Transitioning your platform can be a vital component of making sure your firm is successful for many years to come. Managing your firm’s platform transition is a significant undertaking that will impact most areas of your business. Consistency of communication with your leadership, employees and vendors is just one part of a very complex process…. READ MORE
Oyster responds to industry need for operations and compliance experts Nikki Brinkerhoff recently joined Oyster Consulting as an Associate Director, expanding Oyster’s Operations and Compliance practices. The move increases the firm’s ability to help industry members optimize operations and compliance functions, as well as design and implement technology solutions to improve operational excellence, improve… READ MORE
FINRA’s 2019 Risk Monitoring and Examination Priorities Letter was released last week. While the letter’s second paragraph lists areas of focus which are detailed throughout the report, the third paragraph includes a brief statement about how FINRA will focus on risk related to associated persons with a “problematic regulatory history”. Where there was not a… READ MORE
The SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (“OCIE”) released its 2019 Examination Priorities on December 20, 2018. While most of the topics are familiar, there are a few new items of note. OCIE has divided its priorities into four categories: Retail Investors, Including Seniors and Those Saving for Retirement OCIE will… READ MORE
Oyster Consulting Senior Consultant Bob Tuch recently contributed his article, “Protection of Seniors from Financial Exploitation – Congress Enacts the Senior Safe Act” to Practical Compliance & Risk Management for the Securities Industry, a Wolters Kluwer publication. The Senior Safe Act provides immunity from liability to covered financial institutions and certain employees and representatives of… READ MORE
FINRA is expanding its permissive registrations to include all associated persons, including those working solely in a clerical or ministerial capacity. Previously, firms were only allowed to register or maintain the registrations of certain types of job functions (e.g., technology department employees). These changes take effect October 1, 2018. Registered individuals will be subject to… READ MORE
FINRA is restructuring its Representative level qualification exams (e.g., Series 7 and 79) to eliminate the redundancies that currently exist in the examination process. Beginning October 1, 2018, new representatives will need to take a new exam, the Security Industry Essentials (SIE) exam. In addition, new representatives will need to take a top-off exam in… READ MORE