SEC Chair Emphasizes Enforcement Focus on Strong Remedies and Individual Liability

In the past fiscal year, the SEC brought an unprecedented 807 enforcement actions and obtained orders for a record $4.2 billion in monetary remedies.  These numbers were highlighted by Mary Jo White in her opening address to the SEC’s 21st Annual International Institute for Securities Enforcement and Market Oversight, as she emphasized the SEC’s role in pursuing wrongdoing in the financial markets.  In her remarks, White discussed the SEC’s collaboration with foreign regulators in policing global markets; enumerated key enforcement tools in the SEC’s “arsenal”; and addressed the SEC’s ability to leverage data and technology in investigations.  White’s speech provides hedge fund managers with valuable insight as to the SEC’s enforcement focus, including its emphasis on stiff penalties and pursuit of individual liability.  This article summarizes her remarks.  For additional insight from White, see “SEC Chair Highlights Two Types of Risks Hedge Fund Managers Must Consider,” Hedge Fund Law Report, Vol. 8, No. 42 (Oct. 29, 2015); “SEC Chair White Describes the SEC’s Game Plan with Respect to the Asset Management Industry,” Hedge Fund Law Report, Vol. 7, No. 47 (Dec. 18, 2014); and “Seven Cybersecurity Risks That SEC Examiners Will Look For in Examinations of Hedge Fund Managers,” Hedge Fund Law Report, Vol. 7, No. 17 (May 2, 2014).

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