WSR 02-19-093

PERMANENT RULES

DEPARTMENT OF

FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
(Securities Division)

[ Filed September 17, 2002, 12:24 p.m. ]

     Date of Adoption: September 9, 2002.

     Purpose: Currently, the introductory paragraphs to WAC 460-21B-060 and 460-22B-090 both refer to RCW 21.20.110(7). This statute was revised in 1998 to the effect that RCW 21.20.110(7) is now RCW 21.20.110 (1)(g). This rule proposal would correct WAC 460-21B-060 and 460-22B-090 so that they refer to RCW 21.20.110 (1)(g). WAC 460-24A-145 (5)(a) contains a typographical error. In the first sentence, "or" should read "of." This proposal would correct this typographical error.

     Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 460-21B-060, 460-22B-090, and 460-24A-145.

     Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 21.20.450.

     Other Authority: RCW 21.20.110 (1)(g).

      Adopted under notice filed as WSR 02-14-057 on June 27, 2002.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 0, Amended 3, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 3, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0;      Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 3, Repealed 0.

     Other Findings Required by Other Provisions of Law as Precondition to Adoption or Effectiveness of Rule: No rule may be made unless the director of the Department of Financial Institutions finds that the action is necessary or appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors and consistent with the purposes fairly intended by the policy and provisions of chapter 21.20 RCW. The director hereby makes such a finding with respect to this proposal.
     Effective Date of Rule: Thirty-one days after filing.

September 13, 2002

Helen P. Howell

Director

OTS-5799.1


AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 99-12-043, filed 5/26/99, effective 7/9/99)

WAC 460-21B-060   Dishonest or unethical business practices -- Broker-dealers.   The phrase "dishonest or unethical practices" as used in RCW 21.20.110(((7))) (1)(g) as applied to broker-dealers is hereby defined to include any of the following:

     (1) Engaging in a pattern of unreasonable and unjustifiable delays in the delivery of securities purchased by any of its customers and/or in the payment upon request of free credit balances reflecting completed transactions of any of its customers;

     (2) Inducing trading in a customer's account which is excessive in size or frequency in view of the financial resources and character of the account;

     (3) Recommending to a customer to purchase, sell or exchange any security without reasonable grounds to believe that such transaction or recommendation is suitable for the customer based upon reasonable inquiry concerning the customer's investment objectives, financial situation and needs, and any other relevant information known by the broker-dealer;

     (4) Executing a transaction on behalf of a customer without authorization to do so;

     (5) Exercising any discretionary power in effecting a transaction for a customer's account without first obtaining written discretionary authority from the customer, unless the discretionary power relates solely to the time and/or price for the execution of orders;

     (6) Executing any transaction in a margin account without securing from the customer a properly executed written margin agreement promptly after the initial transaction in the account;

     (7) Failing to segregate customers' free securities or securities held in safekeeping;

     (8) Hypothecating a customer's securities without having a lien thereon unless the broker-dealer secures from the customer a properly executed written consent promptly after the initial transaction, except as permitted by rules of the securities and exchange commission;

     (9) Entering into a transaction with or for a customer at a price not reasonably related to the current market price of the security or receiving an unreasonable commission or profit;

     (10) Failing to furnish to a customer purchasing securities in an offering, no later than the date of confirmation of the transaction, a final or preliminary prospectus, and if the latter, failing to furnish a final prospectus within a reasonable period after the effective date of the offering;

     (11) Charging unreasonable and inequitable fees for services performed, including miscellaneous services such as collection of monies due for principal, dividends or interest, exchange or transfer of securities, appraisals, safekeeping, or custody of securities and other services related to its securities business;

     (12) Offering to buy from or sell to any person any security at a stated price unless such broker-dealer is prepared to purchase or sell, as the case may be, at such price and under such conditions as are stated at the time of such offer to buy or sell;

     (13) Representing that a security is being offered to a customer "at the market" or a price relevant to the market price unless such broker-dealer knows or has reasonable grounds to believe that a market for such security exists other than that made, created or controlled by such broker-dealer, or by any person for whom he/she is acting or with whom he/she is associated in such distribution, or any person controlled by, controlling or under common control with such broker-dealer;

     (14) Effecting any transaction in, or inducing the purchase or sale of, any security by means of any manipulative, deceptive or fraudulent device, practice, plan, program, design or contrivance, which may include but not be limited to:

     (a) Effecting any transaction in a security which involves no change in the beneficial ownership thereof;

     (b) Entering an order or orders for the purchase or sale of any security with the knowledge that an order or orders of substantially the same size, at substantially the same price, for the sale of any such security, has been or will be entered by or for the same or different parties for the purpose of creating a false or misleading appearance of active trading in the security or a false or misleading appearance with respect to the market for the security; provided, however, nothing in this subsection shall prohibit a broker-dealer from entering bona fide agency cross transactions for its customer;

     (c) Effecting, alone or with one or more other persons, a series of transactions in any security creating actual or apparent active trading in such security or raising or depressing the price of such security, for the purpose of inducing the purchase or sale of such security by others;

     (15) Guaranteeing a customer against loss in any securities account of such customer carried by the broker-dealer or in any securities transaction effected by the broker-dealer with or for such customer;

     (16) Publishing or circulating, or causing to be published or circulated, any notice, circular, advertisement, newspaper article, investment service, or communication of any kind which purports to report any transaction as a purchase or sale of any security unless such broker-dealer believes that such transaction was a bona fide purchase or sale of such security; or which purports to quote the bid price or asked price for any security, unless such broker-dealer believes that such quotation represents a bona fide bid for, or offer of, such security;

     (17) Using any advertising or sales presentation in such a fashion as to be deceptive or misleading. An example of such practice would be a distribution of any nonfactual data, material or presentation based on conjecture, unfounded or unrealistic claims or assertions in any brochure, flyer, or display by words, pictures, graphs or otherwise designed to supplement, detract from, supersede or defeat the purpose or effect of any prospectus or disclosure;

     (18) Failing to disclose that the broker-dealer is controlled by, controlling, affiliated with or under common control with the issuer of any security before entering into any contract with or for a customer for the purchase or sale of security, the existence of such control to such customer, and if such disclosure is not made in writing, it shall be supplemented by the giving or sending of written disclosure at or before the completion of the transaction;

     (19) Failing to make bona fide public offering of all of the securities allotted to a broker-dealer for distribution, whether acquired as an underwriter, a selling group member or from a member participating in the distribution as an underwriter or selling group member;

     (20) Failure or refusal to furnish a customer, upon reasonable request, information to which he is entitled, or to respond to a formal written request or complaint;

     (21) In connection with the solicitation of a sale or purchase of an OTC non-NASDAQ security, failing to promptly provide the most current prospectus or the most recently filed periodic report filed under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act, when requested to do so by a customer;

     (22) Marking any order ticket or confirmation as unsolicited when in fact the transaction is solicited;

     (23) For any month in which activity has occurred in a customer's account, but in no event less than every three months, failing to provide each customer with a statement of account which with respect to all OTC non-NASDAQ equity securities in the account, contains a value for each such security based on the closing market bid on a date certain: Provided, That this subsection shall apply only if the firm has been a market maker in such security at any time during the month in which the monthly or quarterly statement is issued;

     (24) Failing to comply with any applicable provision of the Conduct Rules of the National Association of Securities Dealers or any applicable fair practice or ethical standard promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission or by a self-regulatory organization approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission; or

     (25) Any acts or practices enumerated in WAC 460-21B-010.

     The conduct set forth above is not inclusive. Engaging in other conduct such as forgery, embezzlement, nondisclosure, incomplete disclosure or misstatement of material facts, or manipulative or deceptive practices shall also be grounds for denial, suspension or revocation of registration.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 21.20.450(1). 99-12-043, § 460-21B-060, filed 5/26/99, effective 7/9/99. Statutory Authority: RCW 21.20.070 and 21.20.450. 95-16-026, § 460-21B-060, filed 7/21/95, effective 8/21/95.]

OTS-5801.1


AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 01-16-125, filed 7/31/01, effective 10/24/01)

WAC 460-24A-145   Investment adviser brochure rule.   (1) General requirements. Unless otherwise provided in this rule, an investment adviser, registered or required to be registered pursuant to RCW 21.20.040 shall, in accordance with the provisions of this section, offer and deliver to each advisory client and prospective advisory client written disclosure materials containing at least the information then so required by Part II of Form ADV and such other information as the director may require. If a federal covered adviser may utilize a copy of Part II of its Form ADV to provide the disclosures required pursuant to 17 CFR 275.204-3, then an investment adviser may use a copy of Part II of its ADV to provide the disclosures required by this section.

     (2) Delivery.

     (a) An investment adviser, except as provided in (b) of this subsection, shall deliver the materials required by this section to an advisory client or prospective advisory client (i) not less than 48 hours prior to entering into any investment advisory contract with such client or prospective client, or (ii) at the time of entering into any such contract, if the advisory client has a right to terminate the contract without penalty within five business days after entering into the contract.

     (b) Delivery of the materials required by (a) of this subsection need not be made in connection with entering into a contract for impersonal advisory services.

     (3) Offer to deliver.

     (a) An investment adviser, except as provided in (b) of this subsection, annually shall, without charge, deliver or offer in writing to deliver upon written request to each of its advisory clients the materials required by this section.

     (b) The delivery or offer required by (a) of this subsection need not be made to advisory clients receiving advisory services solely pursuant to a contract for impersonal advisory services requiring a payment of less than $200.00.

     (c) With respect to an advisory client entering into a contract or receiving advisory services pursuant to a contract for impersonal advisory services which requires a payment of $200.00 or more, an offer of the type specified in (a) of this subsection shall also be made at the time of entering into an advisory contract.

     (d) Any materials requested in writing by an advisory client pursuant to an offer required by this subsection must be mailed or delivered within seven days of the receipt of the request.

     (4) Delivery to limited partners. If the investment adviser is the general partner of a limited partnership, the manager of a limited liability company, or the trustee of a trust, then, for purposes of this section, the investment adviser must treat each of the partnership's limited partners, the company's members, or the trust's beneficial owners, as a client. For purposes of this section, a limited liability partnership or limited liability limited partnership is a "limited partnership."

     (5) Wrap fee program brochures.

     (a) If the investment adviser is a sponsor ((or)) of a wrap fee program, then the materials required to be delivered, by subsection (2) of this section, to a client or prospective client of the wrap fee program, must contain all information required by Form ADV. Any additional information must be limited to information applicable to wrap fee programs that the investment adviser sponsors.

     (b) The investment adviser does not have to offer or deliver wrap fee information if another sponsor of the wrap fee program offers or delivers to the client or prospective client of the wrap fee program warp fee program information containing all the information the investment adviser's wrap fee program brochure must contain.

     (6) Delivery of updates and amendments. When the disclosure materials required to be delivered pursuant to subsection (2) of this section become materially inaccurate, the investment adviser must amend and promptly deliver to its clients amendments to such disclosure materials. The instructions to Part 2 of Form ADV contain updating and delivery instructions that the investment adviser must follow. An amendment will be considered to be delivered promptly if the amendment is delivered within thirty days of the event that requires the filing of the amendment.

     (7) Omission of inapplicable information. If an investment adviser renders substantially different types of investment advisory services to different advisory clients, the investment adviser may provide them with different disclosure materials, provided that each client receives all applicable information about services and fees. The disclosure delivered to a client may omit any information required by Part II of Form ADV if such information is applicable only to a type of investment advisory service or fee which is not rendered or charged, or proposed to be rendered or charged, to that client or prospective client.

     (8) Other disclosure obligations. Nothing in this section shall relieve any investment adviser from any obligation to disclose any information to its advisory clients or prospective advisory clients not specifically required by this rule under chapter 21.20 RCW, the rules and regulations thereunder, or any other federal or state law.

     (9) Definitions. For the purposes of this rule:

     (a) "Contract for impersonal advisory services" means any contract relating solely to the provision of investment advisory services (i) by means of written material or oral statements which do not purport to meet the objectives or needs of specific individuals or accounts; (ii) through the issuance of statistical information containing no expression of opinion as to the investment merits of a particular security; or (iii) any combination of the foregoing services.

     (b) "Entering into," in reference to an investment advisory contract, does not include an extension or renewal without material change of any such contract which is in effect immediately prior to such extension or renewal.

     (c) "Sponsor" of a wrap fee program means an investment adviser that is compensated under a wrap fee program for sponsoring, organizing, or administering the program, or for selecting, or providing advice to clients regarding the selection of other investment advisers in the program.

     (d) "Wrap fee program" means an advisory program under which a specified fee or fees, not based directly upon transactions in a client's account, is charged for investment advisory services (which may include portfolio management or advice concerning the selection of other investment advisers) and the execution of client transactions.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 21.20.450, 21.20.050, 21.20.100. 01-16-125, § 460-24A-145, filed 7/31/01, effective 10/24/01. Statutory Authority: 1998 c 15 § 9. 99-03-052, § 460-24A-145, filed 1/15/99, effective 2/15/99.]

OTS-5800.1


AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 99-12-043, filed 5/26/99, effective 7/9/99)

WAC 460-22B-090   Dishonest and unethical business practices-salespersons.   The phrase "dishonest or unethical practices" as used in RCW 21.20.110(((7))) (1)(g) as applied to salespersons, is hereby defined to include any of the following:

     (1) Engaging in the practice of lending or borrowing money or securities from a customer, or acting as a custodian for money, securities or an executed stock power of a customer;

     (2) Effecting securities transactions not recorded on the regular books or records of the broker-dealer which the agent represents, unless the transactions are authorized in writing by the broker-dealer prior to execution of the transaction;

     (3) Establishing or maintaining an account containing fictitious information in order to execute transactions which would otherwise be prohibited;

     (4) Sharing directly or indirectly in profits or losses in the account of any customer without the written authorization of the customer and the broker-dealer which the agent represents;

     (5) Dividing or otherwise splitting the agent's commissions, profits or other compensation from the purchase or sale of securities with any person not also registered for the same broker-dealer, or for a broker-dealer under direct or indirect common control;

     (6) Inducing trading in a customer's account which is excessive in size or frequency in view of the financial resources and character of the account;

     (7) Recommending to a customer the purchase, sale or exchange of any security without reasonable grounds to believe that such transaction or recommendation is suitable for the customer based upon reasonable inquiry concerning the customer's investment objectives, financial situation and needs, and any other relevant information known by the broker-dealer;

     (8) Executing a transaction on behalf of a customer without authorization to do so;

     (9) Exercising any discretionary power in effecting a transaction for a customer's account without first obtaining written discretionary authority from the customer, unless the discretionary power relates solely to the time and/or price for the execution of orders;

     (10) Executing any transaction in a margin account without securing from the customer a properly executed written margin agreement promptly after the initial transaction in the account;

     (11) Entering into a transaction with or for a customer at a price not reasonably related to the current market price of the security or receiving an unreasonable commission or profit;

     (12) Failing to furnish to a customer purchasing securities in an offering, no later than the date of confirmation of the transaction, a final or preliminary prospectus, and if the latter, failing to furnish a final prospectus within a reasonable period after the effective date of the offering;

     (13) Effecting any transaction in, or inducing the purchase or sale of, any security by means of any manipulative, deceptive or fraudulent device, practice, plan, program, design or contrivance, which may include but not be limited to:

     (a) Effecting any transaction in a security which involves no change in the beneficial ownership thereof;

     (b) Entering an order or orders for the purchase or sale of any security with the knowledge that an order or orders of substantially the same size, at substantially the same time and substantially the same price, for the sale of any such security, has been or will be entered by or for the same or different parties for the purpose of creating a false or misleading appearance of active trading in the security or a false or misleading appearance with respect to the market for the security;

     (c) Effecting, alone or with one or more other persons, a series of transactions in any security creating actual or apparent active trading in such security or raising or depressing the price of such security, for the purpose of inducing the purchase or sale of such security by others;

     (14) Guaranteeing a customer against loss in any securities account for such customer carried by the broker-dealer or in any securities transaction effected by the broker-dealer with or for such customer;

     (15) Publishing or circulating, or causing to be published or circulated, any notice, circular, advertisement, newspaper article, investment service, or communication of any kind which purports to report any transaction as a purchase or sale of any security unless such broker-dealer believes that such transaction was a bona fide purchase or sale of such security; or which purports to quote the bid price or asked price for any security, unless such broker-dealer believes that such quotation presents a bona fide bid for, or offer of, such security;

     (16) Using any advertising or sales presentation in such a fashion as to be deceptive or misleading. An example of such practice would be a distribution of any nonfactual data, material or presentation based on conjecture, unfounded or unrealistic claims or assertions of any brochure, flyer, or display by words, pictures, graphs or otherwise designed to supplement, detract from, supersede or defeat the purpose or effect of any prospectus or disclosure;

     (17) In connection with the solicitation of a sale or purchase of an OTC non-NASDAQ security, failing to promptly provide the most current prospectus or the most recently filed periodic report filed under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act, when requested to do so by a customer;

     (18) Marking any order ticket or confirmation as unsolicited when in fact the transaction is solicited;

     (19) Failing to comply with any applicable provision of the Conduct Rules of the National Association of Securities Dealers or any applicable fair practice or ethical standard promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission or by a self-regulatory organization approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission; or

     (20) Any act or practice enumerated in WAC 460-21B-010.

     The conduct set forth above is not inclusive. Engaging in other conduct such a forgery, embezzlement, nondisclosure, incomplete disclosure or misstatement of material facts, or manipulative or deceptive practices shall also be grounds for denial, suspension or revocation of registration.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 21.20.450(1). 99-12-043, § 460-22B-090, filed 5/26/99, effective 7/9/99. Statutory Authority: RCW 21.20.450. 97-16-050, § 460-22B-090, filed 7/31/97, effective 8/31/97. Statutory Authority: RCW 21.20.070 and 21.20.450. 95-16-026, § 460-22B-090, filed 7/21/95, effective 8/21/95.]

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