIABA's release relies on blunt statistics showing that about 60% of arbitration awards containing the word "expungement" granted that relief (with a higher 89-96% rate for awards entered on settlements). The group failed to mention, though, 2009 reforms requiring arbitrators to make an affirmative finding (after a hearing) that:
- The claim was ...
In Regulatory Notice 13-40, FINRA announced that the SEC had approved amendments to its Discovery Guide. The Discovery Guide applies to customer cases (rather than intra-industry cases) and outlines presumptively discoverable documents that the parties to an arbitration should exchange without FINRA or an arbitrator intervening. The amendments concern three areas: (1) electronic discovery, (2) product cases, and (3) affirmations. First, the Discovery Guide was amended to clarify that electronic files are "documents" under the meaning of the Discovery Guide and that ...