SEC Enforcement Director Resigns, Permanent Successor to be Announced in "Coming Weeks"

SEC Announces Enforcement Division Director Judge Margaret A. Ryan Has Resigned From Agency

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that Judge Margaret A. Ryan has resigned from her role as Director of the Division of Enforcement. Principal Deputy Director Sam Waldon has been named Acting Director of the Division, effective March 16, 2026. […]

During her tenure, Judge Ryan oversaw a critical course correction within the division – returning its focus to prioritizing cases that provide meaningful investor protection and strengthen market integrity rather than technical rule violations with no charges alleging investor harm. She redirected the division staff toward the types of misconduct that inflict the greatest harm, such as fraud, market manipulation, and abuses of trust, and away from approaches that prioritized touting volume over impact. This also includes a renewed focus on holding individual wrongdoers accountable, which promotes stronger deterrence and better safeguards investors.

The Commission is expected to announce a permanent successor as Enforcement Division Director in the coming weeks.

SEC Prepares Proposal to Eliminate Quarterly Reporting Requirement

The Securities and Exchange Commission is preparing a proposal to eliminate the requirement to report earnings quarterly and instead give companies the option to share results twice a year, according to people familiar with the matter.

The regulator could publish the proposal as soon as next month, the people said. In preparation for the proposal, regulators have been talking to officials at the major exchanges to discuss how they may need to adjust their rules.

Once the proposal is published, it will be subject to a public comment period. After that period, which typically lasts at least 30 days, the SEC will vote on it. There are no guarantees it will ultimately happen.

The rule is expected to make quarterly reporting optional, not eliminate quarterly reports altogether.

Bankman-Fried’s Mom Told to Not Call Court on Son’s Behalf

FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried’s mother may have been a law professor at Stanford University. But the judge who sentenced her son to 25 years in prison said she can’t act on his behalf in his bid for a new trial.

On Monday, the judge made clear he won’t consider letters, or a phone message to his chambers, from the former crypto king’s mother, Barbara Fried. The notice said that she had contacted the court to request additional time for her son to file papers.

“The court of course understands that Ms. Fried is the defendant’s mother, was trained and practiced as a lawyer, and has taught at Stanford Law School,” US District Judge Lewis Kaplan wrote. “Nevertheless, with no disrespect, she lacks standing to file papers or seek relief in this case.”