In our prior article on the latest and greatest in direct listings, we noted that we were expecting that Nasdaq would follow the NYSE’s lead to allow for capital raising concurrently with a direct listing. On May 19, 2021,...more
5/27/2021
/ Capital Markets ,
Capital Raising ,
Direct Listing ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Listing Standards ,
Nasdaq ,
Proposed Rules ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation
The rise of special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) as a popular alternative structure for taking a company public in the past year has caused increased regulatory scrutiny surrounding the SPAC structure. On May 24,...more
5/24/2021
/ Acquisitions ,
Due Diligence ,
Financial Adviser ,
Mergers ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Safe Harbors ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ,
Securities Litigation ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs)
John Coates, Acting Director of the Division of Corporation Finance at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), issued a public statement providing insight into the SEC’s views on the application of federal...more
4/12/2021
/ D&O Insurance ,
Due Diligence ,
Financial Adviser ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
New Guidance ,
Privately Held Corporations ,
PSLRA ,
Safe Harbors ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs)
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has issued final rules adopting amendments to certain financial disclosure requirements and to the disclosure required in Management’s Discussion and Analysis (MD&A). We previously...more
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has issued a release adopting amendments (“final rules”) to certain of its rules relating to exemptions from registration under the Securities Act of 1933 (Securities Act). The...more
11/12/2020
/ Crowdfunding ,
Economic Growth ,
Federal Register ,
Final Rules ,
Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) ,
General Solicitation ,
Investment ,
JOBS Act ,
Offerings ,
Regulation D ,
Rule 152 ,
Rule 504 ,
Safe Harbors ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Testing-the-Waters Communications
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on September 23 adopted final rules amending the shareholder proposal rules in Rule 14a-8 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
The final rules:
- Require that a shareholder...more
Our last in a series of articles on direct listings noted that we were expecting significant regulatory developments to give companies more flexibility to pursue alternatives to a traditional initial public offering. Those...more
9/1/2020
/ Capital Raising ,
Compliance ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Direct Listing ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Investors ,
Lock-Up Agreement ,
Nasdaq ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Offerings ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholders ,
Venture Capital
On August 26, 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission adopted final rules to expand the accredited investor definition and modernize the disclosure requirements under Regulation S-K Items 101 (Business), 103 (Legal...more
8/31/2020
/ Accredited Investors ,
Certifications ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Investment Company Act of 1940 ,
Private Offerings ,
Qualified Institutional Buyers ,
Regulation D ,
Regulation S-K ,
Risk Factors ,
Rule 144A ,
Rule 501 ,
Rural Business Investment Companies (RBICs) ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of the Chief Accountant (OCA) and Division of Corporation Finance (Division) have separately issued statements emphasizing the continued importance of high-quality...more
6/26/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Division of Corporate Finance ,
FASB ,
Financial Reporting ,
IASB ,
ICFR ,
New Guidance ,
PCAOB ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
The SEC has issued rules amending the disclosure requirements for providing historical and pro forma financial statements in connection with material acquisitions and dispositions. The final amendments, issued on May 21,...more
In the past few weeks, the Nasdaq Stock Market and the New York Stock Exchange, with the approval of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, have approved rules easing certain requirements for listed companies in light...more
Chairman Jay Clayton of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and William Hinman, director of the Division of Corporation Finance, issued a statement stressing the importance of current and forward-looking disclosure in...more
In this episode, the Fenwick team discusses considerations related to the material non-public information that companies are rapidly developing as the COVID-19 situation evolves, including considerations regarding updating...more
Disclosure Guidelines for Public Companies Affected by COVID-19 -
On March 25, 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Corporation Finance provided guidance regarding disclosure and other securities...more
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has released final rules amending the definitions for accelerated filers and large accelerated filers, providing significant relief for smaller reporting companies in the technology...more
Impacts of Coronavirus on Commercial Agreements and Public Company Disclosures -
COVID-19, a disease caused by the novel coronavirus, has now spread to at least 70 countries, including the United States. Our thoughts are...more
3/6/2020
/ Breach of Contract ,
Contract Management ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Force Majeure Clause ,
Paid Leave ,
Performance Standards ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Risk Management ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sick Leave ,
Workplace Safety
In January 2020, Institutional Shareholder Services and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission agreed to stay litigation filed by ISS in October challenging the SEC’s interpretation and guidance related to voting...more
2/20/2020
/ Corporate Governance ,
Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) ,
Interpretive Opinions ,
Motions to Stay Proceedings ,
New Guidance ,
Pending Litigation ,
Proxy Advisory Firms ,
Proxy Season ,
Proxy Solicitations ,
Proxy Voting Guidelines ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has issued guidance on the use of financial metrics and has proposed significant amendments pertaining to Regulation S-K’s financial disclosure provisions?. In addition, SEC...more
2/19/2020
/ Climate Change ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Financial Reporting ,
Financial Statements ,
MD&A Statements ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulation S-K ,
Risk Assessment ,
Risk Management ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
On September 26, 2019, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) voted to adopt new Rule 163B under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (Securities Act), to expand the “testing-the-waters” (TTW) accommodation —...more
10/3/2019
/ Accredited Investors ,
Emerging Growth Companies ,
General Solicitation ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Institutional Investors ,
Investors ,
JOBS Act ,
New Rules ,
Public Offerings ,
Qualified Institutional Buyers ,
Regulation FD ,
Rule 163B ,
Securities Act ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Testing-the-Waters Communications
On March 20, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted amendments to existing rules to modernize and simplify its disclosure obligations. The most significant changes relate to the new streamlined process for...more
4/4/2019
/ Confidential Information ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
EDGAR ,
Emerging Growth Companies ,
Final Rules ,
Form 10-K ,
MD&A Statements ,
New Rules ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Redaction ,
Regulation S-K ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Recently, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission adopted amendments to certain disclosure requirements in an effort to streamline rules and regulations and to remove requirements that are redundant, duplicative,...more
On February 19, 2019, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) voted to propose Rule 163B under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (Securities Act), that would expand the “testing-the-waters” accommodation —...more
2/26/2019
/ Accredited Investors ,
Emerging Growth Companies ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Investment Companies ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Qualified Institutional Buyers ,
Registration Statement ,
Regulation FD ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Testing-the-Waters Communications
In an effort to provide greater transparency to stockholders regarding employee and director incentives, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has adopted a final rule implementing a provision of the Dodd-Frank...more
1/4/2019
/ CD&A ,
Consumer Protection Act ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Executive Compensation ,
Final Rules ,
Hedging ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Proxy Statements ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
In an effort to promote capital formation and reduce compliance costs, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has amended its rules to expand the number of public companies that qualify for scaled disclosure...more