By Jeffrey M. Haber What is the amount of fines assessed by FINRA this year? Thus far, 2016 has been a banner year for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA"). Buoyed in part by a handful of large penalties, the self-regulatory watchdog is on pace for a record year as fines could be up by 70 percent when all is said and done. In the first six months of this year, FINRA assessed $79.4 million in fines against member broker-dealers. For the similar period in 2015

By Jeffrey M. Haber The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA") recently announced that the new Capital Acquisition Broker ("CAB") Rules will become effective April 14, 2017. While CABs still must be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, they will be subjected to a reduced series of FINRA rules and compliance obligations. Capital Acquisition Brokers at a Glance Capital Acquisition Brokers are those involved in private placements and mergers and acq

By: Jeffrey M. Haber It is a fact of life that many securities brokers and financial advisors will be the subject of one or more customer complaints during his/her career. To be sure, some of those complaints will be justified. However, many of them will not be. In those latter instances, innocent brokers and financial advisors will have a blemish on his/her record that can be cleared only through an expungement proceeding. Expungement is essentially a three-step procedure. F

By Jeffrey M. Haber What are the consequences of submitting inaccurate trade data to the SEC and FINRA? Investment banks and securities firms are well aware of their responsibilities to adhere to the rules promulgated by the Securities Exchange Commission ("SEC") and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA") regarding trade data, also referred to as "blue sheets." The federal securities laws and FINRA rules require firms to provide blue sheet information to FINRA