Recently, FINRA issued the 11th Regulatory and Examination Priorities Letter that addresses issues in the financial industry, if left unaddressed could adversely effect market integrity and investors. In 2016 their key points of emphasis have been identified as (1) culture, conflicts of interest and ethics; (2) supervision, risk management and controls; and (3) liquidity. The Letter also highlights specific policies and procedures the FINRA will use to ensure that member firms are compliant with the priorities identified.
According to Richard G. Ketchum, CEO and Chairman, FINRA, “ Firm culture, ethics and conflicts of interest remain a top priority for FINRA. A firm’s culture contributes to, and is also a product of, a firm’s supervision and its approaches to identifying and managing conflicts of interest and the ethical treatment of customers. Given the significant role culture plays in how a firm conducts its business, this year the letter addresses how we will formalize our assessment of firm culture to better understand how culture affects a firm’s compliance and risk management practices.”
- Culture, Conflicts of interest and Ethics