SEC: What You Need to

Know?

What is SEC?

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) oversees the

key participants in the securities world.
Concerned with promoting disclosure of important market
information, maintaining fair dealing, and protecting against fraud.
Responsibilities include:
Interpret and enforce federal securities laws
Issue new rules and amend existing rules
Oversee inspection of securities firms, brokers, investment advisers and
ratings agencies
Oversee private regulatory organizations in securities, accounting,
auditing fields
Coordinate U.S. securities regulation with federal, state, and foreign
authorities

SEC Organization
Division of Corporate
Finance

Reviews documents required to be filed with the

Commission

Division of Trading

Assists in maintaining fair, orderly and efficient

markets.

Division of Investment
Management
Division of Enforcement
Division of Economic
and Risk Analysis

Maintains oversight of Americas $26T

investment management industry
Recommends commencement of investigations
of SEC law violations
Integrates robust economic analysis and data
analytics

Laws Governing SEC

Securities Act of 1933

Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Trust Indenture Act of 1939
Investment Company Act of 1940
Investment Advisers Act of 1940
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of
2010
Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012

SEC Reports
Report

Purpose

8K

A report of unscheduled material events or corporate changes at a

company that could be of importance to the shareholders or SEC

10K

Comprehensive summary report of a company's performance. Submitted

annually to the SEC.

10Q

A comprehensive report of a company's performance that must be

submitted quarterly by all public companies to SEC. In10-Q, firms are
required to disclose relevant information regarding their financial
position.

18K

Use to update the SEC and investors regarding the status of a

domestically traded foreign security and its issuer.

20F

A form issued by the SEC that must be submitted by all "foreign private
issuers" that have listed equity shares on exchanges in the U.S.

SEC Investigations
Can be triggered in many ways
Investigation is not the same as prosecution
Investigations involve fact finding and are usually not
public
During an investigation, neither the staff nor the
Commission makes any determination of wrongdoing
Following investigation, SEC staff present findings to the
Commission
Commission can authorize the staff to file a case in
federal court or bring an administrative action.

Want to learn more about SEC laws, and best

practices to comply with them?
ComplianceOnline webinars and seminars are
a great training resource. Check out the
following links:

How to Comply with U.S. Securities and

Exchange Commission Laws
2015 SEC Enforcement Initiatives and Cont
rols to Defend
Them
SEC's New Whistleblower Rules: Implicati
ons for Your Company's Compliance and Fr
aud Program
New SEC Guidance on Sarbanes-Oxley Sect
ion 404
SEC Whistleblowers and Responding to Whi