Regulatory Update: FINRA Rule 3110 now effective granting Temporary Relief to Allow Remote Inspections for Calendar Year 2020 and 2021

Pursuant to SR-FINRA-2020-040, FINRA has adopted temporary Supplementary Material .17 (Temporary Relief to Allow Remote Inspections for Calendar Year 2020 and Calendar Year 2021) under FINRA Rule 3110 (Supervision) to provide member firms the option, subject to specified requirements under the supplementary material, to complete remotely their calendar year 2020 and calendar year 2021 inspection obligations under FINRA Rule 3110(c) (Internal Inspections), without an on-site visit to the office or location.

Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) is filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC” or “Commission”) a proposed rule change to adopt temporary Supplementary Material .17 (Temporary Relief to Allow Remote Inspections for Calendar Year 2020 and Calendar Year 2021) under FINRA Rule 3110 (Supervision) to provide member firms the option, subject to specified requirements under the proposed supplementary material, to complete remotely their calendar year 2020 and calendar year 2021 inspection obligations under FINRA Rule 3110(c) (Internal Inspections), without an on-site visit to the office or location. The temporary rule change is necessitated by the compelling health and safety concerns and the operational challenges member firms are facing due to the sustained COVID-19 pandemic.