Other Guidance Archives - Ryan P. Smith Law, PLC

Finally Something to Welcome on April 15

Posted on April 6, 2026

FINRA’s New Form NMA

Broker-dealers familiar with FINRA’s “filing cabinet” system know it has often been cumbersome. In Regulatory Notice 26-09, FINRA announced enhancements to the Form NMA for applicants seeking FINRA membership before the Membership Application Program (MAP)...

FINRA’s (Fast) Forward: A Flurry of Updates

Posted on March 19, 2026

The beginning of 2026 not only brought “Snowcrete” to the Washington D.C. area, but a flurry of regulatory action from FINRA. FINRA issued several notable regulatory updates that, among other changes, seek to modernize the standards concerning communications with the public, account transfers, and even, giving gifts. These are:

Home Sweet Home

Posted on March 30, 2024

This June, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) will permit a broker-dealer to designate a home office as a “Residential Supervisory Locations” (RSL) within its supervisory structures. (While this is certainly welcome news, as Vince Neil will tell you, just when things went right, it doesn't mean they were always wrong.) The...

Is The Past Prologue? FINRA Permits Remote Inspections . . . For Now

Posted on July 18, 2022

On July 1, FINRA amended Rule 3110.17 to allow broker-dealers to remotely inspect offices of supervisory jurisdiction (OSJs), branch offices and non-branch locations through the end of 2022. The substantive requirements remain unchanged. A broker-dealer must: (1) have procedures for...

FINRA’s Expectations (Reg Notice 22-11)

Posted on May 16, 2022

FINRA issued Regulatory Notice 22-11 in April to remind broker-dealers of their obligations in the sale of alternative mutual funds to their clients. FINRA explained that it published this guidance because of a number of recent enforcement actions it took against firms selling this product. However, upon closer inspection, 22-11 is simply FINRA’s...