Office address: 1700 K St NW, Washington, DC 20006
Website: finra.org
Year established: 2007 Company type: non-government organization
Employees: 4,200+
Expertise: securities regulation, broker-dealer supervision, market surveillance, enforcement and disciplinary actions, investor education, dispute resolution and arbitration, trade reporting transparency, cybersecurity and fraud detection
Parent company: N/A Key people: Robert Cook (CEO); Robert Colby (chief legal officer); Todd Diganci (CFO); Marcia Asquith (EVP); Ornella Bergeron, Denise Dombay, and Maureen Delaney (SVPs)
Financing status: N/A
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is a Washington-based self-regulatory body that supervises more than 3,200 broker-dealers. It enforces rules, monitors trading, and runs tools such as TRACE, BrokerCheck, and the consolidated audit trail. In 2024, it posted $99 million net income and unveiled a crypto education program.
FINRA was officially formed in 2007 through a strategic merger. The National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) joined forces with the New York Stock Exchange's (NYSE) regulatory division to operate as one.
This created a unified, independent regulator for America's securities industry. The move modernized oversight for a changing market and strengthened investor protections nationwide.
FINRA's story actually began decades earlier, in an era of economic recovery. The NASD registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 1939. This registration formalized what traders had been doing informally for generations.
Congress had established the SEC in 1934 following the devastating market crash of 1929. Two years later, lawmakers passed the Maloney Act to regulate off-exchange securities trading more effectively.
The NASD spent 68 years evolving to match the changing securities landscape and technology. By the early 2000s, fragmented regulatory oversight became increasingly inefficient for a modern industry.
The 2007 merger created the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority by combining the NASD's institutional knowledge with the NYSE's regulatory expertise. This unified regulator now oversees all brokers and firms across US markets comprehensively.
As 2024 closed, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority issued substantial penalties against three major firms. These companies faced settlements for sending inaccurate trade information and filing flawed Focus reports. Year-end enforcement actions let both regulators and firms resolve lingering compliance issues cleanly.companies faced settlements for sending inaccurate trade information and filing flawed Focus reports. Year-end enforcement actions let both regulators and firms resolve lingering compliance issues cleanly.
Into 2025, FINRA's Regulatory Oversight Report highlighted three major threats to the industry. Cybersecurity vulnerabilities from third-party technology providers topped concerns alongside AI compliance challenges. Investment fraud schemes also continue to shift as bad actors devise new ways to deceive clients.
FINRA regulates broker-dealers and investment firms in America by combining enforcement with educational resources to protect investors and maintain market integrity:
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority also addresses emerging threats like cybersecurity risks and artificial intelligence compliance challenges. The organization remains focused on supporting a healthy, trustworthy securities market for all participants.
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority reports that investor protection and market stability form the core of its mission. The regulator values its employees and delivers market-rate compensation with benefits such as:
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority also says that it does not discriminate in hiring based on disability, veteran status, and other protected classifications under federal, state, and local law. It complies with 41 CFR regulations protecting disabled individuals and veterans.
Robert W. Cook is the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority's president and CEO, with prior experience directing the SEC's trading and markets division. Before FINRA, Cook was a partner at a law firm in Washington. His education includes a JD from Harvard Law School, a master's degree from the London School of Economics, and an undergraduate from Harvard.
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority's leadership team includes the following key executives:
These executives manage the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority's daily operations while upholding the organization's core mission to protect investors.
FINRA launched a targeted probe into broker-dealers underwriting small foreign company IPOs to combat pump-and-dump schemes. The regulator required detailed supervisory procedures and due diligence records for offerings between January 2023 and September 2025. This enforcement action positions the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority as a proactive market protector against cross-border securities fraud.
The organization also penalized First Trust Portfolios, an ETF provider, in 2025 with a $10 million settlement for excessive gifts to broker-dealer representatives. The violations spanned from 2018 through February 2024 and included luxury courtside tickets and concert events. This enforcement action illustrates FINRA's commitment to preventing investor harm through strict non-cash compensation oversight.
A congressional hearing next week that will delve into the issues of fiduciary duty and a self-regulatory organization for advisers also is likely to provide a platform to introduce an SRO bill — or at least an outline that could turn into a measure.
In a surprise, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce slammed the self-regulatory organization in a report this week. In it, the business group claimed, among other things, that many Finra directors have 'limited or no experience working for a financial services firm.' .
The bold new era of regulation that Congress laid out in the Dodd-Frank financial reform law has not arrived — at least not for financial advisers.
Lobbying in favor of a self-regulatory organization for investment advisers has gained momentum, with a major insurance organization calling on Congress to authorize Finra the to do the job.
Thanks, but no thanks. That's the message a wary U.S. military is sending to financial advisers who want to offer free financial planning to active-duty servicemen and women.
While straining to meet the retirement needs of baby boomers, the advisory business is starting to recognize that it faces another demographic challenge: finding a profitable way to deal with Generation X and Y investors who have less affinity to financial advisers than older investors do
Regulator cites lack of liquidity and high fees; product sales remain brisk
Regulator wants commissions subtracted right away from value shown on statements; 'pendulum has swung too far'
Regulator prepares proposal after May complaint against David Lerner Associates; time it takes to get market valuations not up to par
Another troubled broker-dealer is closing, but with a twist: The firm is telling its advisers to move en masse to another firm.
WFP Secruties is the latest broker-dealer to fold under the weight of private-placement litigation. In this case, the San Diego-based firm is facing $14M in legal claims.
Wells II securities issued at $10 apiece, now worth an estimated $7.47; pricing of nontraded real estate trusts under the microscope
In the latest twist in the ongoing saga of Apple REITs sold by David Lerner Associates, plaintiffs claim the B-D used a line of credit and other sources to boost dividend payments beyond what was prudent. | <b>Extra</b> <a href=http://www.investmentnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=CI&Date=20110826&Category=FREE&ArtNo=826009999&Ref=PH>Home prices still plunging in these states</a>
George Smaragdis, director of media relations at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority <a href="//www.investmentnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110807/REG/308079974"" target="”_blank”" rel="noopener noreferrer">told me two weeks ago</a> to expect some additional guidance on social media soon and sure enough here it is in the form of <a href="//www.finra.org/web/groups/industry/@ip/@reg/@notice/documents/notices/p124186.pdf"" target="”_blank”" rel="noopener noreferrer">Regulatory Notice 11-39</a>.
