COMPANIES

North American Securities Administrators Association

Office address: 750 First Street NE, Suite 990, Washington, DC 20002
Website: nasaa.org
Year established: 1919
Company type: nonprofit
Employees: 50+
Expertise: investor protection, securities regulation, investment fraud enforcement, investment advisor licensing, broker-dealer oversight, investor education, securities law policy and advocacy, senior investor protection, franchise regulation, securities exam administration
Parent company: N/A
Key people: Marni Rock Gibson (president), Elizabeth Bowling (president-elect), Stephen Bouchard (secretary), H. Jane Anderson (treasurer), Joseph Brady (executive director), Pamela Epting (senior advisor)
Financing status: nonprofit (member-funded voluntary association)

The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) is a Washington-based nonprofit of 67 securities regulators. Its members license firms, investigate fraud, and enforce securities laws across the US, Canada, and Mexico. The group also runs investor education programs and manages the Electronic Filing Depository for multi-state regulatory filings.

History of North American Securities Administrators Association

NASAA was founded in Kansas in 1919, eight years after the state passed the country’s first Blue Sky Law. That 1911 law set out to protect investors from securities fraud at the state level.

Other states soon followed with their own versions, but regulators had no way to coordinate across borders. North American Securities Administrators Association stepped in to bring those state-level regulators together under one association.

Growing the network

NASAA has since grown from a small group of state regulators to a 67-member association across three countries. Its membership now spans all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Canada, and Mexico.

Members license securities firms and investment advisor firms managing under $100 million in assets. The association also built the Electronic Filing Depository to simplify multi-state regulatory filings.

Tighter rules

Members at the North American Securities Administrators Association approved the Model Act to Protect Vulnerable Adults from Financial Exploitation in 2016. That model law has since been adopted in some form across 43 states and territories.

The association also voted in 2025 to restrict broker-dealer agents from using the “advisor” title without proper licensure. The update brought NASAA’s conduct rule in line with the SEC’s Reg BI.

NASAA’s recent moves

The association’s 2024–25 investment advisor report found that state-registered RIAs ended 2024 with over $361 billion in AUM. The report showed more than 16,500 home-state registered firms and an $18.5 billion rise in AUM, but a net loss of 322 firms.

The North American Securities Administrators Association also launched the NASAA Investor Protection and Education Foundation in 2025 to fund research and fraud prevention.

North American Securities Administrators Association services

NASAA offers regulatory tools and programs built for state-level securities oversight across North America:

Regulatory services

  • firm and agent licensing: state-level registration for broker-dealers and investment advisors
  • Electronic Filing Depository (EFD): multi-state submission of filing notices, fees, and forms
  • securities registration: review of offerings not exempt from state law
  • enforcement coordination: multi-state investigations and shared case data among members

Examinations and continuing education

  • Series 63 exam: Uniform Securities Agent State Law Examination
  • Series 65 exam: Uniform Investment Adviser Law Examination
  • Series 66 exam: Uniform Combined State Law Examination
  • IAR continuing education: CE program for investment advisor representatives

Investor protection programs

  • Serve Our Seniors: fraud prevention focused on older and vulnerable investors
  • Model Act to Protect Vulnerable Adults: model law adopted by multiple states
  • Real Life Regulators podcast: case studies of real investment fraud investigations
  • investor education resources: tools for the public to spot fraud and make informed decisions

Policy and advocacy

  • model rules and statements of policy: proposed regulations open to public comment
  • digital asset policy: advocacy for state authority over digital asset regulation

The North American Securities Administrators Association also publishes annual reports on state-registered RIAs, enforcement data, and industry trends.

Culture and corporate values

NASAA describes its workplace as welcoming and accepting of all people regardless of background. The association’s DEI statement says it is committed to fostering inclusion, respect, and fair treatment across its membership and staff.

North American Securities Administrators Association is based in Washington DC and runs a hybrid work model for eligible staff. New hires complete structured onboarding before moving to a remote-eligible schedule:

  • medical insurance: health coverage for employees
  • paid leave: sick and vacation days
  • retirement plan options: available to all staff
  • professional development: training opportunities for employees
  • hybrid schedule: up to three remote days per week

NASAA members fielded over 1,800 complaints from older investors and filed 133 enforcement actions involving seniors in 2022. The association also runs annual training seminars for agency staff and issues public alerts on scams like romance fraud.

About President Marni Gibson and key people

Marni Rock Gibson is NASAA’s 2025–26 president and has served as commissioner of Kentucky’s DFI since September 2023. Gibson worked as a relationship banker and branch manager before joining DFI in 2009 as a securities enforcement officer. She has over 25 years in financial services and holds a BA from Transylvania University.

Other key leaders on the North American Securities Administrators Association’s board and staff include:

  • Elizabeth Bowling as president-elect
  • Stephen Bouchard as secretary
  • Jane Anderson as treasurer
  • Joseph Brady as executive director
  • Pamela Epting as senior advisor

The board officers are state and provincial securities regulators who serve on NASAA’s board while holding their primary government positions.

The future at NASAA

The North American Securities Administrators Association published its Enforcement Report (2025). It showed state regulators ran more than 8,800 active investigations in 2024 across 49 US jurisdictions.

Digital asset fraud ranked as the top investor threat for the third straight year, followed by “pig butchering” romance and investment scams. These trends may point to digital fraud and senior protection as one of the North American Securities Administrators Association’s likely priorities going forward.

On the regulatory front, NASAA sent a letter to the SEC in early 2026 about FINRA’s proposed Rule 3290. The rule would replace two older rules that govern brokers’ outside business activities and private deals.

NASAA argued that the proposal’s definitions were too narrow and could let risky side businesses slip past firm oversight. This push signals NASAA’s growing role in shaping how broker-dealer conduct rules get written at the federal level.

The latest North American Securities Administrators Association news

Displaying 51 results
NASAA advances sweeping reforms on advisor advertising and franchise broker oversight
NASAA advances sweeping reforms on advisor advertising and franchise broker oversight

Dual initiatives target regulatory gaps while strengthening investor and franchisee protections.

NASAA urges SEC to step in on FINRA's outside activities proposal
NASAA urges SEC to step in on FINRA's outside activities proposal

State regulators warn FINRA’s proposed Rule 3290 could leave gaps in oversight of brokers’ side businesses and private deals.

Small RIAs get marketing boost as Alabama updates rules
Small RIAs get marketing boost as Alabama updates rules

State-registered RIAs managing less than $100 million in Alabama can now use online reviews in their marketing, which SEC-registered advisors have been able to do since 2021.

How one full-service wealth firm is embracing AI without layoffs
TECHNOLOGY NOV 19, 2025
How one full-service wealth firm is embracing AI without layoffs

Leaders at Siebert Financial discuss how AI has supercharged marketing outcomes and compliance capacity – while still keeping humans in the loop.

How to do well in the Series 63 exam
How to do well in the Series 63 exam

If you’re thinking of branching out into selling securities under a broker-dealer, you must take the Series 63 exam. Find out more, and get some tips and tricks, in this article

Do you need a Series 66 license?
Do you need a Series 66 license?

Find Series 66 license guidelines, requirements, and FAQs to help you meet industry credentials

What is the Series 7 exam, and do you need it?
What is the Series 7 exam, and do you need it?

Get key Series 7 exam guidelines, requirements, and FAQs to help investment professionals succeed

Digital asset fraud, senior exploitation top NASAA’s enforcement priorities
ALTERNATIVES OCT 20, 2025
Digital asset fraud, senior exploitation top NASAA’s enforcement priorities

State regulators stepped up actions against crypto scams, unregistered actors, and senior exploitation as digital threats evolve.

An investment adviser's guide to the Series 65 exam
An investment adviser's guide to the Series 65 exam

Find out what the Series 65 licensing exam is and why it's important. Get tips and strategies to how to pass the test

State-registered RIAs' assets top $360B as firm count slips, NASAA says
State-registered RIAs' assets top $360B as firm count slips, NASAA says

Annual snapshot shows registration failures, fees, and fiduciary shortfalls as top enforcement issues, with California, Texas, and Florida hosting the most state-level RIAs.

Industry groups urge clarity as NASAA floats adviser marketing rule changes
Industry groups urge clarity as NASAA floats adviser marketing rule changes

CFP Board, the Financial Planning Association, and the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors reiterate the need for a harmonized federal and state-level approach.

How do Americans find and hire financial advisors? New research breaks it down
How do Americans find and hire financial advisors? New research breaks it down

Data analysis from advisor review platform Wealthtender reveals affluent investors' appetite for advisors, what factors matter for would-be clients, and which new modes of engagement are on the rise.

NASAA moves to let state RIAs use client testimonials, aligning with SEC rule
NASAA moves to let state RIAs use client testimonials, aligning with SEC rule

A new proposal could end the ban on promoting client reviews in states like California and Connecticut, giving state-registered advisors a level playing field with their SEC-registered peers.

How RIA in a Box supports compliance for investment firms
TECHNOLOGY JUN 26, 2025
How RIA in a Box supports compliance for investment firms

Simplify compliance and streamline operations with RIA in a Box—built for investment firms in the US

LPL, Edward Jones, other brokerages hit with multimillion-dollar settlement over excessive commissions
LPL, Edward Jones, other brokerages hit with multimillion-dollar settlement over excessive commissions

Multi-year NASAA investigation shows the five firms charged customers $19 million across just over a million trades, violating FINRA rules.