Securities Industry Study Self Regulation In The Securities Industry

As competition among markets has increased, so have some market participants' concerns about the inherent conflicts of interest that securities self-regulatory organizations (SRO) face in their dual roles as market operators & regulators. This report describes how the SEC, the NASD, & the NYSE have been addressing concerns about: the impact of increased competition, including demutualization, on the ability of SROs to effectively regulate members with which they compete, & possible regulator inefficiencies associated with broker-dealer membership in multiple SROs. Describes alternative approaches that some securities market participants have discusses as a means of addressing concerns about the current self-regulatory structure.