SEC Speaks 2015: Enforcement Highlights

On February 20, 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) held its annual SEC Speaks conference, which updated the public regarding the staff's work over the last year and its plans for 2015. The conference covered several areas, but this posting focuses on the chairman's remarks regarding enforcement in 2014 and beyond.

In her opening remarks, SEC Chairman Mary Jo White said, "It was also an unprecedented year in enforcement, in terms of the number of cases and, more importantly, their subject matter." In 2014, the SEC brought more than 700 actions and obtained approximately $4.1 billion in monetary relief. According to White, both of these were agency records. White felt that a meaningful measure of the enforcement program was the "quality and breadth" of the actions brought by the staff.