The NASD says it adopted the new rule interpretation because of reports that member firms have gone to great lengths to keep departing brokers from taking accounts to new firms.
In some cases, member firms have filed lawsuits against customers to stop transfers of accounts, the NASD says.
"It is a fundamental right of an investor to choose with whom he or she does business, and the fact that a broker changes firms should not affect an investor's ability to continue to access his or her account and to do business with that broker," NASD Chairman Robert Glauber said in a statement on the new interpretation.
The interpretation does not affect actions against former employees or other firms, or the operation of NASD account transfer rules, the NASD says.
More information is available on the NASD Regulation site, at http://www.nasdr.com/pdf-text/0136ntm.pdf
Reproduced from National Underwriter Life & Health/Financial Services Edition, January 7, 2002. Copyright 2002 by The National Underwriter Company in the serial publication. All rights reserved.Copyright in this article as an independent work may be held by the author.
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