Broker Types and Client Representatives

Broker types and client representatives are terms for the people or firms that receive client orders, provide brokerage access, represent clients on trading venues, or communicate securities services. This branch clarifies broker, stockbroker, registered representative, floor broker, and traditional broker-dealer terminology.

Use these pages when a document or explanation names a client-facing intermediary and the reader needs to know whether the role is client access, venue floor activity, representation, or broader brokerage service.

What This Branch Covers

Decision Lens

Start with the role shown in the client record, order ticket, confirmation, or venue record. The same person or firm may be described differently depending on whether the question is order handling, client communication, venue access, or firm capacity.

Evaluation Checklist

• Identify who handled the order or client relationship and in what capacity.
• Separate client representative, executing broker, floor broker, and clearing broker roles.
• Check whether the term is historical, venue-specific, or still used in the account record.
• Use fee and account pages when the issue is compensation or account access.
• Treat licensing, duty, and suitability questions as professional-advice areas.

Common Mistakes

• Calling every client-facing person a broker without checking role and firm capacity.
• Confusing a floor broker with a market maker.
• Treating stockbroker, registered representative, and adviser as identical roles.
• Ignoring whether the term is historical or venue-specific.

In this section

Choose a subsection first. Deeper term pages live inside each subsection, which keeps large topic hubs readable.