Post-Election, SEC Expected To Relax Post-Crisis Rules

Many things are likely to change in a Trump administration, among them the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Donald Trump, who has stated a desire to roll back at least parts of the Dodd-Frank laws governing the financial industry, which date back to 2010, will likely place similar opponents of the legislation in positions of power at the Securities and Exchange Commission.

One telltale sign comes in the form of the transition team head responsible for the SEC and other financial bodies — Paul Atkins, who serves as the chief executive of Patomak, a consulting firm, and who has been known to oppose some of the tenets of Dodd-Frank.

WSJ also noted that other initiatives, yet to be finished by this administration, could fall by the wayside, including efforts to reign in Wall Street pay or, elsewhere, limits on commodities trading.

At the SEC, said WSJ, three of five commissioner posts have been filled, and two are vacant, with another seat to come vacant by the time Trump assumes office in Jan. 2017.