What Is The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority?
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization which acts as a self-regulatory body for brokers and dealers in the USA.
The largest governing body of its kind, FINRA functions to protect investors in the United States by overseeing the fair and honest operation of its securities firms. FINRA formed in 2007 as a merger between the regulatory committee of the New York Stock Exchange, and the National Association of Securities Dealers – a move to streamline legislative complexity and remove a substantial amount regulatory redundancy between enforcement bodies.
In 2018, FINRA is responsible for the conduct of over 4,500 brokerage firms, over 162,000 branch offices, and over 600,000 securities representatives. The organization operates from Washington DC and New York, but holds offices in all 50 states, and overseas offices in London and Puerto Rico.
