Guidance

Short sales by options professionals established during the course of bona fide market making activities are exempt from the affirmative determination requirements, regardless of whether the short sales constitute a permitted offset under Regulation T.

Requirements under NASD Rule 3030 (formerly Article III, Section 43) for investment seminar activities conducted by dually registered persons that charge fees from participants.

Clarification of NASD Notice to Members 94-44 to situations in which a dually registered person maintains discretionary trading authority, determines portfolio changes, and prepares trade instructions for customer accounts and charges the accounts an asset-based fee.

Whether a proposed standby purchase agreement entered into between affiliate of a member and an issuer in connection with a public offering of the issuer's common stock could constitute an option.

Cash rebates issued to pension plan customers with respect to secondary market transactions in outstanding securities (under former Article III, Section 24, now Rule 2740 and IM-2740).

The TRACE Quality of Markets Report Card for Securitized Products is a monthly status report for the reporting of transactions in Asset Backed Securities, Mortgage Backed Securities and other similar securities, collectively defined as "Securitized Products", to the Trade Reporting and Compliance Engine (TRACE). Firms are required to report trades in accordance with established FINRA rules and regulations.

The following FAQ is provided to facilitate firms' compliance with FINRA Rules 5190 (Notification Requirements for Offering Participants), 6275 (Withdrawal of Quotations) and 6435 (Withdrawal of Quotations in an OTC Equity Security in Compliance with SEC Regulation M). A comprehensive overview of these rules and related guidance is set forth in Regulatory Notice 08-74 and Regulatory Notice 12-19.

In addition to the Small Firm Helpline, FINRA has implemented other programs for small firms:

This report provides a summary of the review activity for the filings submitted during the selected and previous reporting periods.

If you have questions regarding the content of this report, please contact FINRA Corporate Financing at (240) 386-4623.

Deals Filed During the Selected Period