EXCLUSIVE-US Securities and Exchange Commission restructures enforcement division, memo says

By Chris Prentice

NEW YORK, April 2 (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission told staff on Wednesday it plans to restructure its enforcement division under new deputy directors, in a move that appears to consolidate oversight over the agency's offices across the country.

Under the changes, detailed in a memo seen by Reuters sent by acting SEC Chairman Mark Uyeda, enforcement staff will report to deputy directors for the West, Northeast or Southeast as well as deputy directors for specialized units. The SEC currently has 10 hubs across the country where enforcement and exam staff report up to a director of each office.

The SEC did not respond immediately to a request for comment on the memo, which said the changes will be effective April 9.

"The sheer number of reporting senior officers has created management challenges," Uyeda said in the memo, saying the current structure "simply cannot be sustained."

The reorganization comes as Wall Street's top regulator faces a mass exodus, with hundreds agreeing to take resignation offers amid efforts by President Donald Trump and his ally Elon Musk to remake the U.S. government, Reuters has reported.

Reuters previously reported the agency was planning to cut regional directors. Wednesday's memo announced a series of reassignments of those regional directors into new roles.