Tr?id=566623520170033&ev=PageView&noscript=1

Sharp Drop in FINRA Expungement Requests as New Rules Take Effect

Posted on February 26th, 2025 at 11:05 AM
Sharp Drop in FINRA Expungement Requests as New Rules Take Effect

From the desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law

The number of brokers seeking to expunge customer complaints and other disclosures from their public records through FINRA’s arbitration forum has plunged 79 percent over the past year. AdvisorHub reports that the significant decline follows FINRA’s implementation of stricter rules on October 16, 2023, aimed at curbing what investor advocates criticized as excessive success rates in expungement cases.

Between October 16, 2023, and December 1, 2024, advisors filed only 143 standalone expungement requests, compared to 681 during the same period the previous year, according to FINRA data. According to AdvisorHub, the earlier figures were bolstered by a surge of filings just before the new rules took effect.

The updated requirements mandate unanimous decisions from a panel of three arbitrators, rather than one, and prohibit the expungement of complaints older than three years. Although FINRA does not require brokers to use its arbitration forum for expungement, it retains oversight for cases filed externally. Advisors must secure a court order affirming an award and name FINRA as a defendant to allow the regulator to contest the claim. FINRA has also pledged to notify state regulators in such cases to provide an opportunity for them to intervene, as reported by AdvisorHub.

 

Eccleston Law LLC represents investors and financial advisors nationwide in securities, employment, transition, regulatory, and disciplinary matters.

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law, finra

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next
Quotes Bigger

Thank you for your professional assistance with this matter. You are very good at what you do.

John T.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

1783957061 Law
July 13, 2026
FINRA Warns of Growing Risks From Finfluencers and AI-Driven Investment Content

Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) regulators are raising concerns about the increasing influence of social media personalities and artificial intelligence (AI) on retail investors, particularly those managing their own investments without professional guidance.

1783615970 Law
July 9, 2026
FINRA Suspends Former Branch Manager for Supervisory Failures Linked to Excessive Trading and Churning

A former regional branch manager at a broker-dealer has agreed to Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) sanctions after the regulator found that he failed to supervise registered representatives who engaged in excessive trading and churning of customer accounts.

1783525964 Law
July 8, 2026
SEC Sanctions David Lerner Associates for Regulation Best Interest Violations

David Lerner Associates has agreed to settle Securities and Exchange (SEC) charges alleging violations of Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI) that resulted in unnecessary costs to retail investors, according to InvestmentNews.