U.S. SEC says focused on prosecuting misconduct that might threaten investors, markets

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is focused on identifying and prosecuting any form of misconduct that might threaten investors, capital formation or markets more broadly, SEC Chair Gary Gensler told Reuters on Thursday.

Gensler made the comment in a written response when asked about a Reuters report that federal and state regulators were assessing the possibility of “market manipulation” behind big moves in banking share prices in recent days.

“As I’ve said, in times of increased volatility and uncertainty, the SEC is particularly focused on identifying and prosecuting any form of misconduct that might threaten investors, capital formation, or the markets more broadly,” he said.

(Reporting by Chris Prentice, writing by Andrea Shalal)