IS MY FUTURE (Finance / Banking) DOOMED w/ a CRIMINAL RECORD?
No, it’s not over — but it got a lot harder (to your chagrin). I’ve been in finance for quite some time and looked at quite a few regulations and employment contracts. First, you would be screwed if you were convicted of a felony. Then your career would be over. Second, you would be screwed if you were convicted of a misdimeanor that had anything to do with trust (eg, lying to a police officer, petty larceny). You might be screwed if you were investigated for the same issues (guilty or innocent) by a regulator. Third, you would be screwed if you lied about your issues. Most licenses with regulators and employment contracts cover these covenants. Companies that do background checks also find these out. While it would be very tempting to tick the “no” box when they ask whether you have ever been investigated for any crime, don’t do it. If found out later, you could then get the dreaded ‘investigated’ issue, whereupon you would be banned for life. However, you can still get a job in fina
