The new SEC webpage is up and running, and operators are standing by and waiting for people to report violations of the federal securities laws, and apply for financial awards.  Who will be first? 

Thanks to the Dodd-Frank Reform Act, the SEC is empowered to to pay financial rewards to whistleblowers who provide new and timely information about any securities law violation.  Payments will only be made on successful SEC enforcement actions with more than $1 million in monetary sanctions.

New SEC Webpage (www.sec.gov/whistleblower).    Visitor to the new page will find information on eligibility requirements, directions on how to submit a tip or complaint, instructions on how to apply for an award, and answers to FAQ's. 

The SEC expects the new whistleblower program to strengthen its ability to protect investors in several ways:

• Better Tips:   These past several months, the SEC has seen an increase in the quality of tips that it has been receiving from individuals since Congress created the program.

• Timely Tips:   Potential whistleblowers are incentivized to come forward sooner rather than later with "timely" information not yet known to the SEC.

• Maximizes Outside Resources:   The SEC's fewer than 4,000 employees will get a boost in regulating the more than 35,000 entities.  With a robust whistleblower program, the SEC is more likely to find and deter wrongdoing at firms it may not have otherwise uncovered.

• New Protections Against Retaliation:   Employees who come forward are provided with new tools to protect themselves against employers who retaliate.

• Bolsters Internal Compliance:   New rules provide significant incentives for employees to report any wrongdoing to their in-house Compliance Department before coming to the SEC. 

Under the SEC's final rules, which were adopted 5/25/11, individuals wishing to be considered for an award under the Whistleblower Program must submit an online questionnaire or the newly approved Form-TCR.  Prior to Dodd-Frank, the SEC only had authority to reward whistleblowers in insider trading cases.

For further details and to access new SEC Forms, go to:

• [SEC PR, 8/12/11] 
• [SEC Office of the Whistleblower]  
• [SEC's Adoption of Whistleblower Rules]
• [SEC Form WB-APP, "Application for Award .."]
• [SEC Form TCR, "Tip, Complaint or Referral"]