MyComplianceOffice Blog

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) enforcement for failure to maintain and preserve adequate records of electronic communications and for failure to adequately supervise the use of off-channel communications is at the top of compliance professionals' minds right now. The size and scope of the firms involved and the staggering $2.5 billion plus in penalties assessed have made the actions a hot topic in the news and across the financial services industry. 

The 2024 Surveillance Benchmarking Survey & Report from 1LoD, co-sponsored by MCO, contains insights from thousands of conversations with surveillance leaders across the financial services industry. 

As the report points out, compliance surveillance is a never-ending story. Surveillance for market abuse and employee misconduct will never be done. It’s an iterative and ongoing process. 

In recent months the SEC and CFTC have charged multiple Wall Street firms with widespread recordkeeping failures, handing down staggering penalties in excess of 1.5 billion dollars. Firms—including smaller ones—should only expect that the aggressive enforcement will continue.  And the SEC's Division of Examinations 2024 Priorities only reinforce the agency's continued focus on the importance of record keeping and demonstrable compliance. 

Are your books and records ready to stand up to regulatory scrutiny?

The 2024 FINRA Annual Regulatory Oversight Report provides firms with insight into findings from FINRA’s regulatory operations programs including Member Supervision, Market Regulation and Enforcement. Addressing a broad range of topics spanning conflicts of interest, disclosures, communication practices and crypto asset compliance, the report contains information that firms can use to strengthen their compliance programs in 2024 and beyond.

2023 was another active year for U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) enforcement, encompassing a wide range of violations against individuals and firms of all sizes.  

Understanding 2023 enforcement actions along with the agency’s 2024 enforcement priorities will help firms better assess and anticipate regulatory expectations—and set the stage for better compliance.