Regulatory and Examination Priorities Letter

Thanks to Heidi for today’s post. – Alan

Today, the SEC put out its 2021 Exam Priorities, available here.   It is about 40 pages long and covers a lot of topics.  While I encourage everyone to read through the document, here are the primary focus items for 2021:

Overarching Themes / Focal Points:

  • Regulation

Thanks to Blaine for tackling FINRA’s annual list of things it is paying particular attention to in 2021. – Alan

The world has changed a lot in the last 12 months, but those in the securities industry can always rely on their trusty regulator, FINRA, to put out its annual priorities list to provide

As promised, FINRA has released its first Report outlining common findings from its examinations, in an effort to help member firms comply with the rules and, presumably, avoid problems that other firms encountered.  A noble idea, especially for an entity not exactly known (at least lately) for its proactive measures to assist BDs with their

In the blog I posted yesterday, I discussed a late Xmas present that the 10th Circuit gave everyone who is subject to the SEC’s jurisdiction.  Today, let’s talk about FINRA’s New Year’s gift to its member firms: the annual Regulatory and Examination Priorities Letter, which was released this week.  As is typically the

By now you have probably read FINRA’s recent “Targeted Exam Letter” entitled “Establishing, Communicating and Implementing Cultural Values.”  In case you haven’t, it is clear that FINRA is following up on the promise it made in January in the 2016 Regulatory & Examination Priorities Letter to “formalize [its] assessment of firm culture while

Tis the season for announcing the year’s top examination priorities. This week, the SEC released its own examination priorities. Top priorities include:

  • liquidity controls;
  • public pension advisers;
  • product promotion;
  • exchange-traded funds; and
  • variable annuities.

Thematically, the SEC’s priorities adhere to its larger objectives: protecting retail investors (especially retirement savings); assessing market-wide risks; and utilizing data