During a speech last Monday at the Finra conference, the regulator's chairman and chief executive, Richard G. Ketchum, dropped a small bombshell that is likely to please many brokers.
In February, officials at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc. indicated that they were considering, among other things, posting brokers' licensing test scores on BrokerCheck, the regulator's public database.
The proposal did not sit well with some representatives or their advocacy groups.
But in his speech last week, Mr. Ketchum said that Finra isn't interested in collecting or publicizing such information.
“For the next phase, we're interested in ideas for expanding the range of information we disclose in BrokerCheck, updating the way in which that information is presented, and increasing investor awareness of BrokerCheck,” he said.
"HEARD YOUR CONCERNS'
“In February, we issued a notice requesting comment on our proposed changes and received numerous comments,” Mr. Ketchum said.
“We've heard your concerns about whether your test scores will be revealed,” he said. “I want to stress that that's not the type of information we're interested in disclosing.”
Finra's decision may well be due to the comment letters received by the self-regulatory organization, decrying the idea.
“I believe publishing test scores makes no sense for someone who has been in the business for over 25 years,” April Kvalvik, a broker with Bank of America Merrill Lynch, wrote in one letter.
“As a [certified financial planner], I have mastered many complex areas in investing and financial planning. I do not think that scores from a 25-year-old test are relevant,” Ms. Kvalvik wrote.
“Such scores reflect only the knowledge of regulatory requirements at the time of the test, and not investment knowledge or any relevant industry skills. In fact, the very act of publishing such scores would be misleading, as it connotes validity ... in selecting a broker,” wrote David Wiley, president of Wiley Bros.-Aintree Capital LLC.
Catherine O'Brien, a rep at Crowell Weedon & Co., went further.
In her comment letter, she wrote: “I would like the grades of all Finra and SEC employees, schools they attended, last 10 years of employment, criminal history ... bankruptcy filings and any financial judgments ... made public.”
Mr. Ketchum didn't address that suggestion in his speech.
Dan Jamieson contributed to this story.
jgoff@investmentnews.com
