The United States Securities and Exchange Commission is the independent, non-partisan, federal agency that administers U.S. laws that provide protection for investors. The SEC was created under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to ensure that securities markets are fair and honest. In addition, the SEC acts as an advisor to federal courts in corporate reorganization proceedings under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978. The Commission is composed of five members: a chairman and four commissioners. Commission members are appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate, for five-year terms, and the chairman is designated by the President. Terms are staggered; one expires on June 5 of every year. Not more than three members may be of the same political party.
The Commission meets to deliberate on and resolve issues such as interpretations of federal securities laws, amendments to existing rules under the laws, new rules (usually to reflect changed conditions in the marketplace), actions to enforce the laws or to discipline those subject to direct regulation, legislation to be proposed by the Commission, and matters concerning administration of the Commission itself. The Commission staff is organized into divisions including the following:
For public information on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission the interested individual can write to:
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission 450 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20549 (202) 272-3100 (information line) (202) 272-7460 (publications of SEC educational and informational materials) Fast Answers Link
www.sec.gov U.S. Government Printing Office (to order the SEC Annual Report, $5) (202) 512-1800
Atlanta District Office 3475 Lenox Road, NE, Suite 1000 Atlanta, GA 30326 (404) 842-7600 Boston District Office 73 Tremont Street, Suite 600 Boston, MA 02108 (617) 424-5900 Midwest Regional Office Northwestern Atrium Center 500 W. Madison Street, Suite 1400 Chicago, IL 60661 (312) 353-7390 Central Regional Office 1801 California Street, Suite 4800 Denver, CO 80202 (303) 391-6800 Fort Worth District Office 801 Cherry Street, 19th Floor Fort Worth, TX 76102 (817)334-3821 Pacific Regional Office 5760 Wilshire Boulevard, 11th Floor Los Angeles, CA 90036 (213) 965-3998 Southeast Regional Office 1401 Brickell Avenue, Suite 200 Miami, FL 33131 (305) 536-5765 Northeast Regional Office 7 World Trade Center, Suite 1300 New York, NY 10048 (212) 748-8000 Philadelphia District Office The Curtis Center, Suite 1005 E 601 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19106 (215) 597-3100 Salt Lake District Office 500 Key Bank Tower 50 S. Main Street, Suite 500 Salt Lake City, UT 84144 (801) 524-5796 San Francisco District Office 44 Montgomery Street, 11th Floor San Francisco, CA 94104 (415) 705-2500 Seattle District Office 3040 Jackson Federal Building 915 Second Avenue Seattle, WA 98174 (206) 220-7500