Jessica Forbes and Stacey Song are partners and Marina Besignano is an associate at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP. This post is based on their Fried Frank memorandum.
On December 20, 2018, the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (“OCIE”) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) published its examination priorities for 2019 (the “2019 Priorities”). [1] OCIE’s examination priorities are released annually and are designed to provide a preview of key areas where OCIE intends to focus its limited resources. This year’s priorities address the following six themes: (1) retail investors, including seniors and those saving for retirement; (2) registered entities responsible for critical market infrastructure, including clearing agencies, transfer agents, and national securities exchanges; (3) Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) and the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (“MSRB”); (4) digital assets; (5) cybersecurity; and (6) anti-money laundering (“AML”) for broker-dealers.