FINRA Unscripted

Senior investor protection has long been a priority for FINRA, and the Vulnerable Adults and Seniors Team (VAST) is at the forefront of FINRA's efforts in this space. 

On this episode, we hear from Brooke Hickman, Director of the Vulnerable Adults and Seniors Investigative Team, Mike Paskin, a manager with VAST Investigations, and Liz Yoka, a manager of the VAST Intake team, to hear how the groups work with individual investors, firms, states and other regulators to prevent and detect financial exploitation of senior and other vulnerable investors.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

2024 Annual Regulatory Oversight Report

Episode 72: Anti-Money Laundering and Elder Exploitation

Episode 128: The 2023 Senior Investor Protection Conference

Episode 105: The Essential Senior Investor Protection Tools: FINRA Rules 2165 and 4512

FINRA Securities Helpline for Seniors – 844-57-HELPS (844-574-3577)

FINRA Key Topic Page: Senior Investors

FAQ Regarding FINRA’s Rules Relating to Financial Exploitation of Seniors

Trusted Contact Infographic

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On May 28th, U.S. markets are moving to a one-day settlement cycle, familiarly known as T+1. This move, which returns the settlement time frame back to a point at which it last stood a century ago, will have wide ranging impacts for firms, investors and regulators. 

On this episode, we hear from James Barry, Director of Credit Regulation with FINRA's Office of Financial and Operational Risk Policy, Bobby Gomez, a Senior Director with Market Regulation and Transparency Services' Strategic Initiatives team, Mike MacPherson, a Senior Advisor in Member Supervision's Risk Monitoring group, and John Nachmann, Associate General Counsel with the Office of General Counsel's Regulatory Practice, to discuss what all market participants need to be thinking about and testing ahead of the transition.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Episode 127: Understanding the Unique Risks of Every Firm

DTCC: The Key to T+1 Success Blog

Reg Notice 23-15: Regulation T and SEA Rule 15c3-3 Extension

Technical Notice: T+1 Settlement Testing

FINRA Margin Regulation

FINRA Investor Insight: Understanding Settlement Cycles

2024 Annual Regulatory Oversight Report

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These days, it's not a matter of if, but when, when it comes to cybersecurity incidents, which is why it's essential for all firms to ensure they're prepared for the inevitable. 

On this episode, we're catching up with Bryan Smith, the new senior vice president of FINRA’s Complex Investigations and Intelligence (CII) team and Brita Bayatmakou, vice president of the Cyber and Analytics Unit within CII, for an update on CII, the cyber threat landscape and what firms should be thinking about and doing in response to the latest trends.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

FINRA's FBI Cyber Threat Briefings (Next Briefing: April 22)

Episode 112: Introducing FINRA’s Complex Investigations and Intelligence Team

CISA Alerts and Advisories

FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center: Industry Alerts

Reg Notice 21-29: Obligations Related to Outsourcing to Third-Party Vendors

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U.S. financial markets today are not what they were ten years ago, five years ago, or even just a couple of years ago. Over the years, FINRA's Market Regulation and Transparency Services (MRTS) team successfully grew and evolved to meet the changing demands of the markets they oversaw. But recently, the group took time to ask, how would we build this team if we were starting from scratch? And the answer to that question involved redesigning the group structure around specific functions, rather than around specific rules or products. 

On this episode, we hear from Feral Talib, Executive Vice President of Surveillance and Market Intelligence, Jackie Perrell, a Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff for MRTS, and Steve Price, Senior Vice President of Market Investigations to learn how the MRTS team has realigned itself, allowing it to be more nimble in addressing and anticipating risks, to better leverage its data and more.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

2024 FINRA Annual Regulatory Oversight Report

Feral Talib Named Executive Vice President and Head of Surveillance & Market Intelligence

Episode 60: Greg Ruppert and the National Cause and Financial Crimes Detection Programs

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Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLM) are taking the world by storm, presenting numerous opportunities to create business efficiencies. While the new technologies offer many potential benefits to firms, regulators and investors, they also introduce unique risks. 

On this episode, we hear from Brad Ahrens, senior vice president of Advanced Analytics, Andrew McElduff, vice president with Member Supervision's Risk Monitoring team and Haime Workie, vice president and head of FINRA's Office of Financial Innovation, who are closely looking at these technologies and following developments in this space to learn how FINRA is looking at and thinking about generative AI when it comes to its own business and what it's looking at and seeing when it comes to firm use of these tools.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Securities Industry

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Investment Fraud

Reg Notice 21-19: Obligations Related to Outsourcing to Third-Party Vendors

Rule 3110: Supervision

2024 FINRA Annual Regulatory Oversight Report

2023 Executive Order on Artificial Intelligence for Congress

NIST: Artificial Intelligence

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The FINRA Investor Education Foundation has released a new report, Investors of Color in the United States, examining the behavior and attitudes of investors of color based on data from the FINRA Foundation's National Financial Capability Study coupled with a series of focus groups conducted with young Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino and Asian American/Pacific Islander investors. 

The report shows interesting trends related to the pace at which these investors are entering the market, their views on risk, where they're receiving information and more. On this episode, we hear more from Ritta McLaughlin, Director of Investor Education, Community Outreach, and Principal Research Analyst Olivia Valdes to learn more.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Investors of Color in the United States (2024) 

Gen Z and Investing: Social Media, Crypto, FOMO, and Family (2023)

Investors in the United States: The Changing Landscape (2022)

New Accounts and the People Who Opened Them (2021)

FINRA Investor Education Foundation

Episode 134: Gen Z Investors

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FINRA Enforcement works tirelessly on the front lines of investor protection, whether looking into cases of fraud or ways that bad actors try to manipulate the markets. This tremendous undertaking demands steadfast leadership. 

On this episode, we meet Bill St. Louis, the former head of FINRA’s National Cause and Financial Crimes Detection Program and FINRA's new Executive Vice President and Head of Enforcement, to learn more about the man at the helm and what's on the horizon for Enforcement in the new year.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

2024 FINRA Annual Regulatory Oversight Report

FINRA Enforcement Homepage

FINRA Names Bill St. Louis as New Head of Enforcement

FINRA Fines BofA Securities $24 Million for Treasuries Spoofing

FINRA Expels Monmouth Capital Management

Qualification Exams

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FINRA recently wrapped up a targeted review of the practices of certain member firms when it comes to communicating with retail investors regarding crypto products and services. On this episode, Ira Gluck, Senior Director, Advertising Regulation at FINRA, joins us to share the results of that crypto asset communications sweep that began in November 2022.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Advertising Regulation Department

Crypto Asset Communications Targeted Exam Letter

Crypto Asset Key Topics

Crypto Sweep Update

FINRA Blog: An Inside Look into FINRA’s Crypto Asset Work

Episode 136: An Introduction to FINRA’s Crypto Asset Work and the Crypto Hub

Episode 137: The Crucial Role of FINRA’s CAI Team

Episode 138: FINRA’s Blockchain Lab

Rule 2210: Communications with the Public

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As a self-regulatory organization, information sharing is key to FINRA's pursuit of its mission of investor protection and market integrity, and no single resource is a better example of that than FINRA's Annual Regulatory Oversight Report. 

On this episode, Ornella Bergeron, Senior Vice President of Risk Monitoring, Omer Meisel, Executive Vice President of the National Cause and Financial Crimes Detection Program, Claire O'Sullivan, Vice President and Regulatory Advisor of Stakeholder Engagement, and Michael Solomon, Senior Vice President of Examinations, join us to discuss highlights from the 2024 report.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

2024 FINRA Annual Regulatory Oversight Report

Reg Notice 23-20: Guidance and Resources Related to Regulation Best Interest

Reg Notice 23-11: Concept Proposal for a Liquidity Risk Management Rule

Reg Notice 21-35: Proposed Order Routing Disclosure Requirements

SEC FAQ on Form CRS

CAT NMS Plan Website

Episode 136: An Introduction to FINRA’s Crypto Asset Work and the Crypto Hub

Episode 137: The Crucial Role of FINRA’s CAI Team

Episode 138: FINRA’s Blockchain Lab

Episode 129: A New Twist on New Account Fraud

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Succession planning, catastrophe planning, contingency planning--whatever you want to call it, these plans are important not just for customers and registered representatives but can even be a matter of life or death when it comes to the continued existence of a firm. 

On this episode, we talk to Jeanette Wingler, FINRA’s Special Assistant to the CEO, and Elena Schlickenmaier, a Senior Principal Analyst in Member Supervision, to dig into Regulatory Notice 22-23 on succession planning to hear how and why firms should plan for the expected and unexpected in life.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Regulatory Notice 22-23

Rule 4370: Business Continuity Planning

Rule 2040: Payments to Unregistered Persons

Continuing Membership Application Resources

FINRA Examination and Risk Monitoring Programs

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