Guidance

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• Honoraria
• Reimbursable Expenses
• Tax Information

Honoraria

FINRA will pay arbitrators honoraria in accordance with the Codes of Procedure. The following page answers the most commonly asked questions regarding honoraria.

Background

An important part of FINRA's work involves providing investors the information and tools they require to make informed decisions about their assets and avoid dealings with bad actors. Several respondents to the Special Notice on Engagement issued in March 2017 provided a range of recommendations related to FINRA's efforts in the area of investor education—including the types of investor education content we develop and our dissemination strategies.

A motion to dismiss is a request made by a party to the arbitrator(s) to remove some or all claims raised by another party filing a claim. Rule 12504 of the Code of Arbitration Procedure for Customer Disputes and Rule 13504 of the Code of Arbitration Procedure for Industry Disputes (collectively, the Codes) establish procedures that govern motions to dismiss.

The MSRB Markup/Markdown Analysis Report is a monthly report designed to assist firms in their supervision activities by providing transparency into a portion of FINRA's surveillance of fixed income transactions' customer pricing.  

The MSRB Markup/Markdown Analysis Report is built upon logic developed to pair purchase and sale transactions reported to EMMA.  

Background

In response to the March 2017 Special Notice on Engagement issued as part of FINRA360, FINRA received a number of comments and suggestions regarding engagement in connection with FINRA's rulemaking process. After carefully reviewing and analyzing the comments, FINRA is taking a number of actions to address the comments and suggestions that it received.

Rulemaking Process

1. How do I entitle someone to access an eFOCUS report?
2. Where are eFOCUS filings located in the redesigned FINRA Gateway?
3. How do I transmit an eFOCUS filing to my clearing firm?
4. When are my eFOCUS filings due?
5. Where can I see previously filed eFOCUS reports?
6. How do I amend a submitted eFOCUS report?
7. How do I print an eFOCUS report?

The Municipal Continuing Disclosure Report displays statistics about transactions that your firm effected with customers. The report provides relevant information about the availability of official statements, annual financial filings, and event filings on the MSRB's Electronic Municipal Market Access system (EMMA) at the time the securities were sold or purchased. Specifically, the report shows counts of transactions with customers for which official statements and/or current annual financial filings were not available on EMMA at the time the transaction occurred.

Background

A large number of registered representatives are also Certified Financial Planner^TM (CFP^®) professionals. These professionals must complete a minimum of 30 continuing education (CE) hours every two years as part of the requirements for CFP certification renewal. Through the FINRA360 process, a number of firms expressed a desire for improved opportunities with regard to continuing education credits.

The FINRA qualification and registration requirements are set forth in FINRA Rules 1210 through 1240.¹ These rules, among other things: (1) require the registration of individuals as representatives or principals; (2) allow for the permissive registration of associated persons of firms; (3) establish a waiver program for individuals working for a financial services industry affiliate of a member firm; (4) require firms to designate a Principal Financial Officer and a Principal Operations Officer; and (5) set forth requirements for registered persons who are to function as princip

The Municipal Trades Below Minimum Denomination Report displays statistics about transactions your firm effected with customers where the denomination was below the minimum denomination provided to DTCC’s New Issue Information Dissemination Service (NIIDS) and/or reference data obtained from Thomson Reuters.  This report is designed to aid firms in monitoring their compliance with MSRB Rule G-15(f).  MSRB Rule G-15 (f) requires, with some exceptions, that firms should not effect a customer trans

Background

In March 2017, FINRA issued a Special Notice on its engagement programs as part of FINRA360, its comprehensive review of its operations. In response to the Special Notice, FINRA received a number of comments and suggestions regarding the usefulness of some advisory committees, their membership and their effectiveness as a vehicle for dialogue between FINRA and member firms. After carefully reviewing and analyzing the comments, FINRA is taking a number of actions to address the comments and suggestions. 

1. When are books, records and accounts under the “control” of a member firm, associated person or person subject to FINRA’s jurisdiction?

For purposes of Rule 8210, whether a particular document is within a member firm’s or person’s “control” is determined by the facts and circumstances of each situation. Generally, a document will be considered to be in the control of a member firm or person if the firm or person has the legal right, authority or ability to obtain the document upon demand.¹

In Regulatory Notice 23-17, FINRA announced its decision, effective November 30, 2023, to discontinue collecting INSITE data, pursuant to Rule 4540, at this time. As a result, effective November 30, 2023, the Canceled and As-Of Trades Report was retired from the FINRA Report Center.