The Canadian Securities Administrators is encouraging Canadian investors to use its National Registration Search (NRS) to check the registration of a firm or individual when considering an investment opportunity or using a financial advisor.

“Investors can use NRS to search for information about individuals and firms registered with the participating securities regulatory authorities,” the CSA said Monday.

An NRS search now allows investors to:

• check registration status dating back to March 14, 2003;
• determine the category of registration that applies to an individual or a firm;
• understand any terms or conditions that apply to a registration; and
• view the participating jurisdictions where a firm or individual is registered.

The web-based tool is available on the CSA website, or through participating provincial regulator’ websites.

Registration information from the Ontario Securities Commission is not currently included in NRS. Instead, the registration section on the CSA website links to the OSC’s Check Registration tool for firms and individuals registered in that province.

The CSA launched NRS in early November and introduced it to industry and various stakeholders in order to test its capacity and encourage user feedback. The CSA used this input to make some changes and additions to NRS that improved usability, accessibility and design.

IE