FINRA has published a report regarding conflicts of interest in the broker-dealer industry in order to highlight effective conflict management practices that go beyond regulatory requirements. FINRA provided numerous recommendations to help firms build an effective conflict management framework, a few of which were as follows: identify and manage conflicts on an ongoing basis through an enterprise-level approach that carries through to the organization's structures, policies, processes, training and culture; establish new product review processes that include perspectives independent from the

FINRA has filed with the SEC a proposal to amend rules regarding the reporting requirements for alternative trading systems ("ATS"). FINRA proposed to adopt amendments to FINRA Rule 4552 which would require each ATS to report weekly volume information and the number of trades regarding securities transactions to FINRA. FINRA also proposed to amend rules 6160, 6170, 6480 and 6720 to require each ATS to acquire and use unique market participant identifiers ("MIPD") when reporting information to FINRA. FINRA would then make the reported volume and trade count information publicly available on its

FINRA released a podcast discussing guidance on fee disclosure and communications with the public when dealing with retail brokerage accounts and individual retirement accounts ("IRA"). The podcast stated that many firms offering retail brokerage accounts and IRAs advertise no fees to the consumer on those types of accounts. However, FINRA noted that, while some fees will not apply, consumers will be charged certain fees for those accounts which can involve the opening or closing of the accounts, as well as associated product fees, including commission and management fees. FINRA expressed

The Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems ("CPSS") and IOSCO published for public comment a consultative document titled "Public Quantitative Disclosure Standards for Central Counterparties" ("CCP"). The consultative paper complements a previous paper by the CPSS and IOSCO from 2012 which provided guidance on what should be disclosed by central counterparties and other financial market infrastructures. The proposed disclosures in this document are intended to provide a means for enabling stakeholders, authorities, participants, and the public to: compare CCP risk controls; have a clear

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency ("OCC") and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ("FRB") published a final rule in the Federal Register that revises their risk-based and leverage capital requirements for banking organizations. The final rule implements a revised definition of regulatory capital, a new common equity tier 1 minimum capital requirement, a higher minimum tier 1 capital requirement, and, for banking organizations subject to the advanced approaches risk-based capital rule, a supplementary leverage ratio that incorporates a broader set of exposures in