“FINRA is facing so many external pressures to its existence,” says Bradley Bondi, a partner at Cahill Gordon & Reindeland a leader of the firm’s securities enforcement practice. “It does not surprise me that it picked someone like Bob Cook who is an experienced broker-dealer attorney, is well versed on the current issues and knows his way around the SEC.”
Among the top issues that Cook will face, industry observers point to FINRA’s evolving role within the regulatory space as well as calls for greater transparency and investor protections, particularly with regard to elderly clients. Some of FINRA’s critics also question whether Cook, who has spent most of his career in private practice, will be sufficiently vigilant in maintaining investor protections.
via New FINRA CEO will face thorny issues and rising criticism | On Wall Street
