Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), SEC Examination Priorities, Enforcement Priorities

SEC Reportedly Announces Major Reorganization of Enforcement and Exams Divisions

Troutman Pepper Locke on 4/8/2025

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has reportedly announced internally a major reorganization of its enforcement and exams divisions. This restructuring, effective April 9, 2025, was detailed in a staff memo...more

SEC Division of Examinations publishes 2025 Examination Priorities

BCLP on 10/30/2024

On October 21, 2024, the Division of Examinations (the “Division”) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) published its annual Examination Priorities for 2025 (the “Exam Priorities”). Below is a...more

SEC EXAMS Division Issues Reg. S-ID Risk Alert

Goodwin on 12/14/2022

The SEC Division of Examinations recently published a risk alert summarizing observations from exams of registered investment advisers and broker-dealers related to compliance with Reg. S-ID, which is generally designed to...more

FINRA Provides Update on Options Account Opening and Trading Sweep Exam Findings

Goodwin on 12/9/2022

FINRA recently provided an update on the August 2021 review of its members’ practices and controls related to the opening of options accounts and related areas, including account supervision, communications, and diligence. ...more

Cybersecurity Remains a Key Focus Area for the SEC and FINRA

Goodwin on 6/15/2022

Cybersecurity and technology governance remain a top area of focus for the SEC and FINRA, as the regulators continue to concentrate on improving the overall cybersecurity posture and resiliency of the financial sector. FINRA...more

SEC Continues Focus on Insider Trading by Securities Industry Participants

BCLP on 5/11/2022

Insider trading is a front-and-center issue for the SEC, and consequently must be for financial services firms as well. The SEC included misuse of material non-public information (MNPI) on its list of 2022 exam priorities for...more