The New Velvet Rope? B/D Admissions Down Dramatically
August 24, 2012 by Diana Britton, WealthManagement.com It’s become increasingly difficult for small broker/dealers to break into the business, as regulations increase. For the last few years, the independent broker/dealer community has been consumed by the blow-ups of problematic alternative investments, with many small firms simply throwing in the towel. But the velvet rope, so to speak, just got a little longer. With new regulations and compliance burdens, many small shops aren’t opening up new broker/dealers at all. According to a recent study by The Compliance Department Inc., a Centennial, Colo.-based firm that provides compliance outsourcing services to b/ds and investment advisors, the number of new broker/dealer admissions has dropped about 45 percent from last year. Only 18 new firms—with equities as their main line of business—registered with FINRA in the first six months of this year, compared to...