FINRA has released its 10th Annual Regulatory and Examinations Priorities Letter, highlighting its 2015 regulatory focus. FINRA announced they will highly scrutinize certain product offerings including interest rate sensitive fixed income securities (long duration bonds, MBS, interest-only bond funds), variable annuities, liquid alts, and non-traded REITS. The FINRA examiners will focus on the implementation of the revised supervision rules including reviews of branch offices and OSJs and compliance testing. FINRA will analyze IRA rollovers, sales of private placements suitability, failure to offer required fund breakpoint discounts, and anti-money laundering procedures. Firms should also review their valuation procedures to ensure adequate net capital, their cybersecurity programs, and their order routing and best execution practices. Please click here to read the full release.
About Red Oak Compliance Solutions
Red Oak Compliance Solutions is a leading provider of intelligent compliance software, offering a range of AI-powered solutions designed to help firms of all sizes successfully navigate the increasingly complex regulatory landscape. Our suite of 17(a)-4/WORM compliant features offer risk minimization, cost reduction, and process optimization capabilities with features that are designed to evolve with our client’s needs. Our flagship advertising review software enables firms to deliver compliant content to the market with confidence, faster. Our Disclosure Management and Intelligence solution simplifies the management of disclosures, while our Registration Management solution automates and streamlines the licensing and registration process, further enhancing your internal processes.