On January 28, 2025, FINRA issued its 2025 Annual Regulatory Oversight Report, providing a detailed look into FINRA’s current regulatory oversight of member firms and their registered personnel....more
2/14/2025
/ Annual Reports ,
Annuities ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Financial Crimes ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Fraud ,
Investment Fraud ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Violations ,
Risk Management ,
Third-Party Risk
Gone With the Wind?
Closed-End Funds Risk Extinction -
Shares of SEC-registered closed-end funds (CEFs) have long held significant potential advantages for some investors. For example, unlike shares of mutual funds...more
10/16/2024
/ Cybersecurity ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Insurance Regulations ,
Investment ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Management ,
Life Insurance ,
NAIC ,
Retirement Plan ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Social Media
FINRA issued its 2024 Annual Regulatory Oversight Report on January 9, 2024, providing a glimpse into FINRA’s current regulatory oversight of member firms and their registered personnel in 27 topic areas....more
1/19/2024
/ Annual Reports ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cybersecurity ,
Due Diligence ,
Financial Crimes ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Money Laundering ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
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
10/11/2023
/ Annuities ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Best Interest Standard ,
Breach of Contract ,
Class Action ,
COBRA ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Insurance Products ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employment Litigation ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
Financial Contracts ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Health Insurance ,
Insider Trading ,
Insurance Fraud ,
Insurance Litigation ,
Insurance Regulations ,
Interlocutory Appeals ,
Investment Management ,
Life Insurance ,
Money Market Funds ,
Mutual Funds ,
NAIC ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
No-Action Letters ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
NYDFS ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Retirement ,
Robocalling ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
State and Local Government ,
Wage and Hour
For broker-dealers distributing and selling variable annuities, examinations will test for compliance with Reg BI and FINRA Rule 2330 because both standards apply to variable annuity sales. Firms distributing and selling...more
On September 28, 2022, FINRA settled its first formal action alleging violations of Regulation Best Interest, Rule 15l-1(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Reg BI)....more
On January 10, 2023, FINRA issued its 2023 Report on FINRA’s Examination and Risk Monitoring Program to provide “insight into findings from the recent oversight activities of FINRA’s Member Supervision, Market Regulation and...more
On February 9, 2022, FINRA issued the 2022 Report on FINRA's Examination and Risk Monitoring Program to provide firms with "information that may help their compliance programs." The 2022 report addresses 21 topic areas. For...more
On October 14, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released its report regarding the GameStop event of January 2021. The report does not fault the actions of any market participants. Instead, it outlines the U.S....more
This podcast details why payment for order flow and gamification are in the news, and how regulators and the industry in general are addressing related issues and concerns.
The episode features Brattle Senior Consultant...more
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will soon release its report and recommendations regarding the GameStop event last January and related equity market structure issues. In testimony before a Senate committee on...more
The SEC and FINRA have been busy of late in efforts to address issues associated with payment for order flow (PFOF) and the consequences of the trading halt in GameStop shares last January. PFOF has potentially significant...more
In January 2021, the GameStop trading halt exploded across the headlines. Consumer advocates and the financial press pointed fingers at a number of industry players, paying particular attention to the model of “payment for...more
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) have been busy of late in efforts to address alleged compliance issues associated with payment for order flow (PFOF),...more