The protection of customer personal data by branch offices of broker-dealers and investment advisers should be just as robust—and as well-coordinated—as protocols used by the firm’s home office, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Aaron Nicodemus is the Editor-in-Chief of Compliance Week. He previously worked as a reporter for Bloomberg Law and as business editor at the Telegram & Gazette in Worcester, Mass. Email: aaron.nicodemus@complianceweek.com LinkedIn:...