The US Securities and Exchange Commission - The mission of the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is to protect investors,
maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets, and facilitate capital formation.
The SEC oversees the
key participants in the securities world, including securities
exchanges, securities brokers and dealers, investment advisors, and
mutual funds. Here the SEC is concerned primarily with promoting the
disclosure of important market-related information, maintaining fair
dealing, and protecting against fraud.
Crucial to the SEC's
effectiveness in each of these areas is its enforcement authority. Each
year the SEC brings hundreds of civil enforcement actions against
individuals and companies for violation of the securities laws. Typical
infractions include insider trading, accounting fraud, and providing
false or misleading information about securities and the companies that
issue them.
The Board of Governors of The Federal Reserve System - The Federal Reserve System uses advisory and working committees in
carrying out its varied responsibilities. Three of these committees
advise the Federal Reserve Board directly: the Consumer Advisory
Council, the Federal Advisory Council, and the Thrift Institutions
Advisory Council. The first two were established by law, and the third
was created by the Federal Reserve Board. Each Federal Reserve
Bank also uses advisory committees. These committees advise the Bank on
matters of importance in the Bank's District, such as agriculture and
small business.
The Commodity Futures trading Commission - The mission of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is to protect market users and the public from fraud, manipulation, and abusive practices related to the sale of commodity and financial futures and options, and to foster open, competitive, and financially sound futures and option markets.
The Commission consists of five Commissioners appointed by the President to serve staggered five-year terms. The
President, with the consent of the Senate, designates one of the
Commissioners to serve as Chairman. No more than three Commissioners at
any one time may be from the same political party.
The Chairman's staff has direct responsibility for providing
information about the Commission to the public and interacting with
other governmental agencies and the Congress, and for the preparation
and dissemination of Commission documents. The Chairman's staff also
ensures that the Commission is responsive to requests filed under the
Freedom of Information Act. The Chairman's staff includes the Office of
the Inspector General, which conducts audits of CFTC programs and
operations, and the Office of International Affairs, which is the focal point for the Commission's
global regulatory coordination efforts.
The Chairman's staff is also responsible for liaison with the public,
the Congress, and the media. The Office of External Affairs (OEA) is the
Commission's liaison with the domestic and foreign news media, producer
and market user groups, educational and academic groups and
institutions, and the general public. OEA provides timely and relevant
information about the Commission's regulatory mandate, the economic role
of the futures markets, new market instruments, market regulation,
enforcement actions, and customer protection initiatives, actions, and
issues. OEA also provides assistance to members of the media and the
general public accessing the CFTC's Internet website.
The CFTC monitors markets and market participants closely by
maintaining, in addition to its headquarters office in Washington,
offices in cities that have futures exchanges—New York, Chicago and
Kansas City.