Broker Information Now on the Net

Starting today, individual investors can check the professional backgrounds and disciplinary histories of their stockbrokers on the Internet. Under the system run by the National Assn. of Securities Dealers, investors can see if brokers have lost arbitration or court cases or if they have complaints pending against them. Investors can also determine whether brokers have settled complaints for more than $10,000. The address on the World Wide Web is https://www.nasdr.com. The information is also available by calling (800) 289-9999. Until the system is fully implemented in the next few months, the Web site will indicate only if a broker has a disciplinary record, without providing details. For information about specific cases, investors can e-mail the NASD.