The Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday announced the creation of a new division designed to bolster compliance with securities laws among firms working with the agency’s regional offices.

The Event and Emerging Risks Examination Team (EERT) will work within the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) to assist in implementing OCIE exam priorities in regional offices, according to an SEC press release.

The OCIE is responsible for conducting examinations of SEC-registered investment advisers, investment companies, broker-dealers, self-regulatory organizations, and transfer agents, among others.

“The EERT will help ensure, through examinations and other firm engagement and monitoring activities, that firms are better prepared to address exigent threats, incidents, and emerging risks,” the SEC said. “The EERT will also work with OCIE staff to provide expertise and support in response to significant market events that could have a systemic impact or that place investor assets at risk, such as exchange outages, liquidity events, and cyber-security or operational resiliency concerns.”

Adam Storch, most recently a senior advisor to the director of the OCIE, will serve as associate director of the EERT.