The Securities and Exchange Commission announced late Thursday that it filed 697 total enforcement actions in fiscal 2021, including 434 new actions, representing a 7% increase over the prior year.
In fiscal year 2021, which ended on Sept. 30, the SEC also obtained judgments and orders for nearly $2.4 billion in disgorgement and more than $1.4 billion in penalties, which represented a respective 33% decrease and 33% increase over amounts ordered in the prior fiscal year.
Seventy percent of the new or "stand-alone" actions involved at least one individual defendant or respondent, the agency's enforcement division reported, with 120 actions against issuers who were delinquent in making required filings with the SEC.
Another 143 "follow-on" administrative proceedings sought bars against individuals based on criminal convictions, civil injunctions or other orders, representing a 3% decrease over the total actions filed in fiscal year 2020.