Trade execution: an interesting excerpt (but there's plenty more good stuff)-- These rules also require brokers that route orders on behalf of customers to disclose, on a quarterly basis, the identity of the market centers to which they route a significant percentage of their orders. In addition, brokers must respond to the requests of customers interested in learning where their individual orders were routed for execution during the previous six months. http://www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/tradexec.htm