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April 15, 2019 at 02:23 PM
Broker-dealers must “promptly and clearly” communicate a registered rep’s departure to clients — including the departing rep’s contact information — and provide “timely and complete” answers to clients’ queries about the departing rep, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority states in a new Regulatory Notice.
However, FINRA’s notice is vague when it comes to whether broker-dealers must tell clients a parting rep was fired, a lawyers’ group says.
In Reg Notice 19-10, FINRA states that the broker-dealer self-regulator has “consistently sought to ensure that customers can make a timely and informed choice about where to maintain their assets” when their registered rep leaves a member firm.
FINRA states that it expects that when a rep leaves a firm, a BD should:
- promptly and clearly communicate to affected customers how their accounts will continue to be serviced; and
- provide customers with timely and complete answers, if known, when the customer asks questions about a departing registered rep.
The notice states that the broker-dealer should provide “reasonable contact information, such as phone number, email address or mailing address” as long as the rep has consented to the release of that information to clients.
Christine Lazaro, president of the Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association, a group of lawyers who represent investors in disputes with the securities industry, told ThinkAdvisor in a Monday email message that FINRA’s notice “contemplates investors getting accurate contact information when a broker changes firms, which may prevent firms from interfering with the investor’s choice of broker.”
However, Lazaro added, “it is important that investors also be told if a broker was fired for misconduct, so that the investor can make an informed decision about whether they want to continue to do business with the broker. Such disclosures should be a matter of policy and should not depend on the investor knowing what questions to ask.”
Lazaro stated that FINRA’s notice is “vague” on whether BDs must disclose that a departing rep was fired. The notice states, she said, “‘In addition, a member firm should communicate clearly, and without obfuscation, when asked questions by customers about the departing registered representative.’”
Explained Lazarao: “Presumably, that would include reason for termination, but it doesn’t explicitly state that.”
