US SEC enforcement activity plunges two years into Trump administration
XLF•XLF•XLF•XLF•The SEC brought 348 enforcement actions in fiscal 2026, down from 456 a year earlier and below the 715 annual median from 2005 to 2025. It imposed nearly $1.1 billion in financial remedies, including $343 million in civil penalties and $752 million in disgorgement.
The SEC said it brought 348 enforcement actions in the fiscal year ended September 30, down from 456 in fiscal 2025. The total compares with a median of 715 cases annually from 2005 through 2025.
The agency reported nearly $1.1 billion in financial remedies, including $343 million in civil penalties and $752 million in disgorgement. SEC Chairman Paul Atkins said enforcement actions and financial remedies are important measures of activity, but not the only or most telling measures. Enforcement Director David Woodcock said the agency was focused on a “healthy, visible enforcement program” rather than statistics, and said he was comfortable with current staffing levels.
