On February 21, 2013, the SEC’s National Examination Program (NEP) published its list of priorities for examinations of investment advisers (including hedge fund managers) and other regulated entities for 2013.  The NEP list not only addresses presence examinations of newly registered investment advisers, but also discusses focus areas for examinations of previously-registered advisers.  Also, unlike prior speeches addressing adviser examination priorities for 2013, this announcement reflects an official SEC statement on the matter.  This article offers a deep dive into the SEC’s thinking on each of the specified examination priorities.