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.
My favorite-blog-post-title-of-the-year-so-far award goes to Adam Levin, founder and chairman of Credit.com: <a href="//www.credit.com/blog/2011/07/the-morgan-stanley-smith-barney-breach-losing-client-data-the-old-fashioned-way/"" target="”_blank”" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Breach: Losing Client Data the Old Fashioned Way</a>. Actually, I'm not sure if it is a blog or a true news site, regardless, it is not the typical news outlet you would expect for such a large story.
Independent broker-dealers and their representatives are contending with the potentially thorny issue of re-pricing shares of nontraded REITs — illiquid, long-term investments in commercial real estate
As the financial advisory industry continues to evolve, more investment professionals and firms are embracing the hybrid registered investment adviser model.
Because the barrier to going independent is 'higher than ever,' claims Pershing's Mark Tibergien. He may be on to something.
Finra will take a data-centric approach to performing market exams, pulling reams of information from broker-dealers, insurance companies and clearing firms.
Finra-crafted rule creates new license for administrative personnel; exam mandated
Finra's variable annuity suitability rule should be old news to broker-dealers, but firms that want to steer clear of an arbitration land mine ought to review their procedures.
Ah, retirement. Golf. Cruises. Leisurely walks. And getting financially abused by family members, strangers and businesses.
Finra yesterday began surveying registered representatives and principals about their job functions as a first step in updating qualification exams.
Just as financial advisers are embracing alternative investments as a way to generate income for clients, their chief regulator is warning them of the perils of one such type of offering: structured products
Finra is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars this year to lobby Congress to authorize a self-regulatory organization for investment advisers — a role that it would like to fill itself
Regulator hits Workman Securities with $700K fine; also sanctions execs at other firms that sold several soured private placements
<a href=http://www.investmentnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=datajoe&djoPage=summary&issuedate=20100423&sid=BD0426&djoProjId=10994&djoRecordId=290006>QA3 Financial Corp.</a>, an independent broker-dealer that was a leading seller of high-risk private placements over the last decade, in a recent lawsuit said its insurance carrier was pushing it into bankruptcy by failing to back up its coverage.
The Ohio Division of Securities issued a notice that it intends to file a cease-and-desist order against a banned broker who allegedly continued to act as an investment adviser
MF Global boss received no favoritism, regulator's CEO says; decision 'never bubbled up' to senior management
