SEC chairwoman Mary Schapiro to step down: NYT

Mary Schapiro, the head of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, is expected to announce on Monday that she will step down from the agency, the New York Times reported.

Speculation has swirled for months that she would leave soon after the November presidential election.

The SEC told the White House and the Treasury Department that Schapiro planned to leave next month, the newspaper said, citing two anonymous Obama administration officials.

A spokeswoman for the agency had no immediate comment.

(Reporting By Aruna Viswanatha; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick)