By Michael Smallberg

A few months ago, we questioned why many of the investigative reports issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Office of Inspector General (OIG) are nowhere to be found on the agency or the OIG’s website.

Since then, we’ve obtained many of these unposted reports, which were released to POGO and others through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), but are still not available on the websites of the SEC or OIG. We’ve made these reports searchable and posted them on our own website as a resource to the public.

The OIG’s recent investigations have uncovered a number of alarming problems at the SEC, the agency tasked with protecting investors and ensuring the integrity of financial markets. As the SEC works to restore its reputation in the aftermath of the financial crisis, the OIG’s investigative reports offer a unique glimpse at the ongoing problems facing the agency.

Anyone who follows the SEC is probably well acquainted with the OIG’s blockbuster investigations of the agency’s failures to crack down on the Ponzi schemes orchestrated by Bernie Madoff and Allen Stanford. These two reports, which were the focus of significant media and congressional attention, were promptly posted on the SEC and OIG’s websites.