FINRA Bad Broker Rule Would Hit Less Than 2% of Firms

The new rule proposal identifies firms "that have a cluster of brokers with a high level of misconduct in the firm," Cook said, adding that "relative to your peer group, you're way out on the tail" regarding the number of misconduct events.

FINRA states that it would "preliminarily identify these members by using numeric, threshold-based criteria and several additional steps that would guard against misidentification."

The obligations could include requiring a broker-dealer "to maintain a specific deposit amount, with cash or qualified securities, in a segregated account at a bank or clearing firm, from which the member could make withdrawals only with FINRA's approval. This proposal also aims to preserve firm funds for payment of arbitration awards against them."

The proposal, FINRA states, "would achieve this both through how a member's 'covered pending arbitration claims' and unpaid arbitration awards could impact the size of its restricted deposit requirement, and a presumption that a member would continue to maintain a restricted deposit if it has any 'covered pending arbitration claims' or unpaid arbitration awards."

— Related on ThinkAdvisor:

• FINRA Pushing Ahead on CAT, Rule Review: CEO Cook
• FINRA Plans Restrictions on BDs With History of Hiring Bad Brokers