External Review Recommends Sweeping Changes to FINRA Enforcement Program

On June 30, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) published an outside expert report setting forth significant recommendations for the management, investigation, review, and resolution of enforcement matters. FINRA commissioned the review in July 2025 as part of its FINRA Forward modernization initiative, retaining Professor Paul Eckert of William & Mary Law School and former SEC Commissioner Troy Paredes to evaluate opportunities for “meaningful, common-sense improvements” to FINRA’s enforcement program.