SEC names N.J. Attorney General to head enforcement

SEC names N.J. Attorney General to head enforcement
Before becoming New Jersey's attorney general in 2018, Gurbir Grewal served as a federal prosecutor leading a unit that investigated white-collar crime.
JUN 29, 2021

New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal will lead the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s enforcement division, putting a well-known former prosecutor in charge of the unit that polices Wall Street.

SEC Chair Gary Gensler announced the pick Tuesday, touting his experience at state and federal levels. Gensler’s first pick, Alex Oh, resigned within days of taking the job after a federal judge questioned her conduct in a case she was working on in private practice.

As New Jersey’s attorney general since 2018, Grewal, 48, has worked on a range of issues including gun violence and the opioid epidemic. During his tenure, the state also proposed tougher rules for investment advisers and joined other states in suing financial firms. Earlier in his career, Grewal served as a federal prosecutor leading a unit that investigated white-collar crime.

“He has the ideal combination of experience, values, and leadership ability to helm the enforcement division at this critical time,” Gensler said in a statement. “I look forward to working closely with him to protect investors and root out wrongdoing in our markets.”

Grewal, who was the first Sikh American to serve as a state attorney general, said he was “excited to get to work with the talented team of public servants to uncover and prosecute misconduct and protect investors.” He will start July 26.

Gensler, who took the helm of the SEC in April, is expected to take a much harder line in pursuing misconduct than his predecessors did during the Trump administration. He frequently sparred with finance executives and imposed aggressive new rules on swaps trading when he led the Commodity Futures Trading Commission during the Obama administration.

Latest News

What it really takes to serve ultra high net worth clients
What it really takes to serve ultra high net worth clients

Most firms think they are ready for the ultra high net worth market. Most are not.

Stifel settles another complaint involving former star Miami broker
Stifel settles another complaint involving former star Miami broker

Stifel has paid or is on the hook for close to a staggering $200 million in damages and settlements to former clients of Chuck Roberts.

Advisor moves: LPL firm Genesis Wealth adds $725M veteran from JPMorgan
Advisor moves: LPL firm Genesis Wealth adds $725M veteran from JPMorgan

UBS also expanded in the Southeast with six advisors overseeing more than $2 billion, while Osaic lured a $300 million family-led practice from Wells Fargo's FiNet.

Salesforce launches Agentic Advisor as AI notetakers threaten CRM dominance
Salesforce launches Agentic Advisor as AI notetakers threaten CRM dominance

The new AI workspace rollout promises to automate the full advisor workflow just as third-party tools wage a turf war for central control of wealth firms' tech stacks.

Advisor moves: LPL lands UBS veteran as &Partners grows by $1.6 billion
Advisor moves: LPL lands UBS veteran as &Partners grows by $1.6 billion

Mega-RIA picks up $250M advisor, while three firms head for &Partners.

SPONSORED Why direct indexing stopped being optional

Direct indexing is on pace to outgrow ETFs and mutual funds. Northern Trust's Ken Lassner explains why the advisors who get it wish they had started sooner.

SPONSORED Estate planning isn't a service add-on. It's your retention strategy.

As $84 trillion prepares to change hands, advisors who treat estate planning as peripheral are quietly building a sieve, not a book.