Welcome to Compliance Hot Spots, our weekly snapshot on white-collar, regulatory and compliance news and trends. Today, we delve into a record-breaking year for the SEC's whistleblower program and explore a continuing debate in antitrust as Jonathan Kanter takes the helm at DOJ. Thanks for reading, and please get in touch with tips and feedback. A programming note: this newsletter will be off next week. Here's wishing you a safe, healthy and happy Thanksgiving. Contact me at [email protected] and @AGoudsward on Twitter.

|

After Cracking Down on 'Nonsense,' SEC Whistleblower Program Has Record-Breaking Year

The Securities and Exchange Commission whistleblower program smashed its previous record for tips received last year as the COVID-19 pandemic drove a surge in whistleblowing activity.

The program received more than 12,210 tips last fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, up 76% from the previous year, according to the program's annual report to Congress released this week. That not only set a record for the overall number of tips, which was set only the previous year, but marked the biggest year-over-year increase in the program's 10-year history.