Capital Market Solutions

  For broker-dealers, recordkeeping is far more than an administrative task — it is a core pillar of regulatory risk management. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires firms to create, preserve, and retrieve records that reflect the full scope of their securities business.   SEC Rule 17a-4   defines the preservation and storage standards that underpin this obligation. Getting Rule 17a-4 right is foundational not only for audits and examinations, but also for dispute resolution, enforcement defense, and overall compliance credibility. In today’s regulatory environment, its importance is amplified by  Consolidated Audit Trail (CAT) compliance  and  FINRA CAT  reporting , where data integrity, traceability, and retention are under constant scrutiny. Firms that succeed treat Rule 17a-4 as a  system of governance, process, and technology , not simply as a storage requirement. SEC Rules 17a-3 and 17a-4: The Backbone of Broker-Dealer Recor...

  As regulatory expectations continue to evolve, broker-dealers face increasing pressure to maintain accurate, timely, and complete reporting under the   Customer Account Information System (CAIS)   and the   Consolidated Audit Trail (CAT) Compliance   framework. With  FINRA CAT  intensifying scrutiny, firms — especially small and mid-sized broker-dealers — must prioritize streamlined reporting, data governance, and error correction processes to avoid penalties and operational disruptions. This blog breaks down the essentials of CAIS, CAT, and FINRA CAT obligations, and highlights how  Capital Market Solutions (CMS)  ( https://capmarketsolutions.com/ ) provides end-to-end reporting, remediation, and compliance support. What Is Customer Account Information System (CAIS)? The  Customer Account Information System (CAIS)  is a key component of the CAT reporting structure. It requires firms to submit customer and account-level informatio...

  Capital Market Solutions (CMS) is a leading provider of Regulatory Surveillance, Compliance, and Regulatory Reporting solutions. RSMS — CMS’s trusted and proven compliance platform — is widely used for  Consolidated Audit Trail (CAT) Compliance ,  FINRA CAT ,  CAIS Reporting , and Trading Compliance. With deep integrations across major OMS and EMS platforms, RSMS ensures seamless, fast onboarding and reliable operations for broker-dealer firms. RSMS is engineered for accuracy, efficiency, and near-zero rejection rates, giving firms a complete, unified ecosystem for regulatory reporting. With growing demand from the market and existing clients, CMS is now introducing  SEC Rule 605/606 reporting  within the RSMS platform — closely integrated with CAT and CAIS workflows for a smooth and consistent compliance experience. Understanding SEC Rule 606 Requirements Rule 606  aims to bring complete transparency to how broker-dealers route non-directed cust...