FINRA Rules and the arbitration landscape are constantly changing. FINRA members and practitioners must stay sensitive to the issues and new developments to reduce the chances of surprise awards and enforcement actions.

In a live Webcast, a panel of thought leaders and practitioners including RK partner Pete Tepley discussed the latest and significant issues and developments in FINRA arbitration, as well as current regulatory focus. The speakers also provided considerations on arbitrator selection, tips for controlling costs in discovery and expert engagement, and discussed compliance issues faced by dual registrants.

At the end of the presentation, Tepley left participants with the following notes:

1. For fee-based accounts, make sure the financial advisors are documenting how the fees are being earned, including where advice is being provided to the customer. Also, make sure the contracted for advice and/or services are being provided to the customer and that the accounts are not being ignored.
2. If you hire brokers who have a history of disciplinary actions or customer complaints, make sure your firm’s supervision of those brokers is targeted to detect the types of activities that were the subject of the prior disciplinary actions or customer complaints. 

For more information about viewing the recorded webcast, visit: https://www.theknowledgegroup.org/webcasts/finra-arbitration-and-enforcement-2018/