Since 2000, the Justice Department and SEC have entered into 290 publicly disclosed DPAs or NPAs, according to a recent analysis from law firm Gibson Dunn. Over that period, DPAs and NPAs have netted the government more than $42 billion in penalties and recoveries.

Jaclyn Jaeger is a freelance contributor to Compliance Week after working for the company for 15 years. She writes on a wide variety of topics, including ethics and compliance, risk management, legal,...