Form CRS

SEC Updates Form CRS Disciplinary Guidance

October 16, 2020 | Bryan Gort

Last week the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) released updated guidance to the disciplinary disclosures section of Form CRS. The purpose of Form CRS is to provide a succinct summary of the business of the Investment Adviser or Broker-Dealer to provide a retail investor with the proper information to make an informed decision regarding whether an investment advisory or brokerage relationship is in the best interest of the investor. Form CRS also provides a platform to generate questions for clients to ask their financial professional to spark a conversation regarding the disclosures. Likewise, the purpose of the disciplinary section of the Form CRS is to give an overall indication as to whether the firm or its financial professionals have disciplinary history to disclose.

The SEC and FINRA place a high level of importance on ensuring that firms adequately disclose their disciplinary history to provide full and accurate disclosure to retail investors. Since June 30, 2020, the required implementation date of Form CRS, the SEC and FINRA have examined investment advisers to determine compliance with the guidance regarding Form CRS and Regulation BI. In its examinations, the regulators determined that many investment advisory and brokerage firms were either not providing a response to the disciplinary section or providing more details than the section’s instructions require. The following are summaries of the updated guidance on Form CRS disciplinary disclosures:

SEC Provides Form CRS Guidance and Issues RIA Examination Risk Alert

May 27, 2020 | Steve Parker

As we mentioned in an earlier post, in April of this year the SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) issued separate risk alerts on the subjects of Form CRS and Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI). The risk alerts were designed to provide investment advisers and broker-dealers information regarding the anticipated scope and content of the examinations OCIE will conduct following the filing deadline for Form ADV, Part 3 and following the compliance date for Regulation Best Interest. In this post we examine the new requirements regarding Form ADV, Part 3, which we will refer to as “Form CRS,” and then review the SEC’s Risk Alert relating to Form CRS. Firms seeking to comply with the new requirements should carefully review the 17-page instructions to Form CRS. The SEC has also published a helpful Small Entity Compliance Guide.

Under the new requirements, federally registered RIAs must electronically file Form CRS via the IARD system and must deliver a Form CRS to all retail investors, regardless of net worth or sophistication. Currently registered RIAs or entities who currently have pending applications to become RIAs may file their form CRS at any time, but they must file the initial CRS on or before June 30, 2020. The Form CRS may be filed as part of an initial application to register under Rule 203-1, or as an other-than-annual amendment to the Form ADV under Rule 204-1. Beginning June 30, 3020, any new application will be considered incomplete and will be rejected if it does not contain a Form CRS. Every RIA’s firm must post its Form CRS on its public website, but there is no requirement that a firm without a public-facing website must create one. Continue reading ›

SEC Announces 2020 Examination Priorities

January 24, 2020 | Steve Parker

Earlier this month, the SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) announced its examination priorities for 2020. Many of the priorities listed are similar to those identified in previous years’ priorities lists. The SEC’s approach in addressing them, however, continues to evolve to keep pace with the changing landscape of financial markets, market participants, products, technologies and risks. This post will address some of the areas that should be of concern to a large percentage of registered investment advisers (RIAs), broker-dealers and other regulated entities.

OCIE reiterated that a significant underpinning of any effective compliance program is the “tone at the top” set by C-level executives and owners. Those firms that prioritize compliance and effectively create a “culture of compliance” tend to be more successful in designing and implementing compliance plans than firms that view compliance as an afterthought or business hindrance. One of the “hallmarks” of a firm’s commitment to compliance is the presence of an “empowered” CCO who is routinely consulted regarding most facets of the firm’s operations. There is nothing new to these concepts, but it is worth noting that OCIE continues to emphasize them year after year. Although not stated in the priorities release, the degree to which a firm demonstrates a commitment to compliance often weighs heavily on decisions OCIE examiners must make regarding how deficiencies will be addressed by the Commission. All other things being equal, firms that have made mistakes but demonstrate the ability to make effective corrections will often be provided an opportunity to implement those corrections and are less likely to become the subject of an enforcement referral.

Not surprisingly, OCIE will continue to prioritize examining RIAs to assess compliance with their fiduciary duty to clients. For examinations of RIAs occurring during the second half of 2020, this will undoubtedly include the proper use of Form ADV Part 3, which RIAs are required to complete, file, and place into use with clients by June 30, 2020. Additionally, broker-dealers will be expected to implement compliance with new Regulation BI, requiring adherence to a best interest standard. The priorities list reiterates that advisers and broker-dealers must eliminate, or at least fully and fairly disclose, all conflicts of interest, as more fully explained in Investment Advisor Release 5248, issued in June of last year.

Among other priorities relevant to RIAs, OCIE also listed the protection of retail investors saving for retirement, information security, anti-money laundering programs and financial technology.

SEC Issues Clarifying Guidance on New Form CRS

December 5, 2019 | Parker MacIntyre

The SEC’s Divisions of Investment Management and Trading & Markets have issued guidance in the form of a set of Frequently Asked Questions (or “FAQs”) addressing the upcoming implementation of the newly-created SEC Form CRS Relationship Summary (“Form CRS”).

As previously profiled on this blog, Form CRS is a new SEC disclosure document that will be applicable to both RIAs and broker/dealers offering services to retail investors. Indeed, for RIAs, the new Form CRS will function as a new Part 3 to the RIA’s existing Form ADV. The purpose of Form CRS is to summarize basic information about the firm’s services, fees, and costs, as well as its conflicts of interest and material disciplinary events. As noted, Form CRS obligations only arise for firms dealing with “retail investors,” which the SEC defines as “natural persons” or their legal representatives, who seek to receive or receive services “primarily for personal, family or household purposes.” Full implementation of Form CRS is slated for June 30, 2020.