SEC Whistleblower Office Will Place More Emphasis on Anti-Retaliation Provisions and Publicity This Year

According to Securities and Exchange Commission Office of the Whistleblower Chief Sean McKessy, the unit will take a more aggressive approach to publicizing its activities and figuring out how to better enforce the anti-retaliation provisions of its bounty program. McKessy spoke at the DC Bar organized enforcement conference earlier this month and noted that his views were his own and not necessarily that of the SEC. McKessy said that despite the Commission’s efforts to offer whistleblower provisions that incentivize internal reporting, some corporations have still not told employees about the bounty program. Per the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the SEC can now offer 10-30% of a monetary penalty greater than $1 million that is collected because of “original information” voluntarily offered up by an informant. Also, per the statute, the SEC has the au...