Wolters Kluwer Financial Services Introduces Practical Guide to NASD Regulation

Guide Offers Easy-to-Reference Information that Source Member Firms Need to Comply with NASD Regulation

MINNEAPOLIS – (Oct. 9, 2006) – Wolters Kluwer Financial Services today introduced the Practical Guide to NASD Regulation, an all-in-one guide to NASD® regulation for broker-dealer compliance professionals. The guide completely reorganizes the NASD rules by functional areas of a broker-dealer, with cross-references to interpretive letters, information memos, notices to members, and more. It is currently available as a softcover book, and will be available online on the Compliance Resource Network in November.

The regulatory environment remains complex and changing, and responsibility for regulatory compliance is reaching beyond compliance officers. Broker-dealers need to ensure that everyone — compliance officers and attorneys, as well as branch managers and registered reps — have access to easy-to-understand and easy-to-use regulatory information and background to make informed, actionable decisions on firm issues.

The Practical Guide to NASD Regulation offers a quick, portable guide to NASD rules. Written in plain English, the guide divides the NASD rules into seven sections critical to all broker-dealers:

* Customer relationships;
* Relationships with associated persons;
* Relationships with regulators;
* Relationships with other members and nonmember entities;
* Record-keeping and regulatory reporting;
* Rules regarding specific products; and
* Market regulation.

The authors — Margaret A. Sheehan, a partner at Alston and Bird LLP who heads the firms Investment Products and Services Group; Sara F. Burstein, an associate at Alston and Bird LLP in the Financial Services and Products Group; and Rockell C. Metcalf, vice president and group counsel of Ameriprise Financial, Inc. — had a simple vision of creating and publishing a tool to stand alongside every NASD Manual, providing guidance to the proper sections and explaining the rules in a context that would be helpful with daily firm compliance as well as a training tool.

“The current regulatory environment warrants that firms think of compliance holistically,” said David Stephens, executive vice president of the Securities and Insurance unit at Wolters Kluwer Financial Services. “Oftentimes simply having easy access to regulatory rules and interpretations is half the battle in making better decisions when issues arise.”

The Practical Guide to NASD Regulation is the latest offering to help securities industry professionals comply with myriad industry rules and regulations. To order online, visit onlinestore.cch.com and enter keyword “NASD.” Learn more about these products by visiting www.WoltersKluwerFS.com/securities/cch.asp.

About Wolters Kluwer Financial Services
Wolters Kluwer Financial Services provides best-in-class compliance, content, and technology solutions and services that help financial organizations manage risk and improve efficiency and effectiveness across their enterprise. The organization’s prominent brands include Bankers Systems, VMP® Mortgage Solutions, PCi, GainsKeeper®, CCH® Capital Changes, NILS INSource™, AuthenticWeb™, and CCH Wall Street. Wolters Kluwer Financial Services’ solutions include integrated and stand-alone compliance and workflow tools, documentation, analytics, authoritative information, and professional services. Customers include banks, credit unions, mortgage lenders, securities, and insurance organizations of all sizes throughout the United States. For more information on Wolters Kluwer Financial Services, visit www.WoltersKluwerFS.com.

Contact Information

Angela Peterson

Senior Public Relations Specialist

Wolters Kluwer

Contact via E-mail