NEW YORK, March 24 (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and

Exchange Commission will likely focus on more traditional cases

under incoming leadership, including those involving individual

wrongdoing and fraud targeting elders, the agency's acting

enforcement director said on Monday.

The SEC has pioneered novel enforcement theories in recent

years, such as a 2021 "shadow trading" case, which it won. But

it is in the midst of a major pivot and staff exodus since

Republicans took the helm at the agency in January.

"Creativity is probably not where we want to be," Sam

Waldon, the agency's interim enforcement director, told a

securities industry event, when asked about such recent

enforcement theories.

Instead, Waldon said he expected the agency to pursue

perennial areas of enforcement, including insider trading and

accounting and disclosure fraud along with cases involving

emerging technologies and retail investor fraud.

He also said cases aimed at individual accountability

will be a priority.

"It's always a priority, but I do think that those are cases

that are going to be received better by this commission," he

said.

Paul Atkins, President Donald Trump's appointee to lead the

agency, is slated to appear on Capitol Hill on Thursday. The SEC

is expected to give Wall Street an easier ride under his

leadership.

Since January, the SEC has overhauled its cryptocurrency

policy stance, pausing or walking away from key cases against

cryptocurrency firms.

The agency has also reined in enforcement staff's ability to

kick off formal investigations without commission approval. When

asked about that move, Waldon downplayed the impact of that

effort.

"It's too early to tell," he said. "There are a lot of ways

to put together a process to get the commission to grant an

authorization."