Category Archives: SEC

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SEC Releases FY 2022 Whistleblower Annual Report

On November 15, 2022, the SEC’s Office of the Whistleblower (OWB) released its annual report to Congress covering the period from October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022.  The report highlights a record-breaking year for the SEC’s whistleblower bounty program in certain respects, explains factors that can increase or decrease award amounts, and discusses recent … Continue Reading

SEC Announces $20 Million Award to Whistleblower

On November 28, 2022, the SEC announced an award of $20 million to a whistleblower who provided new and critical information that contributed to a successful enforcement action.  (The order granting the award can be accessed here.)  The SEC noted that in determining the appropriate award amount, it considered that the whistleblower provided significant information … Continue Reading

SEC Adopts Amendments to Whistleblower Program Rules

On August 26, 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced that it had adopted two amendments to its whistleblower program rules proposed earlier this year (see our post here). The first amendment allows whistleblowers who would have been eligible for an award under another whistleblower program that would not give them as high an … Continue Reading

SEC Proposes Amendments to Whistleblower Program Rules, Which May Lead to More SEC Tips

On February 10, 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced two proposed amendments to its whistleblower program rules. As we previously reported here, a closely divided SEC adopted a final rule implementing several changes to its whistleblower program in September 2020.  On January 13, 2021, a whistleblower attorney filed a lawsuit in the U.S. … Continue Reading

SDNY: Confidentiality Agreement Impeded Investors from Whistleblowing

On November 17, 2021, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York held that a company and its CEO violated Rule 21F-17 of the Exchange Act by entering into confidentiality agreements with investors that prohibited communications with the SEC, and subsequently attempting to enforce those agreements.  SEC v. Collectors Coffee Inc., No. … Continue Reading

SEC Awards $400,000 to Whistleblower Culpable In Fraudulent Scheme

On November 23, 2021, the SEC issued an award of $400,000 to a whistleblower who voluntarily provided the SEC with original information that assisted the agency in bringing a successful enforcement action that resulted in the termination of an ongoing Ponzi-like scheme. This award is notable in that the claimant received an award even though … Continue Reading

SEC Releases FY 2021 Whistleblower Program Annual Report

On November 15, 2021, the SEC published its annual report to Congress covering the period from October 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021.  The report was prepared by the SEC’s Office of the Whistleblower to summarize its whistleblower bounty program, report on the program’s recent dramatic growth, and highlight key amendments to the SEC’s whistleblower … Continue Reading

SEC Awards $40 Million to Two Whistleblowers

On October 15, 2021, the SEC’s Office of the Whistleblower announced multi-million dollar awards to two whistleblowers who provided the SEC with information that assisted the agency in bringing a successful enforcement action.  (The order granting the awards can be accessed here.)  The larger of the two awards, $32 million, was awarded to the whistleblower … Continue Reading

SEC Announces $36 Million Award to Whistleblower

On September 24, 2021, the SEC announced an approximately $36 million award to a whistleblower who provided critical information to the SEC that contributed to a successful enforcement action.  (The order granting the award can be accessed here.) Emily Pasquinelli, Acting Chief of the SEC’s Office of the Whistleblower noted that “[w]histleblowers can act as … Continue Reading

Over $1 Billion Whistleblower Awards Paid to Date by the SEC

On September 15, 2021, the SEC announced accumulated awards of over $1 billion paid to 207 whistleblowers since its first award in 2012.  Over $500 million was awarded in fiscal year 2021 alone. The SEC crossed the billion-dollar milestone with awards of $110 million and $4 million to two whistleblowers on September 15, 2021.  The … Continue Reading

SEC Alleges Employer’s Compliance Manual Violates Rule 21F-17

On June 23, 2021, the SEC announced that Guggenheim Securities, LLC (“Company”) agreed to settle charges that it violated Rule 21F-17 by including language in its compliance manual and training materials that allegedly prohibited employees from contacting regulators without prior Company approval.  Without admitting or denying the findings in the SEC’s order, the Company consented … Continue Reading

SDNY: SOX Whistleblower Protections Extend to Investors

On July 21, 2021, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York held that the whistleblower protections established in SOX are not restricted to employee whistleblowers, but also extend to shareholders.  SEC v. Collector’s Coffee Inc., No. 19-cv-4355. Background As we previously reported, in 2019 the SEC sued online auction portal Collectors … Continue Reading

Review of the SEC Whistleblower Program: At the Crossroads of Securities Law and Whistleblower Protection

Fiscal year 2020 marked the ten-year anniversary of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act establishing the Securities and Exchange Commission’s whistleblower program.  Since its inception through the end of FY2020, the SEC has awarded approximately $562 million to 106 individuals.  Even a decade after it was created, the whistleblower program continues to … Continue Reading

SEC Awards $22 Million to Two Whistleblowers

On May 10, 2021, the SEC’s Office of the Whistleblower announced multi-million dollar awards to two whistleblowers who provided the SEC with information that assisted the agency in bringing a successful enforcement action against a financial services firm.  (The order granting the awards can be accessed here.)  The larger of the two awards, $18 million, was … Continue Reading

Whistleblower Attorney Challenges SEC Final Rule Changing Its Whistleblower Program

On January 13, 2021, a New York whistleblower attorney filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia challenging a recent final rule adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission or “SEC”) which made several changes to the SEC’s whistleblower program. The SEC Final Rule The final rule was … Continue Reading

Bloomberg: SEC Receives Record Number of Whistleblower Tips From Remote Employees

A recent Bloomberg article reports that whistleblower complaints to the SEC have soared as employees have been working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.  According to the article, the SEC received 6,900 complaints in the fiscal year that ended on September 30, 2020 – a 31% jump from the previous 12-month record. The article discusses … Continue Reading

SEC Announces Record-Breaking $114 Million Award to Whistleblower

On October 22, 2020, the SEC announced an award of over $114 million to a whistleblower who, after reporting internally to their employer, provided the SEC with information and assistance that led to the successful enforcement of SEC and related actions.  The $114 million award consists of an approximately $52 million award in connection with … Continue Reading

SEC Awards Almost $30 Million to Two Insider Whistleblowers

On September 30, 2020, the SEC’s Office of the Whistleblower announced multi-million dollar awards to two whistleblowers who provided the SEC with information that assisted the agency in bringing a successful enforcement action.  (The order granting the awards can be accessed here.)  The larger of the two awards, $22 million, is one of the SEC’s … Continue Reading
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