Hermione Granger (yes, from Harry Potter) is famously attributed with the following quote: “I’m going to bed before either of you come up with another clever idea to get us killed. Or worse, expelled.” Unfortunately,...more
Since Regulation Best Interest’s (Reg BI) June 30, 2020 compliance date, the Division of Examinations of the Securities and Exchange Commissions (the Division) has been busy implementing examinations of broker-dealers to...more
3/10/2023
/ Broker-Dealer ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Individual Retirement Account (IRA) ,
Investment Adviser ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Regulation Best Interest ,
Regulation BI ,
Rollover Equity ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Standard of Care
Yes, (somehow) it is that time of year again. FINRA recently released its 2023 Report on its Examination and Risk Monitoring Program (the “Report”). As is typical (and this blog has well-covered), it contains a mix of old and...more
2/2/2023
/ Arbitration ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Consolidated Audit Trail ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Enforcement ,
Financial Crimes ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Investors ,
Mobile Apps ,
Regulation Best Interest ,
Regulation BI ,
Risk Management ,
SEC Examination Priorities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Standard of Care
We have made it a point previously in this blog to track developments of the SEC’s Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI), even speculating more aggressive enforcement actions could be coming due to certain Reg BI deficiency...more
On March 30, 2022, the SEC issued “Staff Bulletin: Standards of Conduct for Broker-Dealers and Investment Advisers Account Recommendations for Retail Investors” (SEC Retail Standards Bulletin). This guidance builds on prior...more
4/13/2022
/ Broker-Dealer ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Fiduciary-Standards ,
Investment ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investors ,
IRA Rollovers ,
PTEs ,
Regulation Best Interest ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Standard of Conduct
Massachusetts’ Secretary of the Commonwealth, William Galvin, is taking on Robinhood for violating Massachusetts’ new fiduciary duty rule for broker-dealers. In December 2020, Galvin filed a 24-page regulatory complaint,...more
Closing out 2020, the SEC’s Division of Examinations (OCIE) issued a Statement on Recent and Upcoming Regulation Best Interest Examinations. There the Division of Examinations announced its intention “to begin its next phase...more
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) hosted a virtual roundtable in late October to discuss the Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI) and Form CRS. With a few months of observations from examinations since the June...more
On October 8, 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released a joint statement by SEC Chairman Jay Clayton and the SEC’s directors of the Division of Investment Management and the Division of Trading and...more
All things come to those who wait … even Regulation Best Interest (colloquially known as Reg BI). In what now feels like a lifetime since the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted it (believe it or not, it was only...more
A three-judge panel of the Second Circuit entertained arguments on June 2, 2020, in a lawsuit seeking to vacate and set aside the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI). By way of...more
The SEC has issued guidance addressing the Form CRS. The first is a Risk Alert from the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) indicating that OCIE will be looking for good faith compliance when it conducts...more
On April 7, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) issued a Risk Alert providing guidance for the SEC’s post June 30, 2020 examinations of firms’...more
In light of the significance of the final rules and Commission interpretations issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on June 5, 2019, our Best Interest Compliance Team issued a series of articles on the...more
As the countdown to the June 30, 2020, date for compliance with Reg BI inches forward, FINRA and the SEC are providing a potpourri of support and information to help firms ensure compliance.
FINRA EFFORTS: FINRA’s...more
12/19/2019
/ Best Interest Standard ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Form CRS ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Firms ,
Investment Management ,
Regulation Best Interest ,
Retail Investors ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Standard of Conduct ,
Stress Tests
In light of the significance of the final rules and commission interpretations issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on June 5, 2019, Drinker Biddle & Reath’s Best Interest Compliance Team is publishing a...more
On June 5, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved the Regulation Best Interest Final Package, the new disclosure requirements that accompany the financial services industry’s new Regulation Best Interest...more
8/20/2019
/ Broker-Dealer ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
EDGAR ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Form CRS ,
New Rules ,
Regulation Best Interest ,
Retail Investors ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Transactions ,
Standard of Care ,
Standard of Conduct
In light of the significance of Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI) for the financial services industry, Drinker Biddle & Reath’s Best Interest Compliance Team is publishing a series of articles on the Securities and Exchange...more
8/19/2019
/ Best Interest Standard ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
EDGAR ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Form CRS ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Management ,
New Rules ,
Regulation Best Interest ,
Retail Investors ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Standard of Conduct
On June 5, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), led by Chairman Jay Clayton, voted 3 to 1 to approve the four agenda items that encompassed the “Reg BI Package.” These four items were Regulation Best Interest –...more
6/13/2019
/ Broker-Dealer ,
Duty of Care ,
Duty of Loyalty ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Form CRS ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
New Rules ,
Regulation Best Interest ,
Retail Investors ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Transactions ,
Standard of Conduct