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

We just wanted to say thanks for your work in helping us get back some of the money we lost. We are not by any means rich, but we have saved some money and we have done so through a tight-fisted approach to most everything we do. So losing a significant chunk of money hurt…especially at a time when everyone else was growing their accounts. We really appreciate the work you did.

Allan and Adele

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

December 12, 2025
SEC Charges Driver Who Posed as a Financial Professional and Lost Over $1 Million

Federal regulators charged a New York area driver with masquerading as a seasoned investment professional and causing significant losses for three investors.

December 11, 2025
DOJ Secures Five-Year Prison Sentence in Wolf Capital Crypto Fraud Case

Federal prosecutors have obtained a five-year prison sentence for Travis Ford, an Oklahoma resident who admitted to orchestrating a fraudulent crypto investment scheme through Wolf Capital.

December 10, 2025
SEC Highlights Rising Risks in RIA Consolidation and Focuses on Retailer Investor Protection

The Securities and Exchange Commission signaled heightened scrutiny of investment advisers involved in mergers and acquisitions, according to its newly released 2026 Examination Priorities.