SEC Whistleblower Program Reports Stunning 2021 Results

If you have been watching the SEC Whistleblower Program over the last year, you already know that this has been a big year, with the program passing one billion in total whistleblower awards as enforcement matters based on information from whistleblowers have resulted in orders for nearly $5 billion in monetary sanctions.  This week, the SEC released its 2021 Annual Report on the SEC Whistleblower Program, and, even though we knew to expect big numbers, the results are still stunning.  Simply put, the SEC Whistleblower Program had an amazing year in 2021.

The fiscal year ending in September 2021 saw many milestones: the largest number of whistleblower awards in total dollars, the largest number of individuals receiving awards, and, the largest number of submissions to the program.  In 2021, with the country still recovering from a global pandemic, the Commission can proudly claim that it made more whistleblower awards in FY 2021 than in all prior years combined.  Since the program began, the SEC has awarded more than $1.1 billion to 214 individual whistleblowers.

In achieving these stunning numbers, the SEC Whistleblower Program exercised its authority under new rules designed to streamline claim processing.  The 2021 awards also demonstrate the breadth of the program, with substantial awards accruing to international whistleblowers, to whistleblower who submitted independent analysis, and where SEC enforcement actions and related actions resulted in dispositions including deferred prosecution agreements. Read More