SEC Lays Out Policing Plans After Departure of Enforcement Head

The acting head of the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s enforcement division said he’ll focus on “quality over quantity” in bringing cases, the first signal of the regulator’s priorities days after the resignation of the unit’s chief.

The Wall Street watchdog’s enforcement actions have plunged during the second Trump administration, as have the size of the penalties levied on firms and individuals. Acting SEC Enforcement Director Sam Waldon acknowledged this drop.

“I know folks like to focus on numbers, number of cases,” Waldon said at a securities law conference in Washington on Friday. “And I get it.”

He said ...