Join Ulmer partner Alan M. Wolper as he addresses hot topics including FINRA's oversight of Reg BI, trends in enforcement and arbitration filings, and perspective whether FINRA would survive a constitutional challenge....more
11/28/2023
/ Arbitration ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Continuing Legal Education ,
Enforcement ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Regulation BI ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
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When I am engaged to defend a case, whether it’s a customer arbitration or a regulatory complaint, my clients typically get to the point, sooner or later, where they ask me two questions: (1) what do I think about their...more
So, after all the hubbub about how Reg BI was going to turn the brokerage industry on its head, given the new standard of conduct – more like that of a fiduciary – that it was imposing on BDs and registered reps, I’m sure...more
As the song goes, time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping into the future. While Steve Miller may not have had FINRA and the SEC in mind when he wrote that lyric, the shoe certainly fits. Because here’s the thing about...more
It’s always exciting to watch something that you just know will be deemed by later generations to be an historic event. I mean, I distinctly remember watching Neil Armstrong on TV taking his first steps on the moon, or the...more
About a month ago, the SEC announced a settlement in a modest little case that has, nevertheless, managed to garner a lot of attention. This is a result of the fact that one of the respondents was the CCO, i.e., the Chief...more
Last week I posted a blog about the dangers of not heeding findings made during a regulatory exam, at least findings of clear, undisputable compliance issues that cannot be meaningfully defended. Today I am writing to...more
There is no question in my mind that the quality of FINRA examiners is a bit uneven. Some are smart and insightful and helpful; others are, well, not. Most of the time, they do know what they’re talking about. That means...more
Among the criticisms I have leveled against FINRA are (1) that it is increasingly acting like a claimant’s arbitration attorney, by taking every possible opportunity to blame member firms for losses incurred by investors when...more
Well, Memorial Day is just past us, so we all know what that means: it’s time for FINRA to conduct its first annual assessment of its member firms to determine whether they should be branded a “Restricted” firm under new Rule...more
Shortly, I hope to get around to drafting a blog post about FINRA’s latest demonstration of abasement to PIABA and claimants’ counsel everywhere, namely new Rule 4111. But, that rule is such a monstrosity that it will take a...more
Not too long ago, I wrote a piece complaining about (among other things) the fact that the potential arbitrators that FINRA rolled out to the parties in a particular arbitration I was handling skewed juuuuuuust a bit towards...more
Let me say at the outset that I, myself, am an old (by most people’s definition, anyway), white man. So, selfishly, I’ve got nothing against old, white men. But, the fact is that FINRA arbitration panels are...more
Let’s talk about commissions today. Or, as they are sometimes referred to, transaction based compensation. Specifically, who can receive commissions. Actually, that’s not phrased correctly. The correct phrasing of this...more
There are certain topics that broker-dealers have been encountering for decades, yet continue unnecessarily to wrestle with due to the absence of clear guidance from the regulators. I have written about one such topic...more
Join Ulmer partners Alan M. Wolper and Heidi E. VonderHeide as they address hot topics, including recent rule proposals, exam priorities, and other FINRA developments....more
Motions to vacate an adverse arbitration award are rarely granted by courts. Indeed, that should come as no surprise to anyone inasmuch as the awards rendered at the conclusion of the arbitral process are explicitly designed...more
I am fond of saying that, at least generally speaking, the most important document in a customer arbitration alleging unsuitable recommendations is the new account form. If the NAF is in good shape, i.e., it is accurate, it...more
Happy New Year! I hope you had an enjoyable holiday season. At least happier than that of JP Morgan Securities, which, right before Christmas, got to write checks to the SEC and the CFTC totaling $200 million. That’s a...more
My job frequently requires that I explain to someone – whether my client, an ALJ, an arbitration panel, even a regulator – the fundamental difference between a broker-dealer and an investment advisor. An IA operates pursuant...more
I continue to wade my way through a few months’ worth of cases, press releases, etc., looking for things that manage to catch my attention. I found this SEC settlement from the end of July involving Integral Financial, a BD...more
I am still catching up on things that happened over the last couple of months, as I dig myself out of the hole created by (finally) completing a 39-day FINRA arbitration (SOC filed in 2014, hearing started in 2019)....more
Not too long ago, a single, small BD experienced a bizarre combination of regulatory overzealousness and regulatory indifference, by the SEC and FINRA, respectively. These things, sadly, happen all the time, but what...more
There have been tons of cases where firms got in trouble – in AML trouble, which is one the worst kinds of trouble – for failing to be sufficiently on top of third-party wires, i.e., where a customer wires money not to...more
Most securities regulations, by design, create a gray world where compliance is not crystal-clear, but, rather, subject to interpretation. After all, what you think constitutes “reasonable” supervision and what FINRA or the...more