Recently, SPACs seem to have lost much of their allure, but why? Certainly there are multiple reasons related to the capital markets, but one reason may have been the anxiety of many SPAC proponents precipitated by the...more
Last week, a House Financial Services subcommittee held a hearing with the ominous title “Oversight of the SEC’s Proposed Climate Disclosure Rule: A Future of Legal Hurdles.” Billed as oversight, the hearing certainly...more
To start the new year, Corp Fin has posted an updated version of Disclosure Guidance: Topic No. 7, Confidential Treatment Applications Submitted Pursuant to Rules 406 and 24b-2. The guidance addresses procedures for CTRs that...more
Happy new year! In September last year, the SEC posted a new NYSE proposed rule change that would “modify the circumstances under which a listed company must obtain shareholder approval of a sale of securities to a...more
On October 31, the Fifth Circuit issued an opinion in Chamber of Commerce of the USA v. SEC, granting the Chamber’s petition for review of the SEC’s Share Repurchase Disclosure Modernization rule. The Court held that the “SEC...more
In August 2020, as part of an overhaul of Reg S-K, the SEC adopted a new requirement to discuss human capital, taking a principles-based approach. For the most part, the initial response to the new requirement was...more
On Friday, the SEC announced the issuance of a staff report on the accredited investor definition, a review that, as directed by Dodd-Frank, occurs every four years with the objective of assessing “whether the requirements of...more
A few days ago, Corp Fin issued three new CDIs relating to delays in reporting material cybersecurity incidents on Form 8-K. Those CDIs, together with the Department of Justice Material Cybersecurity Incident Delay...more
Corp Fin has just released some new CDIs, summarized below, relating to material cybersecurity incidents. As you know, in July, the SEC voted, three to two, to adopt final rules on cybersecurity disclosure, which includes a...more
The SEC’s Fall 2023 Reg-Flex Agenda—according to the preamble, compiled as of August 22, 2023, reflecting “only the priorities of the Chair”—has now been posted. And it’s Groundhog Day again. All of the Corp Fin agenda items...more
On October 31, the Fifth Circuit issued an opinion in Chamber of Commerce of the USA v. SEC, granting the Chamber’s petition for review of the SEC’s Share Repurchase Disclosure Modernization rule. The Court held that the “SEC...more
The FASB has announced a final Accounting Standards Update designed to improve disclosures about public companies’ reportable segments, particularly disclosures about significant segment expenses—information that the FASB...more
The SEC’s Office of Chief Accountant appears to be taking a hard look these days at statements of cash flows. In “The Statement of Cash Flows: Improving the Quality of Cash Flow Information Provided to Investors,” SEC Chief...more
Last week, SCOTUS heard oral argument in Jarkesy v. SEC (BTW, pronounced Járkəzē, according to his counsel). As you may have heard, that case is about the constitutionality of the SEC’s administrative law judges. There were...more
On October 31, the Fifth Circuit issued an opinion in Chamber of Commerce of the USA v. SEC, granting the Chamber’s petition for review of the SEC’s Share Repurchase Disclosure Modernization rule. The Court held that the “SEC...more
In this Viewpoint, Issues Facing Compensation Committees in 2024, comp consultant Pay Governance takes a look at how the current economic and geopolitical uncertainty, together with an “onslaught” of new SEC rules, may affect...more
In August 2021, the SEC filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court charging Matthew Panuwat, a former employee of Medivation Inc., an oncology-focused biopharma, with insider trading in advance of Medivation’s announcement...more
You might recall that, on Halloween, the Fifth Circuit issued an opinion in Chamber of Commerce of the USA v. SEC, granting the Chamber’s petition for review of the Share Repurchase Disclosure Modernization rule. The Court...more
Today, the SEC announced that it had issued an order postponing the effective date of the Share Repurchase Disclosure Modernization rule. As a result, the Rule is stayed pending further SEC action. Why? You might recall...more
Yesterday, Corp Fin released yet another group of new and revised CDIs, these relating to pay-versus-performance disclosure. (See this PubCo post.) Several of the new CDIs address issues regarding peer groups and some provide...more
On Friday, Corp Fin released some new CDIs, summarized below, relating to the proxy rules. The CDIs can all be found under the caption Proxy Rules and Schedule 14A, and all are new with one exception for a newly revised CDI...more
The SEC has announced its Enforcement stats for fiscal 2023, which revealed that the SEC filed 784 total enforcement actions, up 3% from the 760 filed in fiscal 2022. However, the level of financial remedies declined in...more
Yesterday, the SEC announced a settled action against Charter Communications for “violating internal accounting controls requirements when it engaged in stock buybacks not authorized by its board of directors.” More...more
The PCAOB has posted a 2023 audit committee resource that identifies a number of questions that audit committees may want “to consider amongst themselves or in discussions with their independent auditors, particularly given...more
This year’s PLI Securities Regulation Institute was a source for a lot of useful information and interesting perspectives. Panelists discussed a variety of topics, including climate disclosure (although no one shared any...more