WASHINGTON — The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority announced on Tuesday that they plan to jointly hold a series of free regional compliance outreach programs for broker-dealers in April and June.
The regional programs, in which the SEC's Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations and Division of Trading and Markets is partnering with FINRA, will provide a forum for discussion about regulatory issues, compliance practices, and risk management, the SEC said in a release.
"These regional programs supplement our national compliance outreach program for broker-dealers by allowing critical regional interaction between staff from the SEC and FINRA and personnel from registered broker-dealer firms operating in the region," said Kevin Goodman, national associate director of the SEC's broker-dealer examination program.
"FINRA views these programs as unique learning opportunities because they provide compliance professionals across the country with the opportunity to interact with FINRA and SEC staff," said Chip Jones, FINRA senior vice president for member relations and education. It is also important for the regulators to listen to the firms talk about their day-to-day compliance initiatives, he said.
The SEC and FINRA urged firm officials to register but said registration is limited and open on a first-come, first-served basis.
Sessions will be held in Denver and Los Angeles on April 30, in Chicago and Miami on June 4, in Philadelphia on June 16 and in New York on June 30.
