SEC Reports Enforcement Results for 2016

As we wind down the calendar year, the Securities and Exchange Commission has already reported its enforcement results for the fiscal year that ended September 30.

In case you missed it, here’s the press release. Naturally, there’s some self-patting on the back, but if the past predicts the future, the agency is looking to file cases. Its numbers have climbed steadily over the last dozen years, and it continues to ramp up its use of big-data analytics and the whistleblower program, which it launched in 2011.

Here are some highlights from 2016.

• The agency filed a total of 868 cases, which was a new single-year high.
• It filed a record number of cases involving investment companies or advisers and a record number under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
• It obtained over $4 billion in judgments and orders, which matched the haul from each of the last two years.
• It awarded more money to whistleblowers ($57 million) than in all prior years combined.