FINRA Unscripted

Every day, FINRA processes roughly 60 billion market events. This includes stock orders, modifications, cancellations and trades from the moment orders are placed, as they move through the markets and are executed. And FINRA not only processes a massive amount of data each day, but also must analyze it to uncover misconduct.

How does FINRA surveille this enormous volume of data to find instances of abusive activity? With exceedingly sophisticated technology and highly adept analysts in FINRA’s Market Regulation and Transparency Services group. Today we sit down with Tom Gira the head of the department and a 25-year veteran of FINRA.

Tom explains how FINRA’s use of technology, specifically the cloud and machine learning, has improved FINRA’s quality of regulation, furthering the organization’s mission of market integrity and investor protection.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Options Clearing Corporation

FINRA Market Regulation

FINRA Ad Hoc Committees

12: How the Cloud Has Revolutionized FINRA Technology

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When you think of financial regulation, you don’t typically think of innovation, but in fact, FINRA was an early adopter of the cloud for critical business functions.

Today, FINRA has more than 30 petabytes of data in the cloud—or about 60 million years’ worth of MP3 music. With the cloud, FINRA has been able to build a massive data lake that allows its regulatory staff to conduct business more efficiently and more effectively than ever.

In this episode, FINRA’s Chief Information Officer Steve Randich joins us to discuss all this and more. Plus, we learn why Steve turned down a promising career in the dishwashing industry to end up working in technology.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

FINRA Technology

Moving Your Production System to the Cloud? 6 Things You Need to Know

How the Cloud Is Changing Financial Regulation

AWS Case Study

*Note: * Steve misspoke when describing the size of a petabyte. One petabyte would be equal to about 2,000 years' worth of music files, so 30 petabytes would be equal to about 60,000 years' worth of files.

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FINRA operates the largest securities dispute resolution forum in the United States, with disputes resolved through arbitration and mediation. But for those unfamiliar with arbitration or mediation, it can be a confusing process.

What is FINRA arbitration? How might you end up with a case in arbitration or mediation? What’s the difference between the two? What does the process look like?

In this episode, FINRA’s Head of Dispute Resolution, Rick Berry, answers these questions and more.

For more about FINRA arbitration, visit our website.

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FINRA can’t predict the future, but like a weatherman, it can make predictions based on circumstances that exist today.

Tasked with that job of figuring out what is ahead is FINRA’s Office of Emerging Regulatory Issues (ERI). ERI works to predict what storms may be brewing in the securities market, what areas of the market they are likely to impact and the likely consequences of those “storms.” This allows FINRA to ensure its resources are deployed where they are needed most.

In this episode, ERI’s Haime Workie and Kavita Jain join us to talk about the role of ERI at FINRA. From volatility to tax reform, we’ll hear what they think about the market’s forecast. Plus, Haime and Kavita share what products or technologies they love and what keeps them up at night.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

FinTech

Investor Alerts

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Consistency and foreseeability: that’s what any regulator strives for. But when FINRA CEO Robert Cook asked around, he heard that wasn’t always the case—particularly when it came to two different enforcement teams.

Last July, FINRA responded by announcing it would bring together these two teams into One Enforcement under the leadership of Susan Schroeder, FINRA’s Executive Vice President and Head of enforcement.

In this episode, Susan shares what she is doing to bring these two teams together, tells us why the integration is so important and details her greatest challenges so far.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

FINRA360

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“Can we make a difference? Can this actually work?” Those are the questions FINRA’s Yvette Panetta and her team asked themselves when they launched the Securities Helpline for Seniors.

Three years later, the answer to both questions is clearly yes. Since April 2015, FINRA’s Senior Helpline has helped nearly 13,000 senior investors with everything from simple questions, such as “how do I find out more information about my broker,” to serious concerns, including potential broker misconduct and allegations of fraud.

Yvette Panetta, Brooke Hickman and Robert Mascio share how they helped develop the Senior Helpline into more than just another call center, but rather into a valuable resource for senior investors and FINRA member firms alike.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

844-57-HELPS (844-574-3577)

8: The Senior Helpline: Addressing the Unique Needs of Senior Investors

“Can we make a difference? Can this actually work?” Those are the questions FINRA’s Yvette Panetta and her team asked themselves when they launched the Securities Helpline for Seniors.

Three years later, the answer to both questions is clearly yes. Since April 2015, FINRA’s Senior Helpline has helped nearly 13,000 senior investors with everything from simple questions, such as “how do I find out more information about my broker,” to serious concerns, including potential broker misconduct and allegations of fraud.

Yvette Panetta, Brooke Hickman and Robert Mascio share how they helped develop the Senior Helpline into more than just another call center, but rather into a valuable resource for senior investors and FINRA member firms alike.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

844-57-HELPS (844-574-3577)

Monday – Friday

9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Eastern Time

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Do you show your true self at work? Or do you censor your emotions and self-expression to align with your work’s established environment? If you censor yourself, you’re not alone.

Now imagine an organization where you could bring your “100 percent authentic self” to work. FINRA’s Audria Lee explains that if diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being invited to dance. FINRA strives to achieve both because both are essential to an organization’s long-term success. Diverse and inclusive work environments see greater employee satisfaction, engagement and creativity, as well as greater overall company productivity and success.

Guests Audria Lee and Denise Fields are leaders advancing workplace equality at FINRA and serve as an example for the greater financial services industry. Hear them discuss FINRA’s Diversity and Inclusion programs, initiatives, successes and challenges, and share strategic steps and actionable tips employers can take to improve diversity and inclusion in their own workplace.  

7: One FINRA: A Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

Do you show your true self at work? Or do you censor your emotions and self-expression to align with your work’s established environment? If you censor yourself, you’re not alone.

Now imagine an organization where you could bring your “100 percent authentic self” to work. FINRA’s Audria Lee explains that if diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being invited to dance. FINRA strives to achieve both because both are essential to an organization’s long-term success. Diverse and inclusive work environments see greater employee satisfaction, engagement and creativity, as well as greater overall company productivity and success.

Guests Audria Lee and Denise Fields are leaders advancing workplace equality at FINRA and serve as an example for the greater financial services industry. Hear them discuss FINRA’s Diversity and Inclusion programs, initiatives, successes and challenges, and share strategic steps and actionable tips employers can take to improve diversity and inclusion in their own workplace.

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About 70 percent of Americans expect to receive a tax refund this year. If you are one of them, FINRA’s senior vice president of Investor Education Gerri Walsh has some tips on how you can put that cash to work for you. 

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