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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
Compliance Tools

The TRACE 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 program of corporate and agency fixed income transactions customer pricing.  

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


Compliance Tools

Overview

The following tool identifies key cybersecurity risks currently facing small firms and helps them enhance their customer information protection, and cybersecurity written supervisory programs (WSPs) and related controls, including:


About FINRA

FINRA360 has yielded a number of organizational and operational changes aimed at making FINRA a more efficient, more effective regulator.


FAQ
OATS Phase III Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ
Understanding Your FINRA Flex-Funding Account

FAQ
Read the frequently asked questions for information on filling out each section of the SSOI.

Compliance Tools

The table below provides a reference description for all of the elements found for ATS Cross Manipulation exceptions identified during the month.  


Compliance Tools

The Market Order Timeliness Statistical Report is published monthly based upon firm-reported data detailing the number of customer market orders executed by your firm in NMS securities and classifying these orders based on time duration to execute. Supplementary Material .01 of FINRA Rule 5310 – Best Execution and Interpositioning - states that member firms must make every effort to execute marketable customer orders it receives fully and promptly.


Guidance

In general, a member firm’s office or location is either registered as a branch office, if it meets the definitions contained in Rule 3110(f), or exempt from branch office registration (i.e., an unregistered office or non-branch location), if it fits within an express exclusion from the branch office definition listed in Rule 3110(f)(2)(A)(i)–(vii) or is designated as a residential supervisory location (or RSL) under the terms of Rule 3110.19. 


About FINRA

Background

Input from our stakeholders indicated that they would welcome greater transparency regarding FINRA's budget, especially its financial projections and potential use of fines. FINRA for many years has published an Annual Financial Report that is prepared and audited in accordance with GAAP6 that describes the prior year's finances and operations.


FAQ
Frequently asked questions about public offerings

FAQ
CRD - FAQ Form Filing for Individuals

Compliance Tools

The Web CRD Late Filing Fee Report is a monthly analysis of FINRA firms' ability to meet certain filing obligations. In accordance with FINRA rules, firms are required to submit information related to registered representatives. This report displays a firm's performance in submitting certain U4 and U5 filings in the required time frame.


Compliance Tools

Term

Description

Exceptions Periods

Date of all listed options position, as reported.

Total Number of Exceptions

Total number of issues reported during the period.

Large Options Positions Reported (LOPR) - Listed Detail Data

Term

Description


Guidance
Below are links to the central web sites that provide copies of each of the three NMS Plans in which FINRA participates.

Compliance Tools
These report cards will help firms track their compliance with key equity trading rules related to CAT, Best Execution Outside-of-the-Inside, Market Order Timeliness, Trade Reporting and Reg NMS trade throughs.

About FINRA

Background

Another issue we are studying through the lens of FINRA360 is branch office inspections. The responsibility of firms to supervise their associated persons is a critical component of federal broker-dealer regulation. Over the last few years, and in comments we have recently received, firms have raised questions about the manner in which they must conduct internal inspections, particularly for those offices or locations with a limited number of associated persons or where only operational or limited supervisory functions take place.


FAQ
Reporting of Corporate and Agencies Debt Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

FAQ
1. What are some tips for printing PDF Reports? To print reports in Portrait format...

Compliance Tools

The Reporting Firm 10 Second Compliance Report Card are monthly status reports for market participant that contain counts of properly modified late trades, late trades that were not modified, and improperly modified trades.

Reporting Firm is defined as the firm that reported the Executing Party of the trade.


Compliance Tools

Overview – FINRA’s Funding Portal Rules (FP Rules) apply to firms that register with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as funding portals pursuant to the SEC’s Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF) and that become FINRA FP members.


Compliance Tools
An alternative trading system (ATS) is an SEC-regulated trading venue in which a computerized system matches buy and sell orders of securities. An ATS is not a national securities exchange, an ATS may apply to the SEC to become a national securities exchange. An ATS that registers as a broker-dealer must also comply with the obligations associated with being a registered broker-dealer, including FINRA membership and compliance with FINRA rules.