Also known as SEC and the Commission. The federal agency created to administer the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and later given authority to administer the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, the Investment Company Act of 1940, and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The statutes administered by the SEC are designed to promote full public disclosure and protect the investing public against fraudulent and manipulative practices in the securities markets.

For information on the organization of the SEC, see SEC Organization Chart.