The investor protection provisions of Title IX of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, H.R. 4173, 111th Cong. (2010) promise to make major changes in the world of securities enforcement and regulation.  Thanks to Dodd-Frank, we will shortly see whistleblowers enticed by potentially lucrative bounties for reporting violations to a much larger and more powerful SEC.  In addition to seeing its budget likely double over the next five years, the SEC will benefit from relaxed proof standards in pursuing secondary actors, expanded jurisdiction over foreign cases, the ability to obtain penalty awards in SEC administrative cases, industry-wide bars for securities professionals, and the ability to subpoena trial witnesses nationally.  The SEC will also have the power to impose fiduciary standards on brokers, regulate short selling, restrict customer arbitration agreements, and engage in other extensive rulemaking.

With further changes in this area unlikely as the bill moves towards final enactment over the next few days, this alert reviews key provisions that will soon begin to impact investors, public companies, securities professionals and their counsel.

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