NASAA seeks comment on new rules for unpaid arbitration awards

NASAA seeks comment on new rules for unpaid arbitration awards
If the model rules were adopted, states would have more power to collect millions in fines.
OCT 05, 2021

The North American Securities Administrators Association, the group representing state and provincial securities regulators, will put out for public comment a set of proposed model rules covering unpaid arbitration awards and regulatory fines.

The proposed model rules, if adopted, would give NASAA members additional tools to combat the problem of unpaid arbitration awards and fines by broker-dealers and agents or investment advisers and investment adviser representatives licensed in a state.

The proposed model rules would make it an unethical business practice for a broker-dealer, agent, investment adviser or investment adviser representative registered in a jurisdiction to fail to pay an arbitration award or fine entered against the person. The model rules could therefore serve as the basis for enforcement actions by NASAA members against such persons, including license revocation.

Upon the conclusion of the public comment process, the model rules may be presented to the NASAA membership for approval. After that, they could be adopted as new rules or regulations by NASAA members.

According to a recent study by the Public Investors Advocate Bar Association, nearly one out of three customers who won arbitration cases in 2020 did not receive their award payment. PIABA reviewed all publicly available 2020 arbitration awards available on the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc. website and found that 19 customer awards totaling $5 million went unpaid out of a total of 64 awards and $20.9 million won.

Latest News

Amplify lands Brookwood partnership as RIA data platform push accelerates
Amplify lands Brookwood partnership as RIA data platform push accelerates

Phoenix-based Brookwood Investment Group taps the AI-native wealthtech firm as its advisor count and AUM keep climbing

Financial advisors are wealthier than ever, but are they happier?
Financial advisors are wealthier than ever, but are they happier?

To achieve contentment, advisors should think twice before selling their firms for the biggest dollar amount.

Cetera lands $2.1 billion LPL OSJ in latest West Coast move
Cetera lands $2.1 billion LPL OSJ in latest West Coast move

San Diego broker-dealer giant picks up California-based Sierra Ridge and its roughly 40 advisors, who had been affiliated with LPL for just over a year.

The great wealth transfer is really a trust transfer, not a check
The great wealth transfer is really a trust transfer, not a check

Advisors chase asset transfer, but the next generation decides whether the relationship survives it too

Global finance leaders warned that AI poses systemic risk to markets
Global finance leaders warned that AI poses systemic risk to markets

FSB, FINRA and Canada's OSFI have each flagged AI as a threat to financial stability, citing stretched valuations, rising retail leverage and cyber vulnerabilities

SPONSORED Direct indexing webinar targets tax-loss harvesting amid market swings

Northern Trust’s Ken Lassner shows advisors how to convert volatility into after-tax portfolio gains

SPONSORED Who builds the income when the pension disappears?

Dan Biagini of American Equity says the steady decline of pensions, longer lifespans and a reset in interest rates are rewriting how advisors build retirement income