FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                  99-23
                              
        Regulators Reach Out to Young People With the
  "Facts on Saving and Investing Campaign for the Americas"

     Washington, D.C., February 24, 1999 -- At a news
conference today in Buenos Aires, Argentina, securities 
regulators from 13 countries in North, Central and South 
America and the Caribbean announced that they will teach 
high school and university students throughout the 
Americas the basics of saving and investing during the 
week of April 25 - May 1, 1999.

     That week will mark the first anniversary of the "Facts
on Saving and Investing Campaign for the Americas," a
grassroots campaign organized by the Council of Securities
Regulators of the Americas (COSRA), to educate people
throughout the Americas about the importance of saving,
investing, and avoiding securities fraud.

     Arthur Levitt, Chairman of the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission, said, "The SEC is proud to be a partner
in the `Facts on Saving and Investing Campaign for the
Americas.'  There's no better way to achieve financial
security than learning about the importance of saving and
investing, and there's no better time to start than when
you're young.  Working together, I can't think of a more
important mission than reaching out to every American and
offering opportunity through education; empowerment through
participation; and security through responsibility."

     In the U.S., campaign partners -- including state
securities regulators, federal agencies, consumer
organizations, and financial industry associations -- plan
to build on last year's efforts, which included holding
educational events and distributing information on saving
and investing throughout the country.


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