{ "id": "R41503", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "R41503", "active": false, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 397339, "date": "2010-11-24", "retrieved": "2016-04-07T01:22:30.858645", "title": "The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act: Title IX, Investor Protection", "summary": "Title IX of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (P.L. 111-203) contains 10 subtitles and 113 separate sections amending federal securities laws intended to improve investor protection. The range of Title IX\u2019s provisions is very broad: some sections will bring significant changes to the securities business, while others are little more than technical clarifications of the Securities and Exchange Commission\u2019s (SEC\u2019s) authority. This report provides brief summaries of those provisions that create new SEC authority, that were controversial during the legislative process, or that appear likely to have far-reaching consequences.\nSome of the most noteworthy sections of Title IX address issues viewed as central to the financial crisis that erupted in 2007. These include\nenhanced regulation of credit rating agencies, whose triple-A ratings of \u201ctoxic\u201d mortgage-backed bonds set the stage for panic;\nmore stringent regulation of asset-backed securities, including a \u201cskin in the game\u201d requirement that issuers of such securities retain some of the risk; and\na number of provisions relating to executive compensation, including authority to prohibit pay structures that create inappropriate risk in financial institutions.\nAnother driving force behind Title IX was the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme, which repeated SEC examinations and investigations failed to detect. Many sections seek to improve the SEC\u2019s performance, including\ncreation of an Investor Advocate and Investor Advisory Committee within the SEC;\nestablishment of a whistleblower program to produce tips about securities fraud;\nvarious measures to improve SEC management, including a wide-ranging outside consultant study and various Government Accountability Office audits; and\nmore budget flexibility and authorization for higher appropriations levels.\nAnother group of provisions addresses the rights of investors and shareholders:\nthe SEC may impose a fiduciary duty on broker-dealers who give investment advice, similar to the duty that already applies to investment advisers;\nmunicipal financial advisors must register with the SEC, and a majority of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board must be independent of the industry; and\nnew disclosures and shareholder votes relating to executive compensation and corporate performance and governance, including SEC authority to allow certain shareholders to nominate candidates for the board of directors.\nBecause of the diversity of these and other provisions, it is difficult to characterize the scope and thrust of Title IX in its entirety. Some observers, however, describe it as the most significant change to securities law since the enactment of the original federal statutes in the 1930s. This report provides a selective overview, and will not be updated.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R41503", "sha1": "d1a0be6ed05bd46c2515576bbf2bd4b075821996", "filename": "files/20101124_R41503_d1a0be6ed05bd46c2515576bbf2bd4b075821996.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R41503", "sha1": "86e799ad93aacc687ea651725a92e67753805b5b", "filename": "files/20101124_R41503_86e799ad93aacc687ea651725a92e67753805b5b.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [] } ], "topics": [ "Appropriations", "Economic Policy" ] }