FINRA to Restructure BrokerCheck, Giving Investors More Power
April 2012 By Melanie Waddell and featured in Investment Advisor Proposed changes include not only unifying BrokerCheck and the SEC’s IAPD system, but also divulging broker/advisor test scores Brokers and advisors take note: the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) plans to revamp BrokerCheck to not only make it easier for investors to track down information about their broker—including “unifying” the search capabilities for BrokerCheck and the SEC’s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure database—but to also expand the types of information investors can get about their broker. Until recently, FINRA noted that BrokerCheck was the only regulator that provided a comprehensive, online tool that enabled investors to check the backgrounds of financial service industry professionals. In 2010, the SEC expanded the IAPD database—which had previously only included information on investment advisor firms—to include information on investment advisor...