The Financial Post reports in its Wednesday edition that outgoing U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission chair Mary Jo White had a plea to the incoming administration to ensure the regulator remains independent and insulated from political pressures. A Reuters dispatch to the Post says that in what was likely her final speech before president-elect Donald Trump is sworn into office on Friday, Ms. White lamented the "prescriptive" rule-writing requirements that Congress has imposed on the SEC and said such efforts harm the agency's ability to get things done or exercise discretion on complicated market issues. "The strength and utility of the agency's structure depends on an environment that rewards expertise and frank dialogue, not partisan affiliation and political games," Ms. White told the Economic Club of New York. "If the ability and resolve of commissioners to act independently diminishes, so too will the opportunity for solutions that, while politically unpopular, best serve investors and markets." Mr. Trump's choice to head the SEC, attorney Jay Clayton, has not opined publicly on his priorities or future rule-making plans. Ms. White also urged the SEC to resist lobbying by interest groups.