Investor Protection

CFA Comments to FINRA’s and MSRB’s on Pricing Disclosure in the Fixed Income Market

Consumer Federation of America expresses strong support for FINRA’s and MSRB’s proposed rules to require heightened confirmation disclosure of pricing information in fixed income securities transactions. By requiring firms to disclose on their customer confirmation the price to the customer, the price to the member of a transaction in the same security, and the differential between those two prices, the proposed rules will provide retail investors with critical cost information. This information will put them in a better position to assess whether they are paying fair prices and whether their dealers are fulfilling their best execution duties. As a result, this information will allow retail investors to make more informed investment decisions. These rules will also foster increased price competition in fixed income markets, which will ultimately lower investors’ transaction costs.