Regulatory Updates Archives

Iowa’s New Adjuster Licensing Requirements: Your Comprehensive Guide

In April 2025, the Iowa legislature passed SF 619, marking a pivotal shift in how insurance adjusters are licensed and regulated within the state. This new law introduces licensing for Independent Adjusters, Staff Adjusters, Appraisers, and Umpires for the first time. The transition period to licensing will require different procedures depending on when an adjuster’s application is submitted, their experience level, and their adjuster licensing history. On June 9th, 2025, Iowa released Bulletin 25-04, outlining the transitional and long term filing process for these new license types. This blog will walk you through the essentials of Iowa’s independent and staff […]

FINRA Proposes Key Update to Gift Limits in Rule 3220: What Financial Professionals Need to Know

FINRA has submitted proposed amendments to Rule 3220 (Influencing or Rewarding Employees of Others) that could impact your business development and client engagement practices. These changes modernize longstanding limitations on gifts and gratuities, aiming for clarity, increased flexibility, and better alignment with current business realities. Here’s what financial professionals need to know about the proposed changes: Increased Gift Limit: $250 per Recipient, per Year The cornerstone change is an increase in the annual gift limit from $100 to $250 per recipient, per year. This better aligns with inflation and evolving industry standards. This update reflects the Board of Governors’ recommendation […]

Key Takeaways from ARM Annual Conference 2025

Our regulatory affairs team was onsite at the ARM Annual Educational Conference 2025 and gathered key insights from the sessions and discussions that took place. The conference brought together industry leaders and experts to discuss the latest developments and best practices in regulatory affairs, focusing on compliance, registration processes, continuing education, and technological advancements. Here’s a look at some of the most important takeaways from the event. Key Changes to FINRA Fees & MFA In November 2024, FINRA approved new fee increases scheduled for 2026, which will impact all registration fees. This includes the introduction of a tiered fee structure […]

Key Takeaways from the FINRA 2025 Annual Conference: Embracing Change and Innovation in Financial Regulation

The FINRA 2025 Annual Conference provided a comprehensive look into the evolving landscape of financial regulation and the ongoing efforts to enhance market integrity, investor protection, and operational efficiency. Several RegEd subject matter experts, including members of our regulatory affairs team, were in attendance, and they made note of these key takeaways from the event. As the financial services industry faces new challenges and opportunities, key discussions from this year’s conference focused on modernizing regulatory practices, enhancing cybersecurity measures, and leveraging innovative technologies like AI. Here are the major insights and takeaways from the event: 1. Modernizing Regulation: Adapting to […]

It’s the Final Countdown…Get Your IAR CE Renewals Straight; Don’t be Late!

Happy Renewal Season!!! As year-end 2024 approaches, it’s a great time to review the Investment Adviser Representative Continuing Education (IAR CE) status for your associates required to satisfy this annual requirement. IARs who fail to satisfy their IAR CE requirement for two consecutive years risk being administratively terminated in jurisdictions that have implemented an IAR CE requirement unless they satisfy ‘at a minimum’ the full 2023 requirement before year-end 2024. Although not rocket science, there are some complexities around the unique nature of the IAR CE program that still creates some confusion for the industry. For example, it’s important to […]

Complying with Pay-to-Play Rules in an Election Year

Complying with Pay-to-Play Rules in an Election Year This year’s government elections pose a compliance challenge for registered investment advisory (RIA) firms. When it comes to politics, investment advisers and their covered associates can be as passionate as any voters. But “pay-to-play” rules prohibit advisers from making some political donations that many other voters could. SEC Rule 206(4)-5 considers it to be unlawful for investment advisers to provide investment advisory services for compensation to a government entity within two years after a contribution to an ‘official’ of the government entity is made by the investment adviser or any of its covered […]

Is your regulatory branch inspection program prepared to support the new FINRA Remote Inspections Pilot Program and Requirements for Residential Supervisory Locations?

In January of this year, FINRA published Regulatory Notice 24-02 announcing the effective dates for the Remote Inspection Pilot Program (Pilot) and the Residential Supervisory Locations (RSLs). Those dates are now rapidly approaching and firms must make decisions on whether to participate in the Pilot Program this year and how to apply the RSL rule. A primary driver in the Pilot decision is whether the technology the firm uses will allow the firm to meet the tracking, findings, and reporting intricacies under the Rules. RegEd’s Branch Audit Management solution enables Pilot-participating firms to meet the new requirements. It also allows […]

FINRA’s Targeted Exam Reveals Violations in Crypto Communications: What You Need to Know

FINRA recently released the results of its November 2022 targeted exam to review the practices of its member firms that actively communicate with retail customers concerning crypto assets and crypto asset-related services. As part of this targeted exam, FINRA reviewed over 500 such communications and identified potential substantive violations of FINRA Rule 2210 in approximately 70 percent of the communications. FINRA Rule 2210 requires that communications be fair and balanced and provide a sound basis for evaluating the facts regarding any product or service discussed. The Rule also prohibits claims that are false, exaggerated, promissory, unwarranted, or misleading, and prohibits […]

Year-End Considerations for Investment Adviser Representatives: Navigating Complex CE Requirements and Potential Non-Compliance Risks

As the year draws to a close, it’s crucial for Investment Adviser Representatives (IARs) and Investment Advisers (IAs) to be acutely aware of the Investment Adviser Representative Continuing Education (IAR CE) requirements and the consequences of non-compliance. This blog post aims to highlight key points on what needs to be considered as we approach year-end, focusing on CE compliance, potential administrative terminations, and strategies for addressing these challenges. Understanding the Risks of Non-Compliance with IAR CE Requirements Potential Administrative Termination for IARs Two-Year Backlog Risk: IARs who are behind on their IAR CE for two years face the risk of […]

Navigating Regulatory Disparities: Broker-Dealer Branch Office Inspections

Introduction The financial services industry is constantly evolving, and regulatory bodies play a pivotal role in protecting investors as well as maintaining the integrity and stability of the markets. Recent enforcement events are at the center of a regulatory conundrum. Maine has sanctioned at least 28 broker-dealers so far this summer for failing to conduct annual onsite branch office inspections, drawing attention to the compliance challenges broker-dealers faced due to the lack of uniformity within the regulatory landscape. Maine isn’t the only state with an annual onsite branch office inspection requirement. The Regulatory Dilemma The heart of the issue lies […]

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