The Securities and Exchange Commission will be looking at ETF sales strategies, trading practices and disclosures, as well as suitability and sales supervision of variable annuities.
House Speaker Paul Ryan has charged into the debate in the last few weeks with arguments echoing those of the financial industry.
Agency brought 126 actions against more than 230 adviser or company defendants in 2015, about 15% of the total enforcement cases last year.
With the Labor Department's fiduciary rule closing in on finalization, some lawmakers still question potential costs of implementing the measure.
Rule requires transferring brokers to send an “educational communication” to clients they are trying to convince to make the move with them.
Two top Republican senators claim the fiduciary rule is premature when the agency is still studying how Americans save.
Commissioner Kara Stein concedes agency is unsure how it will apply a best-interest standard to digital advice platforms.
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc. barred a Phoenix-based broker for making 12 unsuitable recommendations regarding debt instruments known as debentures.
Marc Wyatt, head of the agency's inspections arm, says his division analyzes data from many more to decide which to target.
