Regulation

Nearly two years into a pilot program designed to test remote inspections of brokers' residential and other remote offices, FINRA feels comfortable enough with the results to push for a permanent policy.

As brokerage firms keep getting sued for allegedly not providing clients fair returns on their uninvested cash, the SEC tells investment advisors they also have legal liabilities.

In a recent industry snapshot, the Investment Adviser Association found the average number of data points advisors have to report in annual regulatory filings has nearly doubled to more than 1,000 since 2011.

The Securities and Exchange Commission rescinded a policy Monday requiring defendants in settled enforcement actions not to publicly deny the SEC's allegations.

The SEC is now focused on "quality of cases versus quantity," the SEC chairman said during a discussion held as part of the 2026 FINRA Annual Conference.

A series of settlements and arbitration awards since late 2022 require Stifel to pay hundreds of millions over recommendations made by its former broker Chuck Roberts.

The number of SEC enforcement actions have dropped during the second Trump administration. But the new head of the division said he supports "quality over quantity."

Defendants who've reached settlements with industry regulators complain their First Amendment rights are breached by orders forbidding them to talk about their cases.

NASAA's proposal would align state laws with the SEC's marketing rule, eliminating concerns advisors have about running afoul of more local laws as they accept testimonials and reviews.