Rule 17a-4
  Records to Be Preserved by Certain Exchange Members,
Brokers and Dealers
a. Every
member, broker and dealer subject to Rule 17a-3 shall preserve for a period
of not less than six years, the first two years in an easily accessible
place, all records required to be made pursuant to paragraphs Rule 17a-3(a)(1),
(a)(2), (a)(3), (a)(5), (a)(21), (a)(22), and analogous records created
pursuant to Rule 17a-3(f).
b.
Every member, broker
and dealer subject to Rule 17a-3 shall preserve for a period of not less
than three years, the first two years in an easily accessible place:
1. All
records required to be made pursuant to Rule 17a-3(a)(4), (a)(6), (a)(7),
(a)(8), (a)(9), (a)(10), (a)(16), (a)(18), (a)(19), (a)(20), and analogous
records created pursuant to Rule 17a-3(f).
2. All
check books, bank statements, cancelled checks and cash reconciliations.
3. All
bills receivable or payable (or copies thereof), paid or unpaid, relating
to the business of such member, broker or dealer, as such.
4. Originals
of all communications received and copies of all communications sent (and
any approvals thereof) by the member, broker or dealer (including inter-office
memoranda and communications) relating to its business as such, including
all communications which are subject to rules of a self-regulatory organization
of which the member, broker or dealer is a member regarding communications
with the public. As used in this paragraph (b)(4), the term communications
includes sales scripts.
5. All
trial balances, computations of aggregate indebtedness and net capital
(and working papers in connection therewith), financial statements, branch
office reconciliations, and internal audit working papers, relating to
the business of such member, broker or dealer, as such.
6. All
guarantees of accounts and all powers of attorney and other evidence of
the granting of any discretionary authority given in respect of any account,
and copies of resolutions empowering an agent to act on behalf of a corporation.
7. All
written agreements (or copies thereof) entered into by such member, broker
or dealer relating to its business as such, including agreements with
respect to any account.
8.
Records which contain
the following information in support of amounts included in the report
prepared as of the audit date on Form X-17A-5 (17 CFR § 249.617) Part
II or Part IIA or Part IIB and in the annual financial statements required
by Rule 17a-5(d) and Rule 17a-12(b).
i. Money
balance position, long or short, including description, quantity, price
and valuation of each security including contractual commitments in customers'
accounts, in cash and fully secured accounts, partly secured accounts,
unsecured accounts, and in securities accounts payable to customers;
ii. Money
balance and position, long or short, including description, quantity,
price and valuation of each security including contractual commitments
in non-customers' accounts, in cash and fully secured accounts, partly
secured and unsecured accounts, and in securities accounts payable to
non-customers;
iii. Position,
long or short, including description, quantity, price and valuation of
each security including contractual commitments included in the Computation
of Net Capital as commitments, securities owned, securities owned not
readily marketable, and other investments owned not readily marketable;
iv. Amount
of secured demand note, description of collateral securing such secured
demand note including quantity, price and valuation of each security and
cash balance securing such secured demand note;
v. Description
of futures commodity contracts, contract value on trade date, market value,
gain or loss, and liquidating equity or deficit in customers' and non-customers'
accounts;
vi. Description
of futures commodity contracts, contract value on trade date, market value,
gain or loss and liquidating equity or deficit in trading and investment
accounts;
vii. Description,
money balance, quantity, price and valuation of each spot commodity position
or commitments in customers' and non-customers' accounts;
viii. Description,
money balance, quantity, price and valuation of each spot commodity position
or commitments in trading and investment accounts;
ix. Number
of shares, description of security, exercise price, cost and market value
of put and call options including short out of the money options having
no market or exercise value, showing listed and unlisted put and call
options separately;
x. Quantity,
price, and valuation of each security underlying the haircut for undue
concentration made in the Computation for Net Capital;
xi. Description,
quantity, price and valuation of each security and commodity position
or contractual commitment, long or short, in each joint account in which
the broker or dealer has an interest, including each participant's interest
and margin deposit;
xii. Description,
settlement date, contract amount, quantity, market price, and valuation
for each aged failed to deliver requiring a charge in the Computation
of Net Capital pursuant to Rule 15c3-1;
xiii. Detail
relating to information for possession or control requirements under Rule
15c3-3 and reported on the schedule in Part II or IIA of Form X-17A-5
(17 CFR § 249.617) ;
xiv. Detail
of all items, not otherwise substantiated, which are charged or credited
in the Computation of Net Capital pursuant to Rule 15c3-1, such as cash
margin deficiencies, deductions related to securities values and undue
concentration, aged securities differences and insurance claims receivable;
and
xv. Other
schedules which are specifically prescribed by the Commission as necessary
to support information reported as required by Rule 17a-5 and Rule 17a-12.
9. The
records required to be made pursuant to Rule 15c3-3(d)(4) and (o).
10. The
records required to be made pursuant to Rule 15c3-4 and the results of
the periodic reviews conducted pursuant to Rule 15c3-4(d).
11. All
notices relating to an internal broker-dealer system provided to the customers
of the broker or dealer that sponsors such internal broker-dealer system,
as defined in paragraph (a)(16)(ii)(A) of Rule 17a-3. Notices, whether
written or communicated through the internal broker-dealer trading system
or other automated means, shall be preserved under this paragraph (b)(11)
if they are provided to all customers with access to an internal broker-dealer
system, or to one or more classes of customers. Examples of notices to
be preserved under this paragraph (b)(11) include, but are not limited
to, notices addressing hours of system operations, system malfunctions,
changes to system procedures, maintenance of hardware and software, and
instructions pertaining to access to the internal broker-dealer system.
12. The records required to be made pursuant to §240.15c3-1e(c)(4)(vi)(D)
and (E).
c. Every
member, broker and dealer subject to Rule 17a-3 shall preserve for a period
of not less than six years after the closing of any customer's account
any account cards or records which relate to the terms and conditions
with respect to the opening and maintenance of the account.
d. Every
member, broker and dealer subject to Rule 17a-3 shall preserve during
the life of the enterprise and of any successor enterprise all partnership
articles or, in the case of a corporation, all articles of incorporation
or charter, minute books and stock certificate books (or, in the case
of any other form of legal entity, all records such as articles of organization
or formation, and minute books used for a purpose similar to those records
required for corporations or partnerships), all Forms BD (17 CFR 249.501),
all Forms BDW (17 CFR 249.501a), all amendments to these forms, all licenses
or other documentation showing the registration of the member, broker
or dealer with any securities regulatory authority.
e.
Every member, broker
and dealer subject to Rule 17a-3 shall maintain and preserve in an easily
accessible place:
1. All
records required under paragraph (a)(12) of Rule 17a-3 until at least
three years after the associated person's employment and any other connection
with the member, broker or dealer has terminated.
2. All
records required under paragraph (a)(13) of Rule 17a-3 until at least
three years after the termination of employment or association of those
persons required by Rule 17f-2 to be fingerprinted; and
3. All
records required pursuant to paragraph (a)(15) of Rule 17a-3 for the life
of the enterprise.
4. All
records required pursuant to paragraph (a)(14) of Rule 17a-3 for three
years.
5. All
account record information required pursuant to Rule 17a-3(a)(17) until
at least six years after the earlier of the date the account was closed
or the date on which the information was replaced or updated.
6. Each
report which a securities regulatory authority has requested or required
the member, broker or dealer to make and furnish to it pursuant to an
order or settlement, and each securities regulatory authority examination
report until three years after the date of the report.
7. Each
compliance, supervisory, and procedures manual, including any updates,
modifications, and revisions to the manual, describing the policies and
practices of the member, broker or dealer with respect to compliance with
applicable laws and rules, and supervision of the activities of each natural
person associated with the member, broker or dealer until three years
after the termination of the use of the manual.
8. All
reports produced to review for unusual activity in customer accounts until
eighteen months after the date the report was generated. In lieu of maintaining
the reports, a member, broker or dealer may produce promptly the reports
upon request by a representative of a securities regulatory authority.
If a report was generated in a computer system that has been changed in
the most recent eighteen month period in a manner such that the report
cannot be reproduced using historical data in the same format as it was
originally generated, the report may be produced by using the historical
data in the current system, but must be accompanied by a record explaining
each system change which affected the reports. If a report is generated
in a computer system that has been changed in the most recent eighteen
month period in a manner such that the report cannot be reproduced in
any format using historical data, the member, broker or dealer shall promptly
produce upon request a record of the parameters that were used to generate
the report at the time specified by a representative of a securities regulatory
authority, including a record of the frequency with which the reports
were generated.
f.
The records required
to be maintained and preserved pursuant to Rule 17a-3 and Rule 17a-4 may
be immediately produced or reproduced on "micrographic media"
(as defined in this section) or by means of "electronic storage media"
(as defined in this section) that meet the conditions set forth in this
section and be maintained and preserved for the required time in that
form.
1.
For purposes of
this section:
i. The
term micrographic media means microfilm or microfiche, or any similar
medium; and
ii. The
term electronic storage media means any digital storage medium or system
and, in the case of both paragraphs (f)(1)(i) and (f)(1)(ii) of this section,
that meets the applicable conditions set forth in this section(f).
2.
If electronic storage
media is used by a member, broker, or dealer, it shall comply with the
following requirements:
i. The
member, broker, or dealer must notify its examining authority designated
pursuant to Section 17(d) of the Act prior to employing electronic storage
media. If employing any electronic storage media other than optical disk
technology (including CD-ROM), the member, broker, or dealer must notify
its designated examining authority at least 90 days prior to employing
such storage media. In either case, the member, broker, or dealer must
provide its own representation or one from the storage medium vendor or
other third party with appropriate expertise that the selected storage
media meets the conditions set forth in this paragraph (f)(2).
ii.
The electronic
storage media must:
A. Preserve
the records exclusively in a non-rewriteable, non-erasable format;
B. Verify
automatically the quality and accuracy of the storage media recording
process;
C. Serialize
the original and, if applicable, duplicate units of storage media, and
time-date for the required period of retention the information placed
on such electronic storage media; and
D. Have
the capacity to readily download indexes and records preserved on the
electronic storage media to any medium acceptable under this paragraph
(f) as required by the Commission or the self-regulatory organizations
of which the member, broker, or dealer is a member.
3.
If a member, broker,
or dealer uses micrographic media or electronic storage media, it shall:
i. At
all times have available, for examination by the staffs of the Commission
and self-regulatory organizations of which it is a member, facilities
for immediate, easily readable projection or production of micrographic
media or electronic storage media images and for producing easily readable
images.
ii. Be
ready at all times to provide, and immediately provide, any facsimile
enlargement which the staffs of the Commission, any self-regulatory organization
of which it is a member, or any State securities regulator having jurisdiction
over the member, broker or dealer may request.
iii. Store
separately from the original, a duplicate copy of the record stored on
any medium acceptable under Rule 17a-4 for the time required.
iv.
Organize
and index accurately all information maintained on both original and any
duplicate storage media.
A. At
all times, a member, broker, or dealer must be able to have such indexes
available for examination by the staffs of the Commission and the self-regulatory
organizations of which the broker or dealer is a member.
B. Each
index must be duplicated and the duplicate copies must be stored separately
from the original copy of the index.
C. Original
and duplicate indexes must be preserved for the time required for the
indexed records.
v.
The member,
broker, or dealer, must have in place an audit system providing for accountability
regarding inputting of records required to be maintained and preserved
pursuant to Rules 17a-3 and 17a-4 to electronic stage media and inputting
of any changes made to every original and duplicate record maintained
and preserved thereby.
A. At
all times, a member, broker, or dealer must be able to have the results
of such audit system available for examination by the staffs of the Commission
and the self-regulatory organizations of which the broker or dealer is
a member.
B. The
audit results must be preserved for the time required for the audited
records.
vi. The
member, broker, or dealer must maintain, keep current, and provide promptly
upon request by the staffs of the Commission or the self-regulatory organization
of which the member, broker, or broker-dealer is a member all information
necessary to access records and indexes stored on the electronic storage
media; or place in escrow and keep current a copy of the physical and
logical file format of the electronic storage media, the field format
of all different information types written on the electronic storage media
and the source code, together with the appropriate documentation and information
necessary to access records and indexes.
vii.
For each
member, broker, or dealer exclusively using electronic storage media for
some or all of its record preservation under this section, at least one
third party (the undersigned), who has access to and the ability to download
information from the member's, broker's, or dealer's electronic storage
media to any acceptable medium under this section, shall file with the
designated examining authority for the member, broker, or dealer the following
undertakings with respect to such records:
The undersigned hereby undertakes
to furnish promptly to the the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
("Commission"), its designees or representatives, any self-regulatory
organization of which it is a member, or any State securities regulator
having jurisdiction over the member, broker or dealer, upon reasonable
request, such information as deemed necessary by the staffs of the Commission,
any self-regulatory organization of which it is a member, or any State
securities regulator having jurisdiction over the member, broker or dealer
to download information kept on the broker's or dealer's electronic storage
media to any medium acceptable under Rule 17a-4.
Furthermore, the undersigned hereby undertakes to take reasonable
steps to provide access to information contained on the brokers or dealers
electronic storage media, including, as appropriate, arrangements for
the downloading of any record required to be maintained and preserved
by the broker or dealer pursuant to Rules 17a-3 and 17a-4 under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 in a format acceptable to the staffs of the Commission,
any self-regulatory organization of which it is a member, or any State
securities regulator having jurisdiction over the member, broker or dealer.
Such arrangements will provide specifically that in the event of a failure
on the part of a broker or dealer to download the record into a readable
format and after reasonable notice to the broker or dealer, upon being
provided with the appropriate electronic storage medium, the undersigned
will undertake to do so, as the Commission's staff or its designee may
request.
g. If
a person who has been subject to
Rule 17a-3 ceases
to transact a business in securities directly with others than members
of a national securities exchange, or ceases to transact a business in
securities through the medium of a member of a national securities exchange,
or ceases to be registered pursuant to Section 15 of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934 as amended, such person shall, for the remainder of the periods
of time specified in this section, continue to preserve the records which
he theretofore preserved pursuant to this section.
h. For
purposes of transactions in municipal securities by municipal securities
brokers and municipal securities dealers, compliance with Rule G-9 of
the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board will be deemed to be in compliance
with this section.
i.
If the records required
to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 17a-3
and Rule 17a-4 are prepared or maintained by an outside service bureau,
depository, bank which does not operate pursuant to Rule 17a-3(b)(2),
or other recordkeeping service on behalf of the member, broker or dealer
required to maintain and preserve such records, such outside entity shall
file with the Commission a written undertaking in form acceptable to the
Commission, signed by a duly authorized person, to the effect that such
records are the property of the member, broker or dealer required to maintain
and preserve such records and will be surrendered promptly on request
of the member, broker or dealer and including the following provision:
With respect to any books and records maintained or preserved on
behalf of [BD], the undersigned hereby undertakes to permit examination
of such books and records at any time or from time to time during business
hours by representatives or designees of the Securities and Exchange Commission,
and to promptly furnish to said Commission or its designee true, correct,
complete and current hard copy of any or all or any part of such books
and records.
Agreement with an outside entity shall not relieve such member, broker
or dealer from the responsibility to prepare and maintain records as specified
in this section or in Rule 17a-3.
j. Every
member, broker and dealer subject to this section shall furnish promptly
to a representative of the Commission legible, true, complete, and current
copies of those records of the member, broker or dealer that are required
to be preserved under this section, or any other records of the member,
broker or dealer subject to examination under section 17(b) of the Act
that are requested by the representative of the Commission.
k.
Exchanges of futures
for physical.
1.Except
as provided in paragraph (k)(2) of this section, upon request of any designee
or representative of the Commission or of any self-regulatory organization
of which it is a member, every member, broker or dealer subject to this
section shall request and obtain from its customers documentation regarding
an exchange of security futures products for physical securities, including
documentation of underlying cash transactions and exchanges. Upon receipt
of such documentation, the member, broker or dealer shall promptly provide
that documentation to the requesting designee or representative.
2.This
paragraph (k) does not apply to an underlying cash transaction(s) or exchange(s)
that was effected through a member, broker or dealer registered with the
Commission and is of a type required to be recorded pursuant to
Rule
17a-3
l. Records
for the most recent two year period required to be made pursuant to Rule
17a-3(g) and paragraphs (b)(4) and (e)(7) of this section which relate
to an office shall be maintained at the office to which they relate. If
an office is a private residence where only one associated person (or
multiple associated persons who reside at that location and are members
of the same immediate family) regularly conducts business, and it is not
held out to the public as an office nor are funds or securities of any
customer of the member, broker or dealer handled there, the member, broker
or dealer need not maintain records at that office, but the records must
be maintained at another location within the same State as the member,
broker or dealer may select. Rather than maintain the records at each
office, the member, broker or dealer may choose to produce the records
promptly at the request of a representative of a securities regulatory
authority at the office to which they relate or at another location agreed
to by the representative. m.
When used in this section:
1.
The
term office shall have the meaning set forth in Rule 17a-3(h)(1).
2.The
term principal shall have the meaning set forth in Rule 17a-3(h)(2).
3.The
term securities regulatory authority shall have the meaning set
forth in Rule 17a-3(h)(3).
4.The
term associated person shall have the meaning set forth in Rule
17a-3(h)(4).
Regulatory History |
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13 FR 8212, Dec.
22, 1948
62 FR 6469, 6473, Feb. 12, 1997 63 FR 59362, 59401, Nov. 3, 1998 63 FR 70844, 70919, Dec. 22, 1998 64 FR 13065, 13066, Mar. 17, 1999
65 FR 13235, Mar. 13, 2000 66 FR 55818, 55840, 55841, Nov. 2, 2001
67 FR 58284, 58299, Sept. 13, 2002
68 FR 15354, Mar. 31, 2003
SEC Release 34-49830:
69 FR 34427, Jun. 21, 2004 |
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