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Guidance

We offer guidance to firms in the form of podcasts, webinars, FAQs, reports, and more. Use the toggle below to find guidance by topic, type or date. 

5 A B C D E F G H I L M N O P Q R S T V
Podcast
This episode originally aired in December 2018. More than 15,000 different stocks, options and bonds trade every day across millions of transactions. When it comes to detecting insider trading, it really is like finding a needle in a haystack. But that’s exactly what Sam Draddy and his team work to uncover.
February 04, 2020
Podcast
The 1920s was a period of great change and transition and the 2020s are shaping up to be the same—at least for FINRA’s Examination and Risk Monitoring program. On this episode, we kick off the new Roaring 20s with a look at what to expect from the program in the year ahead.
January 07, 2020
Board of Governors Meeting
FINRA CEO Robert Cook, members of the FINRA Board of Governors and FINRA staff provide updates from the December 2019 FINRA Board of Governors meeting.
December 13, 2019
Podcast
FINRA’s examination and risk monitoring program is in the midst of a large-scale transformation to make FINRA a more effective, agile and risk-focused regulator. On this episode, Executive Vice President Bari Havlik provides an update on where the group is one year later.
December 10, 2019
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) regarding the purpose of FINRA Rule 3230 and “do-not-call-lists”
November 27, 2019
Podcast
This episode originally aired in August 2018. In this episode, we hear from FINRA's Chief Economist and Office of General Counsel to learn how FINRA rules are made and reviewed through the FINRA Retrospective Rule Review process.
November 26, 2019
FAQ

Is there a rule that addresses prohibited conditions relating to expungement of customer dispute information?

Yes, FINRA Rule 2081 provides that no member or associated person shall condition or seek to condition settlement of a dispute with a customer on, or to otherwise compensate the customer for, the customer’s agreement to consent to, or not to oppose, the member’s or associated person’s request to expunge customer dispute information from the CRD system. 

Does FINRA Rule 2081 apply only to settlements?

November 22, 2019
Podcast
Hackathons aren’t new. But what about a Buildathon? On this episode, we learn about a unique collaboration between FINRA, the private sector and academia that challenged some of the best technology students to solve common problems faced by everyday investors.
November 12, 2019
Podcast
Dr. Olivia S. Mitchell’s research into the evolving world of retirement security earned her the 2019 Ketchum Prize, the FINRA Foundation’s highest honor. On this episode, Dr. Mitchell discusses her research and how the way Americans think about and plan for retirement is changing.
October 29, 2019
Podcast
Soon brokerage firms will have to comply with a new standard of conduct when working with retail clients with the implementation of Regulation Best Interest. What is the new standard? What will firms need to do to comply? Tune in to learn more from FINRA’s Chief Legal Officer.
October 15, 2019
Board of Governors Meeting
FINRA CEO Robert Cook and members of the FINRA Board of Governors provide updates from the September 2019 FINRA Board of Governors meeting.
October 03, 2019
Report / Study
FINRA regulates a critical part of the securities industry – member brokerage firms doing business in the U.S. In an effort to increase public awareness and understanding about the broad range of FINRA-registered firms and individuals, FINRA shares an annual snapshot of some of the data collected in the course of its work. 
October 02, 2019
Podcast
What happens if a brokerage firm doesn’t report trading information appropriately? At first, it might seem like it isn’t a big deal – just a data issue. But is vital. Accurate market data is at the foundation of FINRA’s efforts to ensure the integrity of our markets.
October 01, 2019
Podcast

It’s easy for any company to get caught up in the status quo, too busy focusing on the challenges of today to anticipate the challenges of tomorrow. The Createathon, FINRA’s take on a hackathon, looks to prevent that by allowing employees across the organization a chance to step away from their day jobs to think differently.

September 17, 2019
Podcast

Corporate culture is defined as the way people act. But what helps people understand how to act, how to behave and how to make decisions? That’s the organization’s values.

August 20, 2019
Guidance

FINRA is issuing this Notice to remind member firms of their supervisory obligations under FINRA Rules 3110 (Supervision) and 3120 (Supervisory Control System) if they hold or transact in customer accounts owned by municipal entities or obligated persons (municipal clients), as defined in Section 15B of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Exchange Act), and participate in investment-related activities with municipal clients, such as recommending or selling non-municipal securities products to such municipal clients.

August 16, 2019
Guidance
What does it take to receive credit for extraordinary cooperation when it comes to FINRA Enforcement actions? What does extraordinary even mean in that context? On this episode, we dig into updated guidance on this topic with FINRA’s head of Enforcement.
August 06, 2019
Podcast
How many Americans participate in the gig economy? Do you regret paying what you did for college? Would you avoid a medical service due to its cost? The new FINRA Foundation Financial Capability Study asked these questions and more to get a pulse on recent changes to American financial capability and well-being.
July 23, 2019
Get Involved
The FINRA Board of Governors meets this week in Washington, DC. Read President and CEO Robert Cook’s email to firms previewing the agenda.
July 16, 2019
Guidance
This reference guide covers a range of private placement topics, from the basic question of "What is a private offering?" to more technical discussions on broker-dealer compliance with FINRA's private placement rules.
July 16, 2019
A Few Minutes With FINRA
FINRA Executive Vice President and Head of Enforcement Susan Schroeder sits down with Senior Vice President of Member Relations and Education Chip Jones to discuss new guidance on credit for extraordinary cooperation in investigations, as described in Regulatory Notice 19-23. (7 min. 11 sec.)
July 11, 2019
Guidance

Summary

FINRA is issuing this Notice to restate and supplement prior guidance regarding the circumstances under which a firm or individual may influence the outcome of an investigation by demonstrating extraordinary cooperation. This Notice incorporates FINRA’s prior guidance and provides clarification and additional information about how FINRA assesses whether a potential respondent’s cooperation is “extraordinary” and distinct from the level of cooperation expected of all member firms and their associated persons. 

July 11, 2019
Podcast
The gap between the Haves and the Have Nots continues to widen and Americans are failing to save money, struggling with student loan debt and facing decreasing financial literacy, according to the new FINRA Foundation Financial Capability Study. On this, we delve into the study results and their implication.
July 09, 2019
Guidance

This article highlights some of the common cybersecurity threats faced by broker-dealers. In a number of cases, FINRA has observed that different types of attacks were coordinated and overlapped.

July 09, 2019
Podcast
This episode originally aired in July 2018. What do physicists and financial industry regulators have in common? More than you'd think. On this episode, we sit down with Tom Gira, head of FINRA’s Market Regulation and Transparency Services group, to learn not just how the cloud and machine learning have fundamentally improved FINRA's ability to regulate markets, but also what we've been learning from physicists along the way.
June 25, 2019