Bates Investor Risk Assessment
Bates Group is the national leader in providing vulnerable and senior investor expertise, expert testimony, and analytical techniques to help financial services firms manage risk, minimize regulatory scrutiny, and prevent fraud and reputational harm.
Bates Investor Risk Assessment (BIRA) is a unique new program now available for broker-dealers and registered investment advisers. It represents a breakthrough in helping firms protect their most vulnerable clients, while meeting regulatory expectations.
BIRA assists in safeguarding seniors, retirees, minors, and those with diminished capacity. It enables firms to proactively identify high-risk accounts, so they can take preventive measures in a timely manner.
BIRA helps protect vulnerable investors from potential bad actors, which could include:
- Criminals
- Family or friends
- Advisers
- Others
BIRA helps protect firms from:
- Inefficient use of resources
- Legal exposure
- Reputational harm
- Regulatory penalties
- Financial loss
A Two-Phase Solution
Protecting vulnerable investors is a priority for many firms and regulators. Our exclusive new risk assessment program employs a systematic analytical approach created to address growing risks for these individuals.
BIRA centers around a rigorous evaluation phase, wherein Bates experts use specialized analytics to identify key risk indicators, some of which may lie buried in firm data. It uses these signals to highlight individual at-risk investors, or high-risk areas, for review. In a subsequent implementation phase, our team can then provide recommendations to help keep firms and their clients from potential exposure and harm.
1 - BIRA evaluation phase
In the evaluation phase, the Bates Compliance and AML/Financial Crimes teams will evaluate the firm in a process that includes interviewing selected firm employees, thoroughly analyzing procedures and systems, and assessing data points that can be used as key risk indicators.
2 - BIRA implementation phase
The implementation phase comprises elements including developing customized models to integrate multiple data types; identifying higher-risk accounts and activities; and addressing issues of governance, escalation protocols, process flows, and
reporting.