SEC, CFTC Report Fewer Enforcement Actions for FY 2017

The SEC recently released enforcement data for fiscal year 2017 showing a decrease in the number of enforcement actions brought compared to 2016. Steven Peikin, Co-Director of the SEC’s Enforcement Division, said in a release that the division “will continue to bring enforcement actions involving misconduct that directly harms investors and our markets.” The SEC brought 754 enforcement actions, including 446 standalone actions, and returned a record $1.07 billion to harmed investors in 2017. In fiscal year 2016, the SEC brought 868 enforcement actions, which represented a new single year high for SEC enforcement actions. For 2017, a significant number of the 446 standalone cases concerned investment advisory issues, securities offerings, and issuer reporting/accounting and auditing. The SEC also reported that it obtained judgments and orders totaling more than $3.789 billion in disgorgement and penalties. Meanwhile, the CFTC reported that for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017, it brought 49 enforcement-related actions and obtained orders totaling $412,726,307 in restitution, disgorgement and penalties. In 2016 over the same period, the CFTC filed 68 enforcement actions and obtained orders totaling approximately $1.29 billion in restitution, disgorgement, and penalties.