FINRA Appoints Greg Ruppert Executive Vice President of National Cause and Financial Crimes Detection Programs

WASHINGTON – FINRA announced today that it has named Greg Ruppert as Executive Vice President, National Cause and Financial Crimes Detection Programs. Ruppert will join FINRA March 23 and will report directly to Bari Havlik, Executive Vice President, Member Supervision.

“Detecting fraud and addressing it quickly is core to our mission of investor protection and market integrity,” said Havlik, “Under Greg’s leadership, we will build upon the successful work our teams have already done on behalf of investors.”

“I’m excited to join such a dedicated and talented group of professionals who work every day to protect investors,” Ruppert said. “FINRA has a long history in detecting and fighting fraud, and I look forward to continuing and enhancing that effort.”

Ruppert fills a new role created after Cameron Funkhouser retired at the end of 2019 as head of FINRA’s Office of Fraud Detection and Market Intelligence (OFDMI). The National Cause and Financial Crimes Detection Program includes departments previously within OFDMI, as well as other departments, and consists of:

• a consolidated National Cause Program;
• the Office of the Whistleblower and Tip Program;
• Fraud Surveillance;
• Insider Trading and PIPES Surveillance; and
• Specialist teams for anti-money laundering and cybersecurity; and
• The Securities Helpline for Seniors.

Ruppert joins FINRA from Charles Schwab where he served for the last six years as Senior Vice President and Chief of the Financial Crimes Risk Management Group. In that role, he served as Schwab’s Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) Officer and oversaw the firm’s BSA/anti-money laundering, OFAC and sanctions, fraud investigations, senior and vulnerable investor investigations, cyber-crime investigations, and conduct oversight and internal investigations programs.

Prior to joining Schwab, Ruppert spent over 17 years as a Special Agent with the FBI working complex financial investigations, terrorist financing, terrorism, and cyber threats. Ruppert is also Professor of Practice for the University of the Pacific (UOP), School of Engineering and Computer Science’s Data Analytics Master’s Program and an Industry Advisory Board member for the UOP Cybersecurity Program. Ruppert holds a Juris Doctorate and B.A. from the University of the Pacific. He is also a member of the California bar.

About FINRA

FINRA is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to investor protection and market integrity. It regulates one critical part of the securities industry – brokerage firms doing business with the public in the United States. FINRA, overseen by the SEC, writes rules, examines for and enforces compliance with FINRA rules and federal securities laws, registers broker-dealer personnel and offers them education and training, and informs the investing public. In addition, FINRA provides surveillance and other regulatory services for equities and options markets, as well as trade reporting and other industry utilities. FINRA also administers a dispute resolution forum for investors and brokerage firms and their registered employees. For more information, visit www.finra.org.