On December 1, 2020, the Nasdaq Stock Market filed a proposal with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to amend its listing standards to encourage greater board diversity and enhanced diversity disclosures for...more
On December 2, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (Act). The Act is identical to the bill the U.S. Senate passed in May 2020. Most significantly, the Act requires...more
12/9/2020
/ Annual Reports ,
Audit Reports ,
Audits ,
China ,
Financial Statements ,
Foreign Corporations ,
Foreign Jurisdictions ,
Form 10-K ,
Form 20-F ,
Hong Kong ,
PCAOB ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act
On November 19, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted amendments to certain financial disclosure requirements of Regulation S-K, including those applicable to the Management’s Discussion and Analysis of...more
On November 17, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted amendments to Rule 302(b) of Regulation S-T (Rule 302(b)), which permits registrants and others to use electronic signatures in documents...more
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently adopted final rules that significantly revise the exempt offering framework, expanding access to capital markets for both issuers and investors. Key changes include the...more
11/16/2020
/ Crowdfunding ,
Exemptions ,
Final Rules ,
General Solicitation ,
Registration Requirement ,
Regulation A ,
Rule 152 ,
Safe Harbors ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Testing-the-Waters Communications
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued final rules that significantly modify the framework that public companies and their auditors use to evaluate auditor independence, providing additional clarity for...more
On September 23, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted amendments to the procedural requirements and resubmission thresholds relating to shareholder proposals submitted for inclusion in company proxy...more
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules require reporting companies to file material agreements as exhibits to periodic reports, registration statements and certain other disclosure documents. Often times those...more
On September 9, 2020, the staff of the SEC Division of Corporation Finance (Staff) updated CF Disclosure Guidance: Topic No. 7 (Confidential Treatment Applications Submitted Pursuant to Rules 406 and 24b-2) to explain the...more
On August 26, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved a proposal from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) that would allow companies going public via a direct listing to issue and sell new shares on their...more
On August 26, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) voted 3-2 to modernize Regulation S-K rules requiring business description, legal proceedings and risk factor disclosures. The amendments are intended to update...more
On August 26, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted amendments to expand the definition of “accredited investor” in Rule 215 and Rule 501(a) of Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933,...more
8/31/2020
/ Accredited Investors ,
Amended Rules ,
Family Businesses ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Investment Opportunities ,
Limited Liability Company (LLC) ,
Private Offerings ,
Qualified Institutional Buyers ,
Regulation D ,
Rule 144A ,
Rule 501(a) ,
Rule 506 Offerings ,
Rural Business Investment Companies (RBICs) ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
On July 22, 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), by a 3-1 vote, adopted amendments to the federal proxy rules relating to proxy voting advice businesses (proxy advisors). The amendments categorize the...more
7/27/2020
/ Amended Rules ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Exemptions ,
Filing Requirements ,
Investment Adviser ,
Notice Requirements ,
Proxy Advisors ,
Proxy Advisory Firms ,
Proxy Voting Guidelines ,
Public Disclosure ,
Safe Harbors ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Solicitation
On July 10, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) voted 3-1 to approve proposed rules that, among other things, would raise the Form 13F reporting threshold for institutional investment managers (managers) from...more
On June 23, 2020, the Division of Corporation Finance (the Division) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued CF Disclosure Guidance: Topic No. 9A (Guidance) on disclosures focusing on the impact of...more
On May 21, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted extensive changes to the financial disclosure requirements for business acquisitions and dispositions. The amendments are intended to reduce the complexity...more
5/29/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Amended Rules ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Dispositions ,
Financial Reporting ,
GAAP ,
IFRS ,
Income Test ,
Investment Test ,
Management Adjustments ,
Popular ,
Pro Forma Financial Information ,
Regulation S-X ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Tax-Free Spin-Offs
As a reminder, conflict minerals disclosures on Forms SD are required to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) no later than June 1, 2020. This remains true despite the impact of COVID-19, given that...more
As public companies approach an unprecedented earnings season due to the COVID-19 outbreak, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Jay Clayton and Division of Corporation Finance Director William Hinman issued...more
On April 6, 2020, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) filed an immediately effective rule change with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that waives the application of certain shareholder approval requirements...more
In light of the recent downturn and increased volatility in the global financial markets due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of companies have raised questions regarding the best practices and desirability of repurchasing...more
On March 12, 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted amendments to the accelerated filer and large accelerated filer definitions under Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act to reduce burdens and compliance...more
The current market environment and unprecedented volatility during the COVID-19 pandemic has created novel issues, and in some cases opportunities, for public companies and individuals regarding securities trading. The below...more
On March 25, 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a modified order extending the time period during which public companies impacted by COVID-19 may delay by 45 days SEC filings that otherwise would...more
The question is no longer whether the volatility created by the COVID-19 pandemic will deepen the difficulties businesses and other institutions face in the coming months, but by how much and in what ways. In the past few...more
3/21/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Audits ,
Board of Directors ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Restructuring ,
Corporate Taxes ,
Court Closures ,
Debt-Equity ,
Energy Projects ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
IRS ,
Liquidity ,
Mergers ,
Power Infrastructure ,
Securities Litigation ,
Shareholder Activism ,
Shareholder Meetings ,
Stock Repurchases
On March 4, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced proposed amendments to the exempt offering framework. The proposals target harmonization, simplification and improvement of the existing rules and...more