Another reminder of the importance of internal controls.

Commissioner Pierce makes a number of important points.

The SEC has treated its imposition of financial penalties as if the agency were a corporation that was under pressure to announce greater profits each year. The SEC's mission is larger than that; it is, or at least should be, to create a capital market system that functions well and serves the economy. Catching and punishing bad actors is part of that, but a limited part. Rather than boast of fine amounts, the…

This requirement is in line with the SEC's historical policy of requiring disclosure and then allowing investors to make their own investment and trading decisions based on that disclosure. Questions remain as to whether the disclosures are sufficient for customers to make informed decisions and whether the requirement of making the added disclosures may motivate broker-dealers to improve their execution practices.