The SEC sporadically suspends delinquent SEC Registrant stocks throughout the year and just before their fiscal year ends on September 30 they go on a surge of suspending dozens more, probably (as you surmise) to meet quotas to satisfy their budget requirements to Congress.
Investors need to know that the SEC can and will eventually suspend and the Admin Law Judges (A.L.J.) will absolutely revoke the registrations of ALL SEC registered companies that are severely delinquent (eg., one year or more) in filing Financials. Holding shares of a delinquent SEC Registrant stock is far more dangerous than holding shares in a blatant scam stock that is not registered with the SEC, because once the SEC suspends a delinquent SEC Registrant's stock investors will lose 100% of their investment.
As I am compiling my updated list to December 31, 2018 of SEC Suspensions and Admin Law Judge (A.L.J.) revocations there have been 1,716 A.L.J. registration revocations of delinquent, formerly registered stocks, with about 100 more waiting on the Grey Market until those registrations will also be revoked. Let that sink in....multiple thousands of shareholders of 1,716 stocks were wiped out at the moment the SEC suspended their stock and the A.L.J. revoked their registrations.
If any reader cares to read the SEC's 2016 Financial report to Congress it dealves into the SEC's Mission and Vision....an interesting read, well, for me anyway.
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