Suitability in the sale of annuity products has been a topic of state regulation since at least 2003 - well before the federal focus on “Best Interest.” State insurance regulators have overseen the sale of annuities to ensure...more
Regulators Hit Jackpot: Off-Channel Communications - Several years before announcing the first “off-channel” communications enforcement action, the SEC and FINRA cautioned broker-dealers and investment advisers about...more
The Securities and Exchange Commission will hold a roundtable discussion on October 26, 2020 that will focus on Regulation Best Interest and Form CRS. The roundtable will discuss initial observations regarding...more
Regulation Best Interest: Best Interest and Suitability—How They Differ (Part 2) - Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI) imposes a “best interest” standard of care on broker-dealers for their recommendations of securities and...more
On June 15, 2020, SEC Chairman Jay Clayton released a public statement confirming the June 30, 2020 compliance date for Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI) and Form CRS. Reg BI establishes a new standard of conduct for...more
After having proudly served for decades, and surviving a dramatic face-lift in 2012 (when old NASD Rule 2310 was replaced by shiny new FINRA Rule 2111), it seems that the “suitability rule,” as we’ve come to know it, has, at...more
Effective June 30, SEC Reg. BI requires broker-dealers to make recommendations only in the “best interests” of retail customers, imposing additional disclosure, care, conflicts-of-interest and compliance obligations....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
Recently, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (“OCIE”) issued a Risk Alert to provide broker-dealers with guidance on examinations regarding regulation Best...more
On June 5, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) adopted Regulation Best Interest (“Regulation Best Interest” or “Reg BI”), which establishes a new standard of conduct under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934...more
Note: This Client Alert updates a Client Alert AGG’s Securities Enforcement Group issued in June 2019. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has before it an appeal from a consolidated action that challenges...more
On January 7, 2020, the SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) announced its 2020 examination priorities for regulated entities, including investment advisers and registered funds. The examination...more
On June 5, 2019, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) adopted Regulation Best Interest (“Regulation BI”) to improve investor protection by establishing a standard of conduct for broker-dealers making...more
As the June 30, 2020, compliance date approaches, broker-dealers are taking steps to implement Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI), which establishes a new standard of conduct when making recommendations to retail customers of...more
Regulation Best Interest: SEC 2020 Examination Priorities—Examinations for Compliance With Reg BI and the Investment Adviser Interpretation - The SEC has issued its final Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI), Form CRS Rule,...more
Regulation Best Interest: FINRA Examination Priorities—2020 Examinations for Compliance - The SEC has issued its final Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI), Form CRS Rule, RIA Interpretation and Solely Incidental...more
Litigation Risks Posed by the SEC’s Regulation Best Interest - Pete Tepley and Meredith Lees highlight litigation risks posed by the SEC’s Regulation Best Interest (Reg-BI), litigation risks that may arise from Reg-BI’s...more
Last year the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) approved Regulation Best Interest (“Reg BI”). Reg BI requires broker-dealers and their associated persons to act in “the best interest” of a retail customer when...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
On June 5, 2019, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted Regulation Best Interest (“Regulation BI”). The goal of Regulation BI is to improve investor protection by: (1) enhancing the obligations that apply...more
This post is about Reg BI, but if you really want to learn about it, as opposed simply to listening to me gripe, I urge you to register for the webcast that my partners Heidi VonderHeide and Rob Betman will present on...more
The SEC has issued its final Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI), Form CRS Regulation, RIA Interpretation and Solely Incidental Interpretation. I am discussing the SEC’s guidance in a series of articles entitled “Best Interest...more
Regulation Best Interest: Education vs. Recommendation (Part 1) - The SEC has issued its final Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI), Form CRS Regulation, RIA Interpretation and Solely Incidental Interpretation. I am...more
Regulation Best Interest: The SEC has issued its final Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI), Form CRS Regulation, RIA Interpretation and Solely Incidental Interpretation. I am discussing the SEC’s guidance in a series of...more
Regulation Best Interest: An Overview of the Changes. The SEC has issued its final Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI), Form CRS Regulation, RIA Interpretation and Solely Incidental Interpretation. I am discussing the SEC’s...more