Free online audio recordings that highlight industry news, regulatory updates and hot compliance topics are now available at www.nasd.com/podcasts. Users can listen online or download to a portable digital media player or computer. Users can also sign up for a free subscription to receive new podcasts automatically.
"We are expanding our use of new media in order to get our messages out to a wider population of industry participants," said NASD Vice Chairman Doug Shulman. "These podcasts join our popular series of video webcasts on important compliance issues. We hope they will be a useful way for registered reps and compliance officers to keep abreast of regulatory issues at their convenience - whenever and wherever they choose."
Initially, NASD's compliance podcasts will cover three key areas:
- The Compliance Topics series addresses issues firms have identified as the most challenging. The first two podcasts of the series, available today, address anti-money laundering issues and branch office registration. Upcoming podcasts will cover outsourcing compliance activities and principals' role in supervision.
- NASD Updates is a monthly series that recaps upcoming regulatory deadlines, new Notices to Members, NASD press releases and more. The first monthly update is available today.
- NASD Speeches will offer audio versions of select speeches by NASD executives.
The new podcasts complement a series of free, on-demand video webcasts that deliver brief, focused information on priority compliance topics to brokers and others who work directly with investors. Video webcasts now online look at 529 College Savings Plans, anti-money laundering, ethics, mutual fund share classes and breakpoint discounts, variable annuities exchange issues, equity indexed annuity sales, bond sale practices and fee-based accounts. More than 142,000 users have viewed NASD's video webcasts since the series was launched in early 2005. More webcasts will be added this year, on topics including broker communications with the public, margin accounts new product suitability considerations and variable annuities principal review.
NASD also offers more formal compliance courses on its E-Learning Exchange, which was introduced one year ago. More than 840 firms have licensed e-learning compliance courses for 110,000 employees.
NASD is the leading private-sector provider of financial regulatory services, dedicated to investor protection and market integrity through effective and efficient regulation and complementary compliance and technology-based services. NASD touches virtually every aspect of the securities business - from registering and educating all industry participants, to examining securities firms, enforcing both NASD rules and the federal securities laws, and administering the largest dispute resolution forum for investors and registered firms. For more information, please visit our Web site at www.nasd.com.
("Copyright 2006 National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.")
