(a) General Provision
(1) Each member required to join the Securities Investor Protection Corporation
shall
maintain
blanket fidelity bond
coverage which provides against loss and has
Insuring Agreements covering at least the following:
(A) Fidelity
(B) On Premises
(C) In Transit
(D) Forgery and Alteration
(E) Securities
(F) Counterfeit Currency
(2) The fidelity bond must include a cancellation rider providing that the insurance carrier will use its best efforts to promptly notify FINRA in the event the bond is cancelled, terminated or substantially modified.
(3) A member's fidelity bond must provide for per loss coverage without an aggregate limit of liability.
(b) Minimum Required Coverage
(
1)
A member with a net capital requirement of less than $250,000 must maintain minimum
fidelity bond coverage for all
Insuring
Agreements required
by paragraph (a)
of this Rule of
the greater of (A) 120% of the member's required net capital under SEA Rule 15c3-1 or (B) $100,000. A member with a net capital requirement of $250,000 or more must maintain minimum fidelity bond coverage for all Insuring Agreements required by paragraph (a) of this Rule in accordance with the following table:
Net Capital Requirement under
SEA Rule 15c3-1
|
Minimum Coverage
|
|
250,000 – 300,000
|
600,000
|
|
300,001 – 500,000
|
700,000
|
|
500,001 – 1,000,000
|
800,000
|
|
1,000,001 – 2,000,000
|
1,000,000
|
|
2,000,001 – 3,000,000
|
1,500,000
|
|
3,000,001 – 4,000,000
|
2,000,000
|
|
4,000,001 – 6,000,000
|
3,000,000
|
|
6,000,001 – 12,000,000
|
4,000,000
|
|
12,000,001 and above
|
5,000,000
|
(2) At a minimum, a member must maintain fidelity bond coverage for any person associated with the member, except directors or trustees who are not performing acts within the scope of the usual duties of an officer or employee.
(3) Any defense costs for covered losses must be in addition to the minimum coverage requirements as set forth in paragraph (b)(1) of this Rule.
(c) Deductible Provision
A provision may be included in a fidelity bond to provide for a deductible of up to 25% of the coverage purchased by a member. Any deductible amount elected by the member that is greater than 10% of the coverage purchased by the member must be deducted from the member's net worth in the calculation of its net capital for purposes of SEA Rule 15c3-1. If the member is a subsidiary of another FINRA member, this amount may be deducted from the parent's rather than the subsidiary's net worth, but only if the parent guarantees the subsidiary's net capital in writing.
(d) Annual Review of Coverage
(1) A member, including a member that signs a multi-year insurance policy, shall, annually as of the yearly anniversary date of the issuance of the fidelity bond, review the adequacy of its coverage and make any required adjustments, as set forth in paragraphs (d)(2) and (d)(3) of this Rule.
(2) A member's highest net capital requirement during the preceding 12-month period, based on the applicable method of computing net capital (dollar minimum, aggregate indebtedness or alternative standard), shall be used as the basis for determining the member's required minimum fidelity bond coverage for the succeeding 12-month period. For the purpose of this paragraph, the "preceding 12-month period" shall include the 12-month period that ends 60 days before the yearly anniversary date of a member's fidelity bond.
(3) A member that has only been in business for one year and elected the aggregate indebtedness ratio for calculating its net capital requirement may use, solely for the purpose of determining the adequacy of its fidelity bond coverage for its second year, the 15 to 1 ratio of aggregate indebtedness to net capital in lieu of the 8 to 1 ratio (required for broker-dealers in their first year of business) to calculate its net capital requirement. Notwithstanding the above, such member shall not carry less minimum bonding coverage in its second year than it carried in its first year.
(e) Notification of Change
A member shall immediately advise FINRA in writing if its fidelity bond is cancelled, terminated or substantially modified.
(f) Exemptions
(1) The requirements of this Rule shall not apply to:
(A) members that maintain a fidelity bond as required by a national securities exchange, registered with the SEC under Section 6 of the Exchange Act, provided that the member is in good standing with such national securities exchange and the fidelity bond requirements of such exchange are equal to or greater than the requirements of this Rule; and
(B) members whose business is solely that of a Designated Market Maker, Floor broker or registered Floor trader and who does not conduct business with the public.
(2) Any member may apply for an exemption, pursuant to the Rule 9600 Series, from the requirements of paragraphs (d)(2) and (d)(3) of this Rule. An exemption may be granted, at the discretion of FINRA, upon a showing of good cause, including a substantial change in the circumstances or nature of the member's business that would result in a lower net capital requirement.
• • • Supplementary Material: --------------
.01 Definitions. For purposes of this Rule, the term "substantially modified" shall mean any change in the type or amount of fidelity bonding coverage, or in the exclusions to which the bond is subject, or any other change in the bond such that it no longer complies with the requirements of this Rule.
.02 Alternative Coverage. A member that does not qualify for blanket fidelity bond coverage as required by paragraph (a)(3) of this Rule shall maintain substantially similar fidelity bond coverage in compliance with all other provisions of this Rule, provided that the member maintains written correspondence from two insurance providers stating that the member does not qualify for the coverage required by paragraph (a)(3) of this Rule. The member must retain such correspondence for the period specified by SEA Rule 17a-4(b)(4).
