Nearly three-quarters of compliance professionals at investment firms have made testing for off-channel and electronic communications surveillance a top priority in mock exams, according to a new poll, with more than half calling it the “hottest” topic of discussion.

The survey, published Tuesday by the Investment Adviser Association (IAA), ACA Group, and Yuter Compliance Consulting, found 65 percent of compliance professionals at 595 investment adviser firms polled in May arranged for mock Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) exams to take place in case of an actual exam.

Adrianne Appel writes regulatory news, policy, and trends for Compliance Week. She previously reported about policy developments for Bloomberg Law and Bloomberg Government. Email: adrianne.appel@complianceweek.com LinkedIn:...