North America: Navigating Regulatory Tides - A Deep Dive into Fiscal Year-End SEC and CFTC Enforcement Strategies

In brief

The last thirty days in September, the end of the US federal government's fiscal year, is generally an important time to analyze enforcement activity by the US Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC").

Because all enforcement cases must be reviewed and approved by the SEC and CFTC Commissioners, the end of the fiscal year often poses a logjam in processing enforcement recommendations. As a result, enforcement staff and leaders at the SEC and the CFTC must prioritize enforcement recommendations that they want to have approved by the Commissioners before the end of the fiscal year. Thus, in our experience, enforcement cases filed at the end of the fiscal year (and for the SEC, particularly ones accompanied by a press release as opposed to a typical administrative or litigation release), are strong indicators of issues currently in the regulators' crosshairs and set the tone for enforcement hotspots and priorities for the next fiscal year. 


Contents

In this short video, Baker McKenzie Partner Peter Chan, a former SEC Assistant Director of Enforcement, provides his "inside baseball" insights regarding the importance of the timing of some of these enforcement actions.

Click here to read the full alert.


Copyright © 2024 Baker & McKenzie. All rights reserved. Ownership: This documentation and content (Content) is a proprietary resource owned exclusively by Baker McKenzie (meaning Baker & McKenzie International and its member firms). The Content is protected under international copyright conventions. Use of this Content does not of itself create a contractual relationship, nor any attorney/client relationship, between Baker McKenzie and any person. Non-reliance and exclusion: All Content is for informational purposes only and may not reflect the most current legal and regulatory developments. All summaries of the laws, regulations and practice are subject to change. The Content is not offered as legal or professional advice for any specific matter. It is not intended to be a substitute for reference to (and compliance with) the detailed provisions of applicable laws, rules, regulations or forms. Legal advice should always be sought before taking any action or refraining from taking any action based on any Content. Baker McKenzie and the editors and the contributing authors do not guarantee the accuracy of the Content and expressly disclaim any and all liability to any person in respect of the consequences of anything done or permitted to be done or omitted to be done wholly or partly in reliance upon the whole or any part of the Content. The Content may contain links to external websites and external websites may link to the Content. Baker McKenzie is not responsible for the content or operation of any such external sites and disclaims all liability, howsoever occurring, in respect of the content or operation of any such external websites. Attorney Advertising: This Content may qualify as “Attorney Advertising” requiring notice in some jurisdictions. To the extent that this Content may qualify as Attorney Advertising, PRIOR RESULTS DO NOT GUARANTEE A SIMILAR OUTCOME. Reproduction: Reproduction of reasonable portions of the Content is permitted provided that (i) such reproductions are made available free of charge and for non-commercial purposes, (ii) such reproductions are properly attributed to Baker McKenzie, (iii) the portion of the Content being reproduced is not altered or made available in a manner that modifies the Content or presents the Content being reproduced in a false light and (iv) notice is made to the disclaimers included on the Content. The permission to re-copy does not allow for incorporation of any substantial portion of the Content in any work or publication, whether in hard copy, electronic or any other form or for commercial purposes.