Webinar Regarding FINRA Rule 3110(e)
“Onboarding & Compliance: What Investment Companies Should Know Before Making a Hiring Decision”
August 2, 2016
1:00 – 1:45 Presentation (Eastern Time)
Followed by 15 Minute Question & Answer Period
There is no fee to register for this event which is geared for financial services and compliance professionals.
Clifton Park, NY…Mario Pecoraro, CEO of Alliance Risk Group, will team up with Business Partner, Steve Thornton, President of Thornton & Associates, LLC headquartered in Pasadena, California, to present a live webinar regarding “Onboarding & Compliance: What Investment Companies Should Know Before Making a Hiring Decision” on Tuesday, August 2 at 1 pm ET. The webinar, which will be hosted by the National Society of Compliance Professionals, is expected to draw approximately 700 participants. Topics covered include compliance with Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Rule 3110(e), a background check rule for investment advisor applicants that has recently been approved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Pecoraro will discuss pre-hire compliance issues with Rule 3110(e) which requires that each member “ascertain by investigation the good character, business reputation, qualifications and experience of an applicant before the member applies to register that applicant with FINRA…” Mandatory and suggested background investigation searches will be discussed as well as how to know when a more in-depth search of public records in warranted.
Steve Thornton, who has over 20 years of securities compliance, auditing and accounting experience, will discuss post-hire issues including understanding compliance after the hiring decision is made and how to monitor the outside business activities of the new hire and their private securities transactions that could lead to conflict of interest concerns. He will also discuss the gray areas of onboarding and compliance including how to balance investor protection with advisor privacy concerns, understanding the relevance of a bankruptcy report (red flag or red herring) and referencing criminal findings in their proper context.
More About the Panelists:
Mario Pecoraro:
CEO of Alliance Risk Group:
Privately owned, Alliance Risk Group. was founded in 2005 by CEO Mario Pecoraro who has over 20 years of experience in the investigative field. The company, which specializes in complete risk & fraud mitigation services, including pre-employment background screening and insurance fraud investigations, has grown into a national/international investigative firm servicing clients globally.
Steven L. Thornton:
President of Thornton & Associates, LLC
Steve is responsible for the general operations, consulting and FINOP services provided by Thornton & Associates, LLC. Mr. Thornton has over 20 years of securities compliance, auditing and accounting experience. He specializes in the areas of FINRA, SEC, RIA and MSRB compliance, net capital regulation, general accounting practices, and FINRA new membership applications and membership application changes. Mr. Thornton also maintains the Series 7 (General Securities Representative), Series 24 (General Securities Principal), Series 55 (Equity Trader), Series 79 (Investment Banking) and Series 28 (Financial and Operations Principal) and Series 99 (Operations Professional) licenses.