On January 22, 2019, FINRA published its 2019 Risk Monitoring and Examination Priorities
Letter. Released several weeks later than usual, FINRA's
letter follows the December 10, 2018 publication of the 2019 Examination Priorities Letter by the
SEC's Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations
(OCIE).
Although neither list of priorities is entirely unexpected, it
helps to have a roadmap as to each regulator's focus,
particularly for those firms that will be examined this year by one
or both regulators.
FINRA's 2019 Priorities
FINRA's letter is notable for its new approach: rather than
resuscitating old priorities as the letter had in years past, the
2019 letter seeks to highlight topics that are materially new.
Specifically, the letter identifies four emerging areas for focus
for FINRA:
