SEC To Examine Pay Data Of Boston Companies

Federal securities regulators plan to look into dozens of cases in which publicly traded Massachusetts companies misreported how much their top executives earned.

The inquiry by the Securities and Exchange Commission follows a report by The Boston Globe that 34 companies listed incorrect compensation figures in annual reports they filed with the agency and with shareholders. Some of the discrepancies were hundreds of thousands of dollars.

SEC spokesman John Nester said the agency selectively reviews company disclosure, but did not comment on any specific Boston companies mentioned in the original Globe report.

Companies blamed the errors on typos, mathematical errors, and other inadvertent blunders.