FINRA to Resume In-Person Hearings in July After delaying reopening for face-to-face arbitration and mediation because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the regulatory agency will allow such proceedings at 62 of its 69 hearing venues starting July 5.
FINRA will resume in-person proceedings for arbitration and mediation at nearly all of its hearing locations throughout the country this summer, though the agency’s Dispute Resolution Services stressed that there will be additional safeguards to accommodate COVID-19 precautions.
The move comes several weeks after one
investor advocacy group urged FINRA to resume in-person hearings, arguing that the continued delays and postponements benefited brokerage firms at the expense of claimants who were losing out on chances to recoup alleged losses.
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FINRA Postpones In-Person Arbitration, Mediation Until April 2 The agency has continued to push back the resumption of physical arbitration and mediation proceedings because of COVID-19, though hearings can be held via teleconferencing or Zoom.
FINRA is again postponing the resumption of in-person arbitration and mediation proceedings as the COVID-19 pandemic intensifies in many areas around the country.
The regulatory agency announced on Jan. 5 that in-person hearings are postponed through April 2. This means any proceedings in that time period will not move forward unless both parties agree to using telephone or Zoom, or if the FINRA panel orders that a hearing can proceed remotely. Last month, the agency postponed hearings through the end of February.