SEC Postpones Consideration Of Amendments To Broker-Dealer Books And Records Rules

The Commission has postponed consideration of a recommendation to adopt final amendments to its broker-dealer books and records rules, Rules 17a-3 and 17a-4 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, from its open meeting on October 3 to an open meeting on October 26 at 10 a.m.

As proposed, the amendments to Rule 17a-3 would clarify and expand recordkeeping requirements with respect to purchase and sale documents, customer records, associated person records, customer complaints, and certain other matters. The amendments to Rule 17a-4 would expand the types of records that broker-dealers must maintain and require broker-dealers to maintain or promptly produce certain records at each office to which those records relate. These amendments are designed to assist securities regulators, particularly state securities regulators, when conducting sales practice examinations of broker-dealers. These amendments were originally proposed on October 22, 1996 (see Exchange Act Release No. 37850, 61 FR 55593 (Oct. 28, 1996)), and were reproposed on October 2, 1998 (see Exchange Act Release No. 40518, 63 FR 54404 (Oct. 9, 1998)).