The 2010 reform legislation will impact RIAs, the large banks employing wirehouse advisors, and independent broker/dealers.
"This is a tough law that will also have profound effects on the operations and cost structure of most financial services companies and financial markets," said Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) president and CEO Tim Ryan in a statement on June 25.
Many analysts note that the initial reforms were much more sweeping than the final legislation. "While we believe the final bill will be restrictive to earnings and constrain capital, the outcome could have been worse, with both derivative reform and trading restrictions eased somewhat in the final hours, though maybe not as much as some of the bigger banks would have hoped," wrote Jason Goldberg, an analyst with Barclays Capital in New York in a June 28 report.
This doesn't mean that carrying out required reforms will be a walk in the park for banks and other financial organizations: There are at least 350 new regulations and some 150 studies mandated in the 2,000-plus page conference report, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
For one, "investment advisors will be dealing with this legislation for years to come," said David Tittsworth, CEO of the Investment Advisers Association, in an e-mail interview, though it remains to be seen "whether or not the bill represents a net 'win' or 'loss' for advisors and their clients." Tittsworth also added that the legislation may lead to new regulations "that could increase the complexity and burden of compliance for all advisory firms."
