March 2020 Board Update

March 18, 2020

Last week, FINRA’s Board of Governors met for the first time in 2020. I am pleased to share some updates from our discussions.

During the meeting, held remotely in light of the coronavirus outbreak, the Board discussed a variety of topics, including FINRA’s long-term planning and financial sustainability. As is now customary for the first meeting of the year, the Board also approved the allocation of prior-year fine monies to various capital initiatives in accordance with FINRA’s Financial Guiding Principles, which the Board reaffirmed in December. Details about these allocations will be made available in the coming months via a Report on the Use of 2019 Fine Monies.

In addition, the Board approved proposed amendments to assess transaction fees on Trade Reporting and Compliance Engine (TRACE)-reporting of U.S. Treasury securities. The fee proposal would recoup FINRA’s costs relating to the TRACE for Treasuries program that have not otherwise been funded through prior-year fines, and would need to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for public notice and comment before the amendments go into effect.

Also at the March meeting, the Board approved proposed changes to FINRA systems and operations to comply with our oversight obligations as a self-regulatory organization in the Consolidated Audit Trail (CAT) environment. As industry members begin reporting to the CAT, these changes will enable FINRA to integrate this data into its surveillance patterns and other applications and to adapt its examination programs accordingly, as required.

The Board also received a report on cybersecurity from FINRA’s Chief Information Security Officer.

Our next meeting is scheduled for June 10-11. More information regarding the Board's operations, including the membership and responsibilities of its committees, is available at www.finra.org/governance.

Sincerely,

Robert W. Cook
President and CEO