SEC, FINRA Announce 14 Regional CCOutreach BD Seminars

Washington, DC — The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) today announced the dates and locations of 14 regional CCOutreach BD seminars that will be held throughout the country in 2008. The announcement was made today at the inaugural event of the CCOutreach BD program, a national seminar at SEC headquarters here.

The CCOutreach BD program is designed to further promote strong compliance practices for the protection of investors. Registration for 2008's regional seminars is now open, with priority going to broker-dealer Chief Compliance Officers. At the regional seminars, SEC and FINRA staff will address the examination process and examination priorities, as well as highlights from the topics covered in today's national seminar. Regional seminars will also include question-and-answer sessions and allow CCOs to interact with staff from their local SEC and FINRA offices.

"We believe that by focusing our CCOutreach BD regional seminars on the compliance issues that are of most interest to CCOs, we will further our goal of assisting them in developing and enhancing effective compliance programs for the benefit of investors," said Lori Richards, Director of the SEC's Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations.

"By reaching out through these seminars, we are providing a unique opportunity for CCOs across the country to discuss priority topics and issues of concern directly with regulators," said FINRA CEO Mary Schapiro. "That personal interaction can be invaluable in developing robust compliance programs."

The series of 14 regional seminars will take place from April through July. Seminars will be held in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego and San Francisco.

Detailed information about the seminars - including dates, locations, and registration information - is available on the SEC website at www.sec.gov/info/bdccoutreach.htm and FINRA's website at www.finra.org/bdccoutreach.

FINRA, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, is the largest non-governmental regulator for all securities firms doing business in the United States. Created in 2007 through the consolidation of NASD and NYSE Member Regulation, FINRA is dedicated to investor protection and market integrity through effective and efficient regulation and complementary compliance and technology-based services. FINRA touches virtually every aspect of the securities business—from registering and educating all industry participants to examining securities firms; writing and enforcing rules and the federal securities laws; informing and educating the investing public; providing trade reporting and other industry utilities; and administering the largest dispute resolution forum for investors and registered firms. For more information, please visit our Web site at www.finra.org.