The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC” or “Commission”) recently approved amendments to its net capital, customer protection, books and records, notification and reporting requirements for broker-dealers, in an effort to enhance financial responsibility and investor asset safekeeping obligations.1 Several of the amendments codify long-standing SEC staff interpretations of the rules and accounting standards that govern these requirements. As discussed in greater detail below, some of the amendments are applicable only to firms that carry customer accounts on their books (commonly referred to as “carrying brokers”), while other amendments also apply to limited-purpose broker-dealers that do not carry customer accounts on their books. The amendments that were approved have different effective dates, commencing in October 2013.
Financial Responsibility Rules
A U.S.-registered broker-dealer must meet certain liquid net capital and customer asset protection requirements under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”), and keep records and notify regulators in the event of certain financial events. These requirements are intended to protect customers in the event of a broker-dealer’s financial or recordkeeping disruptions. The amendments are designed to further protect customers and improve the SEC’s ability to monitor and prevent unsound business practices. The amendments were approved by a unanimous vote of the Commissioners and are effective October 21, 2013.
Customer Protection Rule (Rule 15c3-3)
Exchange Act Rule 15c3-3 prohibits a broker-dealer from using customer securities and cash in the ordinary course of business, by requiring the broker-dealer to reserve cash or qualified securities representing net liabilities to customers in a reserve account held at a bank or clearing agency for the benefit of the broker-dealer’s customers and segregated from the broker-dealer’s other assets. One of the amendments requires carrying broker-dealers that carry accounts for other broker-dealers (“Proprietary Accounts of Brokers” or “PABs”) to maintain a new segregated reserve account similar to the one they maintain for customers.2 However, the new definition of PAB accounts excludes broker-dealer accounts that trade on a delivery-versus-payment/receipt-versus-payment basis. In addition, in a tightening of prior practice, the amendments require a carrying broker-dealer to provide written notice to another broker-dealer if the carrying broker-dealer plans to use the other broker-dealer’s non-margin securities in its business activities.
Amended Rule 15c3-3 also prohibits a broker-dealer from meeting reserve requirements through the use of cash deposits held at affiliated banks and limits cash held at a non-affiliated bank to an amount no greater than 15% of the bank’s equity capital (as reported by the bank in its most recent Call Report). The amended Customer Protection Rule also establishes requirements regarding customer disclosure, notice and affirmative consent in connection with “Sweep Programs,” including those utilizing money market mutual funds (“MMMF”).3
Net Capital Rule (Rule 15c3-1)
To ensure that a broker-dealer has sufficient liquid assets to pay all of its liabilities to customers, the Net Capital Rule requires a broker-dealer to maintain more than $1.00 of cash and/or “qualified securities” for each $1.00 of liabilities. As originally proposed by the SEC in 2007, the amendments would have expanded the definition of “qualified securities”4 for purposes of satisfying the reserve requirement to include shares of MMMFs. Because the SEC recently proposed separate amendments to the rules governing MMMFs, the Commission deferred a decision on the 2007 proposal until a later undetermined date.5 Accordingly, the definition of “qualified securities” does not currently include shares of MMMFs for the purpose of funding the reserve requirement.
The amended Net Capital Rule requires a broker-dealer to treat as a liability: (i) any capital that is contributed under an agreement giving the investor the opportunity to withdraw the contribution; and (ii) any capital contribution that is intended to be or is withdrawn within a year of its contribution. The first of these two requirements tracks the changes to Financial Accounting Standard 150, which was adopted in 2003. The second is a codification of an SEC staff interpretation issued in 2000 that requires a broker-dealer to treat capital withdrawn within one year as a liability. In addition, the amended Net Capital Rule requires a broker-dealer to adjust net worth when calculating net capital to include any liabilities that are assumed by a third party, if the broker-dealer cannot demonstrate that the third party has the resources (independent of the broker-dealer’s income and assets) to pay the liabilities.6
With respect to fidelity bonding requirements, the amended Net Capital Rule requires a broker-dealer to deduct from its net capital the excess of any deductible amount over the amount permitted by the applicable self-regulatory organization (“SRO”).7 In addition, the Net Capital Rule by its terms prohibits a broker-dealer from doing business if it is out of compliance with the Rule, regardless of the cause. The amendment clarifies the distinction between being out of compliance with the Net Capital Rule and being “insolvent,” and specifies the actions required of a broker-dealer that becomes insolvent, including that it must cease conducting a securities business.8
Books and Records Rules (Rules 17a-3 and 17a-4)
The Books and Records Rules require a broker-dealer to make and maintain certain business records to assist in accounting for business activities and to assist securities regulators in examining for compliance with the securities laws. The amended Books and Records Rules require a large broker-dealer to document its market, credit and liquidity risk management controls. This documentation requirement applies only to a broker-dealer that has more than: (i) $1,000,000 in aggregate credit items as computed under the customer reserve formula of Rule 15c3-3, or (ii) $20,000,000 in capital, including debt subordinated in accordance with Appendix D to Rule 15c3-1. According to the adopting release for the Financial Responsibility Rules, the additional documentation requirement for a large broker-dealer is appropriate because such a broker-dealer generally engages in a wide range of highly complex activities across many different markets and geographical locations. However, the Commission is neither mandating any specific risk management controls, procedures, or policies that must be established by a broker-dealer nor is it requiring any minimum elements or specifying any risk management procedures. According to the adopting release, the Commission anticipates that most brokers-dealers that will be subject to this requirement already have in place documented risk management controls, procedures, and policies.
Notification Rule (Rule 17a-11)
The Notification Rule (also referred to as the “Early Warning Rule”) requires a broker-dealer to give notice to the SEC and other securities regulators upon the occurrence of certain events (e.g., an insolvency or the decrease of net capital below the required minimum). The amended Notification Rule requires a broker-dealer to notify the SEC and other securities regulators when the broker-dealer’s repurchase and securities lending activities exceed 25 times its tentative net capital. According to the adopting release, based on a review of FOCUS reports, the Commission anticipates that fewer than 10 broker-dealers will be subject to this requirement. As an alternative to such notification, a broker-dealer may report monthly its stock loan and repurchase activity to its designated examining authority (“DEA”), in a form acceptable to its DEA.
Additional Amendments
Certain of the additional amendments approved are technical in nature and are not discussed in detail here, but include:
-
Changing rules regarding the allocation of customers’ fully paid and excess margin securities to short positions;
-
Repealing SEC Rule 15c3-2 and establishing conditions for the treatment of free credit balances within and outside of a Sweep Program; and
-
Clarifying that funds held in a commodities account that is a “proprietary account” under Commodity Exchange Act regulations may not be included as free credit balances for purposes of Rule 15c3-3 reserve requirements.
Reporting Rules
The Reporting Rules were approved by a 3-2 vote of the Commissioners and require a broker-dealer to file new reports in an effort to increase compliance with the Financial Responsibility Rules.9
Audit Requirements
Section 17 of the Exchange Act and Rule 17a-5 thereunder require a broker-dealer to file audited annual reports with the SEC and the applicable SRO. The annual reporting requirement varies based on whether or not the broker-dealer is subject to Rule 15c3-3 because it has custody of customer assets.10
-
A broker-dealer that has custody of customer assets must file a “Compliance Report” to permit the SEC to verify that the broker-dealer is adhering to the applicable capital requirements, protecting customer assets, and periodically sending account statements to customers. Such a broker-dealer must also engage a Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”)-registered independent public accounting firm to prepare a report based on an examination of certain statements in the broker-dealer’s Compliance Report.
-
A broker-dealer that does not have custody of customer assets must file an “Exemption Report” with the SEC, citing the broker-dealer’s exemption from the requirements applicable to a broker-dealer with custody of customer assets.11 Such broker-dealer must also engage a PCAOB-registered independent public accounting firm to prepare a report based on a review of certain statements in the broker-dealer’s Exemption Report.12
The annual reporting requirements relating to Compliance and Exemption Reports are effective June 1, 2014 and should be filed within 60 calendar days after the broker-dealer’s fiscal year-end as part of the broker-dealer’s annual compliance audit.
Custody-Related Requirements
Section 17(b) of the Exchange Act requires a broker-dealer to submit to routine inspections and examinations by the staff of the SEC and the applicable SRO. The Reporting Rules enhance these provisions by:
-
Requiring all broker-dealers to file a new quarterly report (“Form Custody”) that contains information about whether and how the broker-dealer maintains custody of customer assets. Such report is intended to assist examiners in creating a custody profile for the broker-dealer in order to focus custody examinations.13
-
Requiring a broker-dealer (regardless of whether it has custody of customer assets) to agree to allow staff of the SEC and the applicable SRO to: (i) review the working papers of the PCAOB-registered independent public accounting firm if requested in writing for purposes of an examination of a broker-dealer; and (ii) discuss the findings of the PCAOB-registered independent public accounting firm with the accounting firm’s representatives.14
Pursuant to Rule 206(4)-2 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (“Advisers Act”), an investment adviser that is a qualified custodian of its assets under management must obtain annually (or receive from its affiliate), a written internal control report prepared by an accounting firm registered with and examined by the PCAOB. The SEC has determined that the independent public accounting firm’s report which is based on an examination of the Compliance Report will satisfy the internal control report requirement of Rule 206(4)-2 under the Advisers Act. The SEC staff believes that this change better aligns the controls that relate to protection of customer assets by broker-dealers and investment advisers.
The requirement to file a Form Custody with the SEC is effective December 31, 2013. A broker-dealer must file Form Custody with its DEA within 17 business days after the end of each calendar quarter. In addition, for year-end filings of Form Custody by a broker-dealer that has selected a fiscal-year end-date that is not the end of a calendar year, the broker-dealer also must file Form Custody with its DEA within 17 business days after the end of the broker-dealer’s fiscal year.
Conclusion
Because the approved amendments become effective starting in October 2013, a broker-dealer should begin to consider whether changes to its operations, policies and procedures, and reporting obligations will be required as a result of the amendments. Moreover, in developing an implementation plan, a broker-dealer should consider that any such changes may require significant lead time to implement.
Footnotes