Sarah Lynch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is spending millions of dollars on consultants to streamline the agency, but SEC insiders and at least one lawmaker are questioning whether the SEC is getting its money's worth.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A key U.S. securities regulator on Friday called for a "re-proposal" of a controversial ban on banks' proprietary trading, saying he fears a rush to implement it could cause major harm to U.S. markets.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators should scrap a proposal on the Volcker rule that curbs banks' speculative bets, and work on a fresh one that does not threaten the health of markets, a member of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said on Friday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Exchange operator Nasdaq OMX <NDAQ.O> is trying to gain support for a legislative proposal that would give it a competitive edge over both rival exchanges and banks that operate anonymous trading venues known as "dark pools."

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp Chairman Bill Gates has thrown his support behind a controversial proposal by U.S. securities regulators to make oil, natural gas and mining companies disclose payments to governments.

(Reuters) - The trustee for bankrupt MF Global Holdings Ltd agreed to share internal documents with officials investigating a massive shortfall in the firm's customer accounts, resolving weeks of negotiations over access to the information.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Financial market regulators, months behind in writing rules to implement the Dodd-Frank reforms and under pressure to probe the collapse of broker MF Global more vigorously, would get a big budget boost in the coming fiscal year from the spending plan that the White House proposed on Monday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Monday proposed big budget boosts for U.S. financial market regulators, which are months behind in finalizing Dodd-Frank reforms and are under pressure to more vigorously police markets in the wake of the 2007-2009 financial crisis.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senator Pat Toomey is urging businesses to push back against efforts by U.S. securities regulators to impose new rules on the money market fund industry, which he says could "wipe out" the products.

WASHINGTON, DC (Reuters) - In his final act before departing the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday, the agency's inspector general, David Kotz, criticized how the agency analyzes the economic impact of some of its Dodd-Frank rules.

WASHINGTON, DC (Reuters) - In his final act before departing the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday, the agency's inspector general, David Kotz, criticized how the agency analyzes the economic impact of some of its Dodd-Frank rules.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. securities regulators charged a Latvian trader with reaping more than $850,000 in illegal profits by hacking into online brokerage accounts and manipulating more than 100 securities.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A hearing in federal court on Tuesday gave the victims of Allen Stanford's alleged Ponzi scheme little clarity after a federal judge said he needed more time before deciding whether an industry-backed fund should be forced to let the investors file claims.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hedge fund Diamondback Capital Management will pay more than $9 million to settle civil insider-trading charges, and will also enter into a non-prosecution agreement with the U.S. Justice Department.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hedge fund Diamondback Capital Management will pay more than $9 million to settle civil insider-trading charges, and will also enter into a non-prosecution agreement with the Justice Department.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Diamondback Capital Management will pay more than $9 million to settle allegations of insider trading at the Stamford, Connecticut-based hedge fund.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Securities regulators are due in court on Tuesday to argue that a brokerage industry-backed protection fund should let thousands of victims of Allen Stanford's alleged Ponzi scheme file claims for compensation.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - David Kotz, the inspector general at the Securities and Exchange Commission who has a reputation as a tough watchdog, is leaving the agency at the end of January, the SEC said on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - David Kotz, the tough internal watchdog at the Securities and Exchange Commission, is leaving the agency at the end of January to join a private investigative service.

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The May 2010 "flash crash" was bad for almost everyone involved in the stock market, but for the Securities and Exchange Commission, it was a disaster.