The North American Securities Administrators Association’s new president, Christine Bruenn, spoke to NASAA’a annual conference in Philadelphia today, saying that regulators must act to restore investor confidence.

Bruenn, Maine Securities administrator, told attendees at NASAA’s 85th annual conference, “The challenge for all of us in this room today — regulators and members of the industry — is to act to restore investor confidence in our markets. Specifically we need to get the investigations of research analysts’ conflicts of interest done right and done as quickly as possible. It’s in no one’s interest to have these investigations hanging over our markets any longer than necessary.”

Bruenn said recent corporate scandals have proven wrong those who pushed for less regulation. She singled out a June attempt to pre-empt state regulatory authority, in the wake of a coordinated state investigation of Wall Street research analysts.

While calling for tough, effective and efficient regulation, Bruenn said restoring investor confidence is a responsibility regulators share with the securities industry. “Everyone — regulators and members of the securities industry — should be concerned about the confidence investors have in American corporations — and our financial markets,” Bruenn said. “It’s not only vital that investors have confidence in our markets, but that the companies and markets in fact be worthy of that confidence.”

Bruenn pledged to continue the work done by previous NASAA presidents, including the promotion of more uniform regulation among states. She will focus on the registration and licensing of broker-dealers and their representatives, as well as advocating adoption of the Investment Adviser Registration Depository, which contains a disciplinary history for firms and individuals.

A graduate of Memphis State University law school, Bruenn began her career with the Maine Office of Securities in 1987 as director for enforcement, licensing and examination activities. In 1997 she was promoted to securities administrator. She has served NASAA as treasurer and on the Investment Adviser section, the Broker-Dealer Practices committee, the Uniform Securities Act committee, the CRD Steering committee and the Privacy project group.