Things To Know About FINRA Retention Requirements
                     THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT 
FINRA RETENTION 
REQUIREMENTS
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT FINRA 
RETENTION REQUIREMENTS
• Understanding FINRA retention requirements or rules is very important if you have a 
business in the financial service sector. One of the rules you need to be aware of is the Rule 
4511 which includes the general archiving requirements that broker-dealers must follow.  
This rule is based on the general recordkeeping requirements by NASD Rule 3110 and NYSE 
440, and it clarifies that companies are supposed to make and preserve books and records 
under the Securities Exchange Act, the FINRA rules and the applicable SEA rules.
• According to the FINRA Rule 4511, firms are also required to preserve FINRA books and 
records for a period of at least six years, for which there is no specified retention under the 
FINRA rules or applicable SEA rules. Companies are also expected to preserve books and 
records required to be made under the FINRA rules in a format and media that is compliant 
with the SEA Rule 17a-4.
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT FINRA 
RETENTION REQUIREMENTS
• When it comes to books and records, the SEA Rules 17a-3 and 17a-4 detail what broker-dealers as 
well as member firms are supposed to create and retain. Examples of records that should be made 
and archived include records of original entry, trade tickets, copies of conformations and notices, 
asset and liability ledgers, customer account ledgers and income ledgers, customer account profile 
information, and so on. 
• The default retention period for books and records varies depending on the type. For example, trade 
tickets for brokerage orders are supposed to be preserved for at least three years while the original 
copies of all business related communications should be retained for at least three years. Records 
that don’t have a specified period of retention indicated in the SEA Rule 17a- 4 have a default six-
year retention period. 
• For more information on FINRA retention requirements, visit our website at 
https://www.telemessage.com/
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT 
FINRA RETENTION 
REQUIREMENTS