FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                  97-18


     
           SEC ANNOUNCES NEW PUBLIC INTERNET MAILBOXES
     



     Washington, D.C., March 12, 1997 -- Thirteen new SEC Internet
electronic mailboxes are now available to the public.  The
mailboxes allow the public to communicate electronically  on a
variety of issues and topics, from Freedom of Information Act
requests to reporting suspected instances of securities fraud to a
regional or district SEC office.

     This brings the total number of public SEC electronic
mailboxes to twenty-three.  Descriptions of the new mailboxes are
available on the SEC's web site.
     

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