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In a combined effort to provide additional protection for investors, FINRA and the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) today announced a new campaign urging investors to provide their financial firms with a trusted contact. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (SEC OIEA) is also collaborating on this initiative.
A trusted contact is an individual authorized by an investor to be contacted by their financial firm in limited circumstances, such as concerns about activity in the investor’s account or if the firm has been unable to reach the investor after numerous attempts. A trusted contact may be a family member, attorney, accountant or another reliable third party; investors may establish more than one trusted contact and may add or change a trusted contact at any time.
FINRA Rule 4512 requires FINRA member firms to ask an investor for the name and contact information of a trusted contact person when opening a non-institutional customer’s account or when updating account information for a non-institutional account. A trusted contact can help firms connect with investors to confirm current contact information, health status or the identity of any legal guardian, executor, trustee or holder of a power of attorney.
“Investor protection is at the core of FINRA's mission and this collaborative effort with NASAA and the SEC OIEA reflects our shared commitment to better inform and protect investors,” said FINRA President and Chief Executive Officer Robert Cook. “All investors can benefit from adding a trusted contact to their account—having one or more trusted contacts provides another layer of security on the account and puts the financial firm in a better position to help keep the account safe.”
Financial firms are encouraged to share campaign resources with investors, and investors are encouraged to review the materials, ask questions and contact their firm to name a trusted contact. All of the campaign’s resources can be found on www.finra.org/trustedcontact.
“We are pleased to work collaboratively with our counterparts at FINRA and with SEC staff to provide this important resource in the hope that it will promote greater investor security,” said NASAA President, Maryland Securities Commissioner Melanie Senter Lubin.
The campaign features a new webpage that provides details on how a trusted contact can help investors when the firm cannot reach them—whether because of travel, a natural disaster, a health issue or when the firm is concerned about potential fraud.
In addition, a colorful new infographic reminds investors that financial firms may reach out to trusted contacts only in limited circumstances, underscoring that a trusted contact:
- Cannot make trades in the investor’s account;
- Cannot make decisions about the investor’s account; and
- Does not become a power of attorney, legal guardian, trustee or executor by virtue of being identified as a trusted contact.
A new video also explains what a trusted contact person is and why it’s important that investors provide one to their financial firm.
