The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (frequently abbreviated SEC) is a federal agency which holds primary responsibility for enforcing the federal securities laws and regulating the securities industry, the nation’s stock and options exchanges, and other electronic securities markets in the United States. In addition to the 1934 Act that created it, the SEC enforces the Securities Act of 1933, the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and other statutes. The SEC was created by section 4 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (now codified as 15 U.S.C. Ã‚§ 78d and commonly referred to as the 1934 Act).

Commission
SEC
Agency overview
Formed	June 6, 1934
Jurisdiction	Federal government of the United States
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Employees	3,798 (2007)
Agency executive	Mary Schapiro, Chairman
Website
www.sec.gov