SEC enforcement activity has fallen to a level not seen in more than five years amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Securities and Exchange Commission in fiscal 2020 filed 715 enforcement actions, about a 17% decrease from the 862 cases brought in fiscal 2019, according to statistics the agency released Monday. The downturn came after two years of increases under SEC Chairman Jay Clayton, who was appointed by President Donald Trump in 2017.
But the agency secured $4.68 billion in penalties and disgorgement in fiscal 2020, the highest amount on record, according to the commission. The SEC obtained $4.35 billion from ...