Category: SEC Rulemaking

SEC Adopts Proposed Rules for Procedural Requirements and Resubmission Thresholds for Shareholder Proposals and Exemptions from Proxy Rules for Proxy Voting Advisors

SEC Adopts Proposed Rules for Procedural Requirements and Resubmission Thresholds for Shareholder Proposals and Exemptions from Proxy Rules for Proxy Voting Advisors

At the SEC’s open meeting yesterday (November 5, 2019), the Commissioners approved two new proposed rules in their ongoing efforts to modernize proxy solicitation and shareholder proxy access, as follows: (1) amendments to certain procedural requirements, including ownership requirements, documentation requirements, meetings to discuss proposals and limitations on the number of proposals submitted, and resubmission thresholds for shareholder proposals, and (2) amendments to proxy rules...

SEC to Discuss Proxy Adviser Regulation and Resubmission Thresholds for Shareholder Proposals at November 5, 2019 Open Meeting

SEC to Discuss Proxy Adviser Regulation and Resubmission Thresholds for Shareholder Proposals at November 5, 2019 Open Meeting

Yesterday the SEC announced the agenda for its upcoming open meeting to be held on Tuesday, November 5 at 10:00 a.m. EST. All SEC open meetings are webcast and a hyperlink to the webcast will be posted to www.sec.gov shortly before the start of a meeting. The SEC has indicated that the agenda, in part, will focus on “continued efforts to facilitate constructive shareholder engagement and...

SEC Will Adjust 8-K Receipt Dates Based on EDGAR Technical Difficulties

SEC Will Adjust 8-K Receipt Dates Based on EDGAR Technical Difficulties

  The SEC posted a notice yesterday addressing EDGAR technical difficulties which may impact filers’ ability to make timely submissions.  For those issuers who, due to technical difficulties, are unable to furnish or file earnings information on Form 8-K within 48 hours before the earnings conference call, the staff will adjust the receipt date of such Form 8-K so that it will be deemed furnished...

SEC Proposes to Automate Filing Fee Calculations

SEC Proposes to Automate Filing Fee Calculations

The SEC has proposed rule amendments to automate filing fee calculations and payment processing.  If the rules are adopted, filing fees would be paid via Automated Clearing House (ACH) and would no longer be payable via checks and money order.  Each fee table and the accompanying notes would include all information required for the fee calculation tagged in inline XBRL.  Currently, information required for the...

Retrospective Changes to Financials?  Consider the Periods Covered in the MD&A

Retrospective Changes to Financials? Consider the Periods Covered in the MD&A

For SEC reporting companies providing financial statements covering three years in a filing, discussion about the earliest of the three years may be omitted from the MD&A if such discussion was already included in the company’s prior filings on EDGAR, provided that the company provides a statement that identifies the location in the prior filing where the omitted discussion may be found.  See our summary...

SEC Adopts New Rule to Allow All Issuers to “Test-the-Waters”

SEC Adopts New Rule to Allow All Issuers to “Test-the-Waters”

In connection with its efforts to modernize the regulatory framework, the SEC announced a new rule that provides all issuers with the flexibility provided by the JOBS Act to use “test-the-waters” communications with institutional investors about potential IPOs and other registered offering to better gauge market interest.  Previously, test-the-waters communications were only available to emerging growth companies. Securities Act Rule 163B will permit any issuer...

Observations and Recommendations on the SEC’s Recent Process Changes for Excluding Shareholder Proposals

Observations and Recommendations on the SEC’s Recent Process Changes for Excluding Shareholder Proposals

Overview Earlier this month, the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance announced that its staff may respond orally instead of in writing to some shareholder proposal no-action requests, beginning with the 2019-2020 proxy season.   Furthermore, the staff may now more frequently decline to state a view on the no-action request, whereas in the past, it had typically concurred or disagreed with a company’s asserted basis for...

Impact of “Test-the-Waters” Reform Debated

Impact of “Test-the-Waters” Reform Debated

As we previously noted, in February, the SEC proposed expanding its “test-the-waters” accommodation from emerging growth companies (EGCs) only to all issuers via a new Rule 163B and related amendments. This accommodation would enable all issuers to engage in “test-the-waters” communications with certain institutional investors regarding a contemplated registered securities offering prior to, or following the filing of a registration statement related to such offering....

SEC Proposes to Revise the Accelerated and Large Accelerated Filer Definitions

SEC Proposes to Revise the Accelerated and Large Accelerated Filer Definitions

The SEC proposed amendments that would revise the definitions of “accelerated filer” and “large accelerated filer.” These proposed revisions follow amendments adopted by the SEC on June 28, 2018, that expanded the smaller reporting company (SRC) definition and so brought some issuers under both the definitions of an accelerated filer and an SRC. As a result of last year’s amendments, some SRCs must have an...