Nature and Form of Annual Reports
The annual reports filed under Rule 17a-5 must be prepared and filed in accordance with the following requirements.
Oath or affirmation. A broker-dealer must attach to the financial report an oath or affirmation that, to its best knowledge and belief, the financial report is true and correct and that the firm has no proprietary interest in any customer account. The oath or affirmation must be made before a person duly authorized to administer it.
Confidentiality. While the annual reports are generally not confidential, should the Statement of Financial Condition be bound separately from the balance of the annual reports, then the balance may be deemed confidential, as