FINRA has filed a proposed rule change to amend FINRA Rule 2267 (Investor Education and Protection) to require that members include a prominent description of FINRA BrokerCheck and a link to the member’s specific BrokerCheck page on their websites, social media pages and any comparable Internet media. The proposed requirement would also apply to the work-related websites and social media pages of associated persons. The proposal is intended to increase awareness and use of BrokerCheck. View Notice in full here (links externally to FINRA website).

In response to numerous questions received about new FINRA Rule 2210 since it was announced in Regulatory Notice 12-29, FINRA has published an FAQ with additional guidance on its website. The FAQ covers internal communications, transitional filing issues, guidance for new firms, retail-structured products, disclosure requirements regarding recommendations, and public appearances. The new communications rules become effective February 4, 2013. View Notice in full here (links externally to FINRA website).

The CFTC’s exemptive order providing time-limited relief from certain cross-border applications of the swap provisions of Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Act and CFTC regulations has been published in the Federal Register. Under the exemptive order, a non-U.S. person that registers with the Commission as a swap dealer (“SD”) or major swap participant (“MSP”) may delay compliance with certain entity-level requirements adopted under the Dodd-Frank Act, and non-U.S. SDs and MSPs and foreign branches of U.S. SDs and MSPs may delay compliance with certain transaction-level requirements adopted under

The MSRB is seeking qualified applicants to fill seven positions on its Board of Directors beginning October 1, 2013. The MSRB, which regulates the $3.7 trillion municipal securities market, is governed by a Board of Directors which makes policy decisions, authorizes rulemaking and market transparency initiatives, and oversees MSRB operations. The Board is seeking to appoint four individuals representing the public and three individuals representing regulated entities to serve three-year terms. Applicants representing regulated entities must be affiliated with a broker-dealer, bank or

The U.S. Treasury has updated the Model 1A (Reciprocal) and Model 1B (Nonreciprocal) IGAs to conform with signed IGAs with various countries, as well as with the Model 2 IGA. Model 1 IGAs provide for foreign financial institutions resident in an IGA country to provide information about accounts held or owned directly or indirectly by U.S. persons or entities to the local government which will automatically forward such information to the U.S. The revised Models include a “most favored nation” clause, as well as a few tweaks in defining insurance companies subject to FATCA. They also clarify