The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA; finra.org/)is the largest independent regulator for all securities firms doing business in the United States. FINRA oversees nearly 4,700 brokerage firms, about 167,000 branch offices, and approximately 635,000 registered securities representatives. FINRA was created in July 2007 through the consolidation of NASD (National Association of Securities Dealers) and the regulatory and enforcement functions of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). FINRA protects investors and market integrity through effective and efficient regulation and complementary compliance and technology-based services (finra.org/AboutFINRA/ ).