The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority announced Tuesday that it has enhanced BrokerCheck to allow investors to now search both the BrokerCheck and Investment Adviser Registration Depository record of any securities professional or firm directly on the FINRA home page.
The BrokerCheck search results, FINRA says, are presented in a graphical timeline, illustrating a more user-friendly view of an industry professional's employment status and history, industry registrations, and any reportable events such as customer disputes or disciplinary actions that may have occurred during his or her career.
FINRA says that it will also make the new BrokerCheck widget available to third-party websites, allowing visitors to those websites direct access to securities professionals' or firms' BrokerCheck or IAPD reports without having to visit the FINRA or Securities and Exchange Commission websites.
The IARD is an electronic filing system for investment advisors sponsored by the SEC and the North American Securities Administrators Association, with FINRA serving as the developer and operator of the system.
"Investors using BrokerCheck will encounter a more user-friendly interface that allows them to quickly find information that can help them decide if an investment professional is right for them," said Derek Linden, FINRA Executive Vice President, Registration and Disclosure, in a statement.
