Date of Graduation
8-2022
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration (PhD)
Degree Level
Graduate
Department
Accounting
Advisor/Mentor
Shipman, Jonathan E.
Committee Member
Cassell, Cory A.
Second Committee Member
Wiebe, Zac
Keywords
Enforcement; Financial experience; SEC investigations; SEC regional directors
Abstract
The SEC’s Division of Enforcement is frequently criticized for its lack of oversight effectiveness, and certain vocal critics attribute this to a lack of financial experience within the SEC. Using hand-collected data on SEC regional directors, I find that the majority of these SEC officials lack financial experience. I then examine whether the financial experience of SEC regional directors impacts SEC investigations into reporting entities. Consistent with financial experience equipping directors to better process complex financial transactions and reports, I find that directors with financial experience open public company investigations 29 percent more often and conduct these investigations 34 percent more efficiently. Additional analyses reveal that directors with financial experience open more investigations related to financial fraud or disclosure and that these directors tend to open more consequential investigations. Overall, this study provides new insights into the SEC’s oversight process and should be of interest to regulators and other capital market participants concerned with SEC oversight.
Citation
Blann, J. J. (2022). Does the Financial Experience of SEC Regional Directors Impact SEC Investigations into Reporting Entities?. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/4619
