Securities Enforcement. Corporate Investigations. Financial Regulation.
Independent analysis of the laws, regulations, investigations, and enforcement actions shaping modern financial markets.
BRAEDEN ANDERSON
Braeden is one of the top securities lawyers in the country and was recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America in the Financial Services Regulation Law and Securities Regulation categories. This honor is awarded to only the top 2% of attorneys in the United States and is based on a comprehensive peer-review survey.
Braeden helped lead Gesmer Updegrove to recognition in The Legal 500 United States for Corporate Investigations & White Collar Crime, Tier 3, and Finance: Fintech, Tier 4.
Braeden is active in the U.S. securities enforcement community through Securities Docket, where he has served on the 2025 and 2026 Advisory Boards and contributed video commentary through the Weekly Update.
Braeden was named the #1 United States author in FinTech in Mondaq’s Spring 2025 Thought Leadership Awards, reflecting the national reach and influence of his writing on fintech, securities regulation, and digital asset policy.
SEC Moves Toward Rescinding “No-Deny” Settlement Policy
The White House is reviewing the SEC’s plan to rescind its long-standing “no admit, no deny” settlement policy, often criticized as a “gag rule.” The proposal, listed by OIRA as “Rescission of Policy Regarding Denials in Settlements of Enforcement Actions,” could reshape SEC enforcement settlements by allowing companies and individuals to resolve cases without being barred from publicly disputing the allegations.
SEC Restores Simultaneous Consideration Policy for Settlement and Waiver
This article and embedded video discusses the recent policy shift at the SEC regarding simultaneous consideration of settlement offers and related waiver requests in enforcement actions. The policy change reverses a 2021 decision under prior leadership that had required waiver requests to be considered separately, only after a settlement was finalized.
SEC Enforcement Trends in Fiscal 2024: Record Remedies Despite Decline in Actions
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently released its enforcement report for fiscal 2024, detailing a year of record-breaking financial remedies amidst a significant decline in the total number of enforcement actions. While the total actions dropped by 26% compared to the previous fiscal year, the SEC obtained an unprecedented $8.2 billion in financial remedies—a testament to the agency’s focused efforts in high-stakes cases.
Big Data Is Watching You: How the SEC Uses Advanced Analytics to Uncover Violations
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has long stood as the vanguard of financial market integrity, but in recent years, it has transformed into a sophisticated data-driven enforcement machine. By leveraging cutting-edge analytics, the SEC has fundamentally reshaped the landscape of securities regulation, ensuring that the most complex and well-disguised violations come to light. From insider trading and market manipulation to cherry-picking schemes and misconduct in the trading of structured products, the SEC's methods have become simultaneously more advanced and more efficient, making noncompliance an exceedingly risky gamble.
SEC Crackdown: Key Enforcement Trends in Cyber Disclosure, Director Independence, and Reg FD
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Division of Enforcement has intensified its focus on significant areas of compliance for public companies. Recent actions have targeted cybersecurity incident disclosures, director independence misrepresentations, and violations of Regulation Fair Disclosure (Reg FD). Here’s what you need to know about these developments and how they could impact your company.