Goldman Sachs fined $425K by FINRA for large option reporting lapses

Goldman Sachs agreed to pay $425,000 as part of a settlement with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) addressing allegations of reporting and supervision violations regarding more than 1 million over-the-counter (OTC) options positions.

The bank failed to report or inaccurately reported OTC options positions to the large options positions reporting (LOPR) system in violation of FINRA Rule 2360(b)(5), according to the self-regulatory organization’s disciplinary action published Wednesday. Goldman neither admitted nor denied FINRA’s findings.

Between July 2018 and September 2021, Goldman’s systems for reporting OTC options positions “failed to recognize that the accounts of certain customers were under common control or acting in concert,” according to FINRA. These alleged lapses affected 1,035,000 positions.