Guidance | FINRA.org Skip to main content

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
Compliance Tools

The Firm Summary Scorecard provides an overview of certain performance and comparison statistics from each of the active individual report cards in one specific location. The Scorecard supplies data available in the respective report cards for the current month and the preceding month.

Report Glossary

The table below provides a reference description for all of the elements found in the Firm Summary Scorecard. (See Firm Summary Scorecard for a sample segment of the report.)

Term


Compliance Tools

Term

Description

Unequal Long and Short Positions


FAQ

General

  1. Do Rules 5110, 5121 and 2310 (the “Corporate Financing Rules”) apply to Regulation A offerings?

FAQ
Continuing Membership Guide - Frequently Asked Questions

About FINRA

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 ways in which FINRA could help facilitate compliance among its member firms. One of FINRA's defining characteristics as a self-regulatory organization (SRO) is the ability to develop compliance tools and other resources to assist our members with fulfilling their compliance obligations.


FAQ
Supervision Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

About FINRA

FINRA has initiated a multi-phased effort to overhaul its registration and disclosure programs, including the Central Registration Depository (CRD) -- the central licensing and registration system that FINRA operates for the U.S. securities industry and its regulators, and that provides the backbone of BrokerCheck. In June 2018, we implemented the first phase of the transformation through a new WebCRD interface that highlights important information or activities requiring the immediate attention of firms, branches and individuals.


Compliance Tools

The Best Execution Outside-of-the-Inside (BE) report card is a monthly status report detailing the number of transactions reported to a FINRA Facility (i.e., a FINRA Trade Reporting Facility or FINRA's Alternative Display Facility) in which your firm participated that were executed Outside-of-the-Inside market in apparent violation of the Best Execution Rule. If non-compliance with the Best Execution Rule is found to exist, your firm may be found to be in violation of FINRA Rule 5310.


FAQ

The Frequently Asked Questions below are taken directly from the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Regulation Best Interest and Form CRS FAQ pages. The below are FINRA’s best attempt to highlight the latest SEC FAQs, but additional FAQs may have been published that are not posted on this page. For the latest FAQs on Reg BI and Form CRS, please visit the SEC’s website.

SEC Frequently Asked Questions on Regulation Best Interest


About FINRA
.floating-navBoxBorder { display: inline-block; width: 100%; margin: 10px; padding: 10px; background-color: #f2f2f2; border: 1px solid #d3d2d2; font-size:.75em; } .exec_quote { vertical-align: middle; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #ccc; margin: auto; width: 80%; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.1em; clear: both; } .exec_quote p { margin-top: 4px; }

Background

In response to the March 2017 Special Notice on Engagement


FAQ
Following are FAQs about FINRA registration and qualification requirements. Click on the links below to view all sections of the FAQs.

About FINRA

Background

In 2018, FINRA and the Securities Industry/Regulatory Council on Continuing Education (CE Council) launched an initiative to evaluate enhancements to the CE Program. The overall goal of the program review is to reflect advances in technology and learning theory while continuing to ensure that registered persons receive timely education on the securities business and the regulatory requirements applicable to their respective functions.


Compliance Tools

The OATS Compliance Report Card is a monthly status report on the number and percentage of:


Arbitration and Mediation

On this Page


Honoraria

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


Compliance Tools

Overview

FINRA is providing this checklist to help members assess their obligations under the SEC’s Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI) and Form CRS Relationship Summary (Form CRS). The checklist is not a substitute for any rule. Only the rule can provide definitive information regarding its requirements. Interpretive questions should be directed to the SEC, at [email protected].


Compliance Tools
Reports published for firms to monitor their performance in reporting disclosure and non-disclosure events and CRD late filing fee information.

Guidance

While Americans as a whole are feeling less financial stress, making ends meet remains a daily struggle for women, millennials, African-Americans, Hispanics and those without a high school education, according to the NFCS, one of the largest and most comprehensive financial capability studies in the United States. The study measures four key components of financial capability—making ends meet, planning ahead, managing financial products and financial knowledge and decision making.


FAQ
The guidance provided in this FAQ pertains to the reporting of over-the-counter (OTC) transactions in equity securities to a FINRA Facility (a Trade Reporting Facility (TRF), the Alternative Display Facility (ADF) or the OTC Reporting Facility (ORF)).

Compliance Tools

The Daily Total Summary Data and Detail Data Download files for the OATS Compliance Report Card provide underlying totals and detail of the data contained in the monthly summary OATS Compliance Report Card.

The tables below represent the data within the Daily Totals Summary Report Card and the Detail Data Download files.

Summary Definitions and Data Fields

Term

Definition


Guidance
The interpretations offer guidance to assist firms in complying with FINRA Rule 4210.

Compliance Tools
Form CMA is organized by 14 standards for admission as set forth under Rule 1014(a) and specifies the documents and information required to support each standard. The items listed in this checklist are also organized by standard and focus on the standards and their related documentation and information that an applicant may inadvertently overlook when submitting the application. Firms should treat this checklist as a starting point for preparing Form CMA. Firms are advised to review the rules applicable to a CMA, including Rules 1014 and 1017, together with Form CMA. During the course of the review process, FINRA may request additional documents and information as necessary to render a decision on the application.

Compliance Tools
.figure-image { display: block; margin: 0 auto; width: 72%; }

Overview

This guide explains how to use FINRA's Trade Data Consistency Interactive Report Card to identify and investigate discrepancies between your firm's CAT and TRF/ORF trade records.


FAQ
Following are "Frequently Asked Questions" regarding the Order Audit Trail System (OATS).

FAQ
Understanding Your FINRA Flex-Funding Account

2019 Exam Findings Report

Regulatory Obligations

FINRA Rule 2090 (Know Your Customer) requires member firms and their associated persons to use reasonable diligence to determine the “essential facts” about every customer and “the authority of each person acting on behalf of such customer.” Regulatory Notice 11-02 (SEC Approves Consolidated FINRA Rules Governing Know-Your-Customer and Suitability Obligations) advised that firms verify the essential facts about a customer “at intervals reasonably cal