Whistleblower Program Rules

The Securities and Exchange Commission ("Commission') is adopting several amendments to the Commission's rules implementing its congressionally mandated whistleblower program. Section 21F of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ("Exchange Act') provides, among other things, that the Commission shall pay--under regulations prescribed by the Commission and subject to certain limitations--to eligible whistleblowers who voluntarily provide the Commission with original information about a violation of the federal securities laws that leads to the successful enforcement of a covered judicial or administrative action, or a related action, an aggregate amount, determined in the Commission's discretion, that is equal to not less than 10 percent, and not more than 30 percent, of monetary sanctions that have been collected in the covered or related actions. The Commission is adopting various amendments that are intended to provide greater transparency, efficiency and clarity to whistleblowers, to ensure whistleblowers are properly incentivized, and to continue to properly award whistleblowers to the maximum extent appropriate and with maximum efficiency. The Commission is also making several technical amendments, and adopting interpretive guidance concerning the term "independent analysis.'