On December 1, 2020, Nasdaq proposed new listing rules that, if approved by the SEC following a public comment period, would require Nasdaq-listed companies either to have, or explain why they do not have, at least two...more
12/7/2020
/ Board of Directors ,
Diversity ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
LGBTQ ,
Listing Rules ,
Nasdaq ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulation S-K ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
On November 19, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted amendments to Regulation S-K that update and streamline its rules governing Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of...more
On November 2, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission adopted amendments to facilitate the use of private, or “exempt,” offerings. The changes will impact offerings structured pursuant to Section 4(a)(2), Regulation D...more
11/12/2020
/ Accredited Investors ,
Anti-Fraud Provisions ,
Capital Formation ,
Capital Markets ,
Capital Raising ,
General Solicitation ,
New Rules ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Registration Requirement ,
Regulation A ,
Regulation D ,
Regulation S ,
Rule 152 ,
Safe Harbors ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Startups
The Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") has approved amendments that will facilitate the ability of funds and other issuers to raise capital through private placements. On August 26, 2020, the SEC adopted amendments to...more
On August 26, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission adopted amendments to Regulation S-K that simplify and modernize the disclosure requirements relating to description of business, legal proceedings, and risk factors,...more
9/3/2020
/ Amended Rules ,
Capital Markets ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Final Rules ,
Foreign Private Issuers ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Registration Statement ,
Regulation S-K ,
Risk Factors ,
SASB ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation
On July 10, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) proposed significantly increasing the reporting threshold requiring the filing of a Form 13F to $3.5 billion, a 35-fold increase from the current threshold....more
7/14/2020
/ Comment Period ,
Corporate Governance ,
De Minimis Claims ,
FOIA ,
Food Marketing Institute v Argus Leader Media ,
Form 13F ,
Investment Adviser ,
Proposed Rules ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Threshold Requirements
On May 21, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) amended the financial statement and other disclosure requirements that apply when public companies acquire or dispose of a business or real estate...more
7/13/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Financial Reporting ,
Financial Statements ,
Form 8-K ,
GAAP ,
IFRS ,
Investment Companies ,
Pro Forma Financial Information ,
Regulation S-X ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Smaller Reporting Companies
The Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") recently adopted amendments to Regulation S-X and related rules and forms that will streamline and reduce the financial statements required to be filed in connection with...more
7/13/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Amended Regulation ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Financial Reporting ,
Form 10-K ,
Form 8-K ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Investment Company Act of 1940 ,
Real Estate Investments ,
Regulation S-X ,
REIT ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
The Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) recently adopted final rules (the “Final Rules”) amending Regulation S-X and related rules and forms in a manner that directly impacts registered investment companies and...more
On May 14, 2020, the New York Stock Exchange (the "NYSE") adopted a temporary rule waiving until June 30, 2020 additional key shareholder approval requirements for certain private investments in public equity ("PIPE") and...more
On May 4, 2020, The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) adopted a temporary rule waiving until June 30, 2020 key shareholder approval requirements for certain private investments in public equity (“PIPE”) and similar...more
Recent market conditions and volatility due to the COVID-19 pandemic have produced an environment in which traditional securities offerings may prove challenging for public companies. At the same time, the global economic...more
SEC Approves Temporary Waiver of NYSE Shareholder Approval Rules to Provide Companies Additional Flexibility to Raise PIPE Financing -
On April 6, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) announced the...more
On April 8, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") adopted a series of rule and form amendments (the "Final Offering Rules") that will modify the registration, communications and offering processes under the...more
On March 25, 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC" or "Commission") announced an Order to provide further extensions for public company filing deadlines due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This Order supersedes...more
As the COVID-19 virus disrupts businesses, public companies face both operational and compliance challenges as public disclosure has become a more complex and evolving task. Companies with calendar year-ends are beginning to...more
Exemptive Relief -
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued an order (Order) providing temporary exemptive relief to public companies that are unable to meet filing deadlines due to circumstances related to...more
On January 30, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC" or "Commission") published interpretive guidance (the "Guidance") that companies should consider when disclosing key performance indicators ("KPIs") and other...more
Passive hedge funds are increasingly considering active roles when they are dissatisfied with the management of specific portfolio companies. After describing such a scenario, the author discusses the steps a dissatisfied...more
12/10/2019
/ Activist Hedge Funds ,
Corporate Governance ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Hedge Funds ,
Proxy Proposals ,
Proxy Season ,
Proxy Voting Guidelines ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Shareholder Activism ,
Shareholder Proposals
Changes May Create New Challenges for Public Companies, and Signal a Reduction of the SEC Staff’s Traditional Role As Arbiter Between Companies and Shareholders -
On September 6, 2019, the SEC's Division of Corporation...more
On August 21, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued two interpretive releases involving proxy voting and proxy voting advice. In the first release, the SEC provided guidance regarding the responsibilities of...more
9/12/2019
/ Anti-Fraud Provisions ,
Corporate Governance ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Management ,
Popular ,
Proxy Advisory Firms ,
Proxy Season ,
Proxy Voting ,
Proxy Voting Guidelines ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
On July 24, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") announced charges against Facebook Inc. ("Facebook") for making misleading statements and risk factor disclosures regarding the misuse of Facebook user data...more
7/30/2019
/ Cambridge Analytica ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Cybersecurity ,
Derivative Suit ,
Facebook ,
Material Misstatements ,
Permanent Injunctions ,
Popular ,
Proxy Statements ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act
Rule 105 of Regulation M may create more anxiety among compliance professionals in the hedge fund industry than any other SEC rule. It is a “strict liability” regime, meaning that you can be found in violation even if the...more
6/13/2019
/ Compliance ,
Disgorgement ,
Enforcement ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Investment Adviser ,
Registration Statement ,
Regulation M ,
Rule 105 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Tender Offers
The filing requirements and liability provisions under Sections 13(d) and 16 of the Exchange Act continue to challenge hedge funds, due to sometimes opaque law and complex trading patterns. Although the requirements under...more
1/22/2019
/ Beneficial Owner ,
Board of Directors ,
Derivatives ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Filing Requirements ,
Hedge Funds ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Management ,
Schedule 13D ,
Section 16 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Voting Powers
The SEC recently instituted cease and desist proceedings relating to a company's use of non-GAAP financial measures, signaling the agency's continued focus on these disclosures, particularly in public company earnings...more