Harvey L. Pitt, SEC chairman, asked the New York Stock Exchange and...

Harvey L. Pitt, SEC chairman, asked the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq "to review corporate governance and listing standards, including the important issues of officer and director qualifications and the codes of conduct of public companies” as part of its effort to bolster investor confidence, according to an SEC statement. "Recent events have underscored the need for public companies to have a strong commitment to full disclosure and compliance with all regulatory regimes to which their companies are subject,” Mr. Pitt said in a letter to Richard A. Grasso, chairman of NYSE, and Hardwick Simmons, chairman and CEO of Nasdaq. "We believe that there are a number of ways that current corporate governance standards can be improved to strengthen the resolve of honest managers and the directors who oversee management’s actions.”