Location, Location, Location: The Geography of an SEC Whistleblower

In the SEC’s report to Congress, just released today, the agency documented the tremendous success of its revolutionary investor protection initiative. As we peel back the layers of the report, we note some startling findings with respect to the origin of whistleblower submissions. First and foremost, the program’s international reach is inarguable. This year’s largest award — more than $30 million! — came from a foreign tipster. And, of all 14 awards issued by the SEC to date, four were awarded to whistleblowers outside the U.S. This year, the agency received tips from 60 different international jurisdictions, with the UK, India, Canada, China, and Australia chief among these. Within the U.S., submissions came from every state in the union. The busiest states for whistleblowers in FY2014? California, Florida, Texas, and New York. How this stacks up to 2013 submissions is particularly interesting: submissions from California jumped by 48%; Florida by 41%; Texas by 54%; and New York, which fell from 2nd to 4th place, actually recorded a 5% drop in submissions. To view the SEC report in its entirety, please see here.