Since the financial crisis of 2008 the SEC’s mission has been to protect investors and win back the trust of the public in capital markets. In efforts to combat fraud and preventing another financial crisis, the SEC has grown their staff and is working on revamping their technological capabilities. For the last 3 years we have seen aggressive enforcement, strategic reforms and new regulations with in the division.
FISCAL YEAR 2012
In the 2012 fiscal year the SEC heavily emphasized regulations under the Dobbs Frank act and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. In this fiscal year under the Dobbs Frank act the SEC issued its first Whistleblower Program award. The Whistleblower Program allows the division to award individuals with high-quality information, which leads to an enforcement action. The success of this program has helped the SEC catch predators early on. It saves the division time and resources by uncovering and tipping off the crime to them. The program also helps identify fraud much earlier on. This can help elevate some of the damage to investors and even mitigate the number of possible victims. Also under the Dobbs Frank act the SEC barred 36 individuals from working in the securities industry.
Another area where the SEC turned its attention to was The Securities Exchange Act of 1934. In September of 2012 the SEC made its first financial penalty against an exchange. The New York Stock Exchange was in violation of the NMS (National Market System)
The SEC assists in providing investors with reliable information upon which to make investment decision. The Securities Act of 1933 requires most companies planning to issue new securities to the public to submit a registration statement to the SEC for approval. The Securities Exchange Act of 1934 provides additional protection by requiring public companies and others to file detailed annual reports with the commission. Smackey Dog Food, need to file next forms:
The SEC was created to help investors get reliable information about the company they are investing in. The Securities Act of 1933 requires most companies planning to issue new securities to the public to submit a registration statement to the SEC for approval. The Securities Exchange Act of 1934 provides additional protection by requiring public companies and others to file detailed annual reports with the commission. The SEC follows the GAAP’s reporting requirement for financial statements. As for Smackey Dog Food they are a
The SEC was created due to the stock market crash of 1929 which led to the great depression. The SEC was created to protect investors in security exchanges such as the stock market. It is responsible for oversight of both private investment and corporate investment dealings.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) establishes and improves standards of financial accounting and reporting for the guidance and education of the public.
On May 26, 2016, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in SEC v. Graham, No. 14-13562 (11th Cir. May 26, 2016), reached an important decision. The court extended the reach of 28 U.S.C. § 2462, the five-year statute of limitations for “any civil fine, penalty, or forfeiture” applicable to enforcement actions by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The court held that SEC enforcement actions for declaratory relief and disgorgement were subject to the five-year statute of limitations. The Eleventh Circuit built its ruling on top of a decision by the Supreme Court, Gabelli v. SEC, 133 S. Ct. 1216 (2013), which held that 28 U.S.C. § 2462 applied to SEC civil penalty actions.
In this paper the main focus will be on the clause of 'Liability to contemporaneous traders for insider trading' which is section 20A in the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The paper will start off by giving some basic points that make up this section followed by the history and background of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The paper will then highlight the major impact that this act has made on the industry in the current global standing. Some of the basic points that make up the subsection 20A clauses include the following:
1. The SEC is often called the “watchdog” of corporate America. How does it assist in preventing fraud?
“There must be a strict supervision of all banking and credits and investments; there must be an end to people’s speculation with other money (pg 92).” The SEC was designed to keep security on Wall Street.
The Security and Exchange Commission is the organization who monitors fraudulent transactions and insider trading. Some experts in ethical behavior consider inside trading the most dramatic form of utilitarian ethics.
SEC whistleblowers who provide tips about possible unlawful conduct are heroes, although they rarely see themselves that way. Anyone who is considering alerting the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) about irregularities that involve their employer, colleagues or friends has probably wrestled with the decision for a while before taking action. People who find the courage to report potential violations should remember that they are protecting investors who are saving for retirement or their child's college education.
The Act was criticized for being made appropriate to all foreign issuers listed on a U.S. exchange, even though several of the behavior the Act targeted was either a non-issue in foreign countries or was already efficiently regulated. According to Fraser, I. (Oct., 2002) this broad extraterritorial scope is particularly problematic given that the SEC has encouraged foreign issuers to enter U.S. capital markets by providing several accommodations to foreign practices and polices not inconsistent with the protection of U.S. investors. Foreign companies dispute that, as of the end of 2001, more than 1,300 foreign issuers had entered U.S. capital markets and became reporting companies in reliance on the SEC's accommodations.
The SEC and FASB also share the responsibility for the fraud scandal that took place. The organisms should have passed stronger accounting standards to regulate auditing. Both organizations were in favor of the 3% rule for SPEs. This rule stated that a SPE needed only a 3% investment from an outside investor to be considered independent. This rule allowed Enron to discharge all its unprofitable businesses in SPEs to avoid consolidating losses. That is, the SEC and FASB endorsed a law that allowed companies to dump considerable losses in off-balance entities. A case of fraud was bound to happen.
Securities regulations began in 1933 as a reaction to securities market violations. Securities regulations are a balance of investor and issuer interests. Regulations have typically been enacted in reaction to a violation that affects many, including issuers, investors, and the public. These regulations are not only created in reaction to violations, but the legislature also attempts to take a bigger step in prevention of the same violation reoccurring, as well as preventing a violation that has yet to occur. In other words, securities regulations have always been on a mission to stay one step ahead of securities violations from both issuers and investors. Regulations tend to tighten the rules to ensure investors and issuers do not have
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is the US federal agency that holds the primary mandate to enforce federal securities laws and regulations to control the securities industry and the country’s stock exchange and regulation of all activities and organizations including the US electronic securities market. The SEC is committed to promoting a market environment that yields public trust characterized by integrity to attain its mission of protecting investors through maintenance of fair and efficient markets through facilitation of capital information (Basagne, 2010). The SEC financing is a major area of focus since there has been major concern regarding the SEC agency financing and whether they utilize the
The Securities and Exchange Commission has the mission of protecting investors by maintaining fair, orderly and efficient markets. The SEC does this in a number of ways, and firms need to pay attention to these ways in order to ensure SEC compliance. The SEC has enforcement authority over a number of areas related to the nation's capital markets, including insider trading, accounting fraud, and providing false information. The SEC's jurisdiction extends to all securities that are traded publicly. Privately-held companies do not need to register with the SEC (SEC.gov, 2012).