FINRA recently published Regulatory Notice 22-10 reminding firms of the scope of Rule 3110 (Supervision) and the potential liability of Chief Compliance Officers for failure to reasonably discharge supervisory...more
On March 9, 2022, President Biden issued the Executive Order Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets setting forth six principal policy objectives in furtherance of U.S. initiatives in the crypto and digital asset...more
On March 15, 2022, SEC Commissioner Allison Herren Lee announced she will not seek a second term once her current term expires in June of this year. The departure of Commissioner Lee, a Democrat-appointee, follows the January...more
As a significant step in its ongoing initiatives on the disclosure, management and oversight of cybersecurity risks and incidents, on March 9, 2022 the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed new rules that...more
FINRA recently reminded firms of their obligation to execute marketable customer orders fully and promptly. While this seems fairly routine, what’s notable about the reminder is that “prompt” doesn’t necessarily mean what it...more
This is the first in a series of alerts discussing topics covered by FINRA in its 2022 Examination and Risk Monitoring Program Report (the “Report”). Here we take a look at Regulation Best Interest (“Reg. BI”) and Form CRS,...more
2/25/2022
/ Broker-Dealer ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Filing Requirements ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Form CRS ,
Investment Adviser ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Regulation Best Interest ,
Retail Investors ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Training
On February 15, 2022, the SEC announced settlements with 12 broker-dealers and investment advisers for failing to satisfy their Form CRS obligations. These settlements come on the heels of 27 settlements last year for similar...more
FINRA Rules 2165 (Financial Exploitation of Specified Adults) and parts of 4512 (Customer Account Information) became effective on February 5, 2018 and implemented a framework to permit broker-dealers to place a temporary...more
This is the first in a series of alerts in which we will explore the practical reality of the opportunities the metaverse will present for the financial services industry and challenges firms will need to overcome as they...more
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is implementing a campaign to overhaul the agency’s expectations around cybersecurity and cyber incident reporting for the financial services industry and corporate America...more
2/15/2022
/ Broker-Dealer ,
Cyber Incident Reporting ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Collection ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Companies ,
Popular ,
Proposed Rules ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulation S-P ,
Regulation SCI ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Third-Party Service Provider
On February 9, 2022, FINRA published its 2022 Report on its Examination and Risk Monitoring Program, identifying key areas of focus for broker-dealer exams this year. While each exam is unique to the firm under FINRA’s...more
On January 26, 2022, the SEC proposed rule changes that would greatly expand the scope of Regulation ATS, the regulatory regime that governs alternative trading systems (“ATSs”). The proposal focuses on four main...more
On January 26, 2022, the SEC proposed rule changes that would greatly expand the scope of Regulation ATS, the regulatory regime that governs alternative trading systems (“ATSs”). Applicability to the fixed income markets was...more
On January 26, 2022, SEC Chairman Gary Gensler issued a brief statement noting the agency’s efforts to address the market volatility in January 2021 and beyond. The statement referenced the SEC staff report on volatility and...more
On November 18, 2021, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission proposed new Rule 10c-1, which, if adopted, would create a new reporting and disclosure framework for the securities lending market. Rule 10c-1 would require...more
On January 10, 2022, tZERO’s ATS settled a matter with the SEC in which it agreed to an $800,000 fine. Given the size of the penalty and substantial attention on the SEC’s approach to regulating digital asset securities,...more
On November 18, 2021, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) proposed amendments to Rules 17a-4 and 18a-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 related to recordkeeping requirements for broker-dealers and...more
On December 17, 2021, the staff of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission issued a statement regarding Form CRS disclosures required of SEC-registered broker-dealers and investment advisers who offer services to retail...more
Elad Roisman will end his term as SEC Commissioner in January 2022, according to a statement he released this week. Roisman has served as Commissioner since September 2018 and also served as Acting Chairman in early 2020....more
On December 15, the SEC voted to propose reforms that would significantly affect the regulatory framework governing money market funds (MMFs). According to the SEC, the proposed reforms are designed to improve the resiliency...more
Persons registered with a broker-dealer historically have had two years from their Form U5 filing date to re-register with another firm before their prior qualifications (examinations) would lapse. This two-year window often...more
SEC Commission Elad Roisman recently spoke about cybersecurity threats and challenges facing the agency’s registrants, including public companies and financial institutions. One source of challenges (our words, not Roisman’s)...more
The SEC has made a concerted effort in recent years to look more closely at the fixed income markets. But under the new leadership of Chairman Gary Gensler, that spotlight seemed to have dimmed—or so some thought....more
The SEC has been increasingly focused on digital engagement practices (DEPs) and gamification in the marketplace. In August, for example, the SEC solicited public comment on broker-dealer and investment adviser DEPs and...more
The staff of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) Division of Examinations (the “Division”) recently published a risk alert spotlighting observations from its “RIC Initiatives” — 200+ examinations of mutual...more
11/2/2021
/ Books & Records ,
Compliance ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
ETFs ,
Internal Controls ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Portfolios ,
Investors ,
Mutual Funds ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Portfolio Managers ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Registered Investment Companies (RICs) ,
Risk Alert ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)