With that said, if you want to keep up on FINRA email archiving rules and other FINRA news, check out the FINRA compliance podcasts. One of the best parts about this series of podcasts: this information is coming directly from the source (plus a catchy opening tune!).

FINRA releases individual podcasts on topical issues, as well as a monthly recap of FINRA notices, compliance resources and news.

So download some of these very informative podcasts, pop them onto your media player of choice, and stay up to date on FINRA email archiving rules and more!

FINRA email archiving is vital to fulfill many key rules, including SEC 17a-4 as well as NASD 3010. What’s included in these laws?

SEC 17a-4

Electronic business records must be preserved and retained from 3-6 years. In addition, messages need to be in their original form on tamperproof, non-rewritable and non-erasable media and stored in different locations (redundant storage). Firms need to also use the services of a third-party downloader to access these records.

NASD 3010

This law pertains to showcasing that supervisory procedures are being enforced with documented records. In terms of FINRA email archiving, this would be having an audit trail built within the system. In addition, outgoing emails need to be able to scanned for noncompliant language.

Adherence to, but also understanding of these two FINRA email archiving laws are important, especially with increased attention to enforcing regulations. With the New Year, it’s a great opportunity to review your company’s email archiving solution and make sure your company is compliant.

Benefits of our FINRA Email Archiving Services

Ensuring that FINRA compliant Email Archiving is being conducted properly helps organizations from legal, financial, and operational standpoints, among others. Luckily, there are a great variety of tools that can help financial organizations tackle the challenges of complying with FINRA’s electronic records regulations.

The Correlation between a Business Continuity Audit and Email Archiving

The purpose of a business continuity audit is to review a company’s plan regarding the potential loss of documents, data and other virtual property.  During an audit, the auditing entity will often check to see that a proper back-up system exists.  Email archiving solutions often fit the bill and make it less likely that pertinent documents will be lost in the case of some type of disaster.

Why Email Archiving Is Important in This Type of Audit

There are quite a few reasons why email archiving proves beneficial in a business continuity audit.  First, with email archive solutions you have a place to preserve past emails safely.  This protects the content from any potential disasters which may arise within your current operating system.  Therefore, should you have a computer crash incident, fear not about your past email correspondence as this will be tucked securely away from any possible danger.

Another reason why email archiving is important in the context of this business audit is that you will be complying with various company regulations in general.  A business continuity audit is put together so that the current safeguards pertaining to IT issues can be evaluated.  When the continuity audit takes place it will be evident that you have a secure backup plan in effect simply by having an email archiving solution in place.

Many companies choose to use an email archive provider which stores the emails in an entirely separate location away from your current operating system.  This too will ensure that your prior emails are safe should any disaster occur to your computer systems.  This will be one less thing to worry about in the case of a computer system crash, and the continuity audit will have positive results if you have an email archiving solution in place at that time.

Why Must Entities Abide By FINRA Email Archiving Regulations?

The SEC compliance FINRA email archiving regulations are lengthy in text but the main meaning is quite clear and to the point.  Basically, FINRA email archiving rules which revolve around SEC compliance state that financial entities must have a clear cut email archiving program in place.  Email archiving provides a way for these companies to store their prior emails for a certain period of time and provide access to their employees on a continual basis when they need to access one or more emails.  Email archiving also enables the company to store these emails in a remote location where they can be kept safe and still be retrieved.  With such regulations in place, others can rest assured that should they need to obtain the emails and gain a paper trail to evidence in a court case, for example, the documents will be readily accessible.

Getting Well On Your Way to SEC Compliance

Being in stride with SEC compliance is not only a wise idea but it is required by the regulatory bodies.  There are various SEC compliance specialists out there who offer FINRA email archiving programs but some are certainly better than others are.  If you are interested in learning more about SEC compliance and FINRA email archiving, now is the day to start.  When you fill out the brief form in the top right hand corner of this page you can gain access to an email archiving provider who knows what type of services you need and get you started with such services.  SEC compliance is a must and FINRA email archiving is just one step in this necessary process to regulatory compliance.  The end result will be a proper email archiving program which meets SEC compliance standards.

FINRA takes the task of records retention seriously – a strong hint that your organization should do so as well. The task requires working with seasoned professionals who know the ins and outs of FINRA compliance. Do the research and find a company with experience and positive reviews with helping clients be FINRA compliant.

FINRA has made it clear that email archiving and data retention are mission-critical. However, knowing exactly how email is supposed to be handled poses a big challenge.

What are regulators looking for?

Should companies go with an in-house or outsourced solution?

FINRA requires that firms create written policies and procedures detailing their email retention and compliance system. The purpose is to ensure the adequacy of the drafted procedures. If a firm fails to test their own policies there is the implied threat that FINRA will step in and investigate and the penalties can be severe.