Last month, FINRA’s National Adjudicatory Council (NAC) introduced new Sanction Guidelines which allow the NAC and FINRA staff to take into consideration the “undue influence” of registered individuals over vulnerable customers in determining appropriate sanction levels. The last update to the Guidelines occurred approximately two years ago, and included changes related to unsuitable recommendations and misrepresentations. Last month’s changes to the Guidelines provide for the first time a “principal consideration that analyzes whether a respondent has exercised undue influence over a customer.” Now listed as a specific factor for adjudicators and FINRA staff to consider in determining appropriate sanctions is “[w]hether the respondent exercised undue influence over the customer.”
Additional contributors to this post:
Bruce M. Bettigole, brucebettigole@eversheds-sutherland.com
Sarah Razaq Sallis, sarahsallis@eversheds-sutherland.com
