Brokers and their firms should be asked to disclose answers to questions such as:

To be answered by individual brokers:

1. Is there any record about past or ongoing legal, regulatory, disciplinary actions, investor actions, or arbitrations filed against you available from the following sources?

Note to brokers: If you are not certain, it is your responsibility to determine what information does exist. To find state regulators to get more information, go to http://www.nasaa.org/about-us/contact-us/contact-your-regulator/.

2. If the answer to any of the above is "yes," please provide a list of case numbers, along with the name of the regulatory agency.
3. Are there any such actions pending that may not be in the above databases? Please provide a description.
4. In the past five years, have there been any legal or formal disciplinary actions taken against you for which records are not available to the public? How many?

To be answered by a compliance officer, or equivalent, of the firm:

5. Indicate the number of records of past or ongoing legal actions, regulatory actions or investor actions against your firm in the following areas:

6. Indicate the number of retail customer accounts your firm has currently.
7. Calculate the number of total legal actions or arbitrations filed against your firm in the past five years, per million customer accounts.
8. Indicate the number of pending legal actions or arbitrations filed against your firm.
9. Indicate the percentage of your firm's gross revenues in the most recent full fiscal year from the following sources:

Research analysts should be asked to disclose answers to questions such as:

1. What is your past record in rating this company? Provide a history of rating changes from the date you began coverage.
2. Among the stocks that you have rated a "buy" at any time in the past 12 months, how many are currently selling at a higher price? How many are currently selling at a lower price?
3. Have your superiors at your current firm ever requested that you withhold a negative rating or report on a particular company or sector?
4. If the answer to the above is "yes," what is the most recent such occurrence?
5. Have your superiors at your current firm ever requested that you issue a positive rating or report on a particular company or sector, despite misgivings you might have had about them?
6. If the answer to the above is "yes," what is the most recent such occurrence?
7. What was the basis of your total compensation package last year at this firm?

8. Do you currently hold any positions in the securities in any of the companies you are currently covering?
9. If the answer to the above is "yes," what is your position and when was it acquired?
10. Do you or your firm have any business relationship with the companies that are the subject of your research?