Tagged: SEC

ISS Releases Executive Summary of 2017 Proxy Voting Policies

ISS Releases Executive Summary of 2017 Proxy Voting Policies

ISS has published an executive summary of 2017 updates to its benchmark proxy voting policies for the Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific regions.  The updated policies will generally be applied to shareholder meetings on or after February 1, 2017. U.S. policy changes are summarized below, and companies should keep them in mind as they consider policies on director compensation, dividend and vesting policies for stock awards,...

Whistling through the Graveyard: The Future of the SEC’s Whistleblower Program

Whistling through the Graveyard: The Future of the SEC’s Whistleblower Program

The SEC announced on November 14 that it had made an award of more than $20 million to another whistleblower.  This was the third highest award since the agency began paying them out in 2012, and it brings the total of such awards under the SEC’s program to more than $130 million.  Although the current whistleblower program has been criticized by conservative groups such as...

SEC Allows Companies to Conduct a Generally Solicited Securities Offering Immediately Following a Privately-Solicited Offering

SEC Allows Companies to Conduct a Generally Solicited Securities Offering Immediately Following a Privately-Solicited Offering

On November 17, 2016, the SEC issued a new interpretation stating that a company may conduct a generally solicited offering of securities under Rule 506(c) immediately following a completed securities offering made in reliance upon Rule 506(b), without invalidating the prior offering.  The SEC’s new interpretation will give companies more flexibility in their financing plans, allowing them to potentially take advantage of the best of...

SEC Staff Makes Life a Little Easier for Reporting Companies by Permitting Annual Reports to Shareholders to be posted on Company Websites

SEC Staff Makes Life a Little Easier for Reporting Companies by Permitting Annual Reports to Shareholders to be posted on Company Websites

On November 3, 2016, in a new C&DI, the SEC Staff stated they will not object if a company posts an electronic version of its annual report to shareholders on its corporate web site by the dates specified in Rule 14a-3(c), Rule 14c-3(b) and Form 10-K, respectively, in lieu of mailing paper copies or submitting it on EDGAR. The report must remain accessible for at...

SEC Clarifies Baby Shelf Rules

SEC Clarifies Baby Shelf Rules

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) recently issued a new compliance and disclosure interpretation (the “New C&DI”) in Question 116.25 regarding the availability of Form S-3 for the registration and sale of shares by companies with public float less than $75 million. Instruction I.B.6(a) to Form S-3 states that if a registrant has a public float of less than $75 million, the registrant may only...

SEC Proposes Universal Ballots in Contested Elections

SEC Proposes Universal Ballots in Contested Elections

On October 26, 2016, in a split vote, the SEC proposed the mandated use of universal ballots in contested director elections at annual meetings. The proposed rules were controversial even before they were proposed – the House of Representatives approved a spending bill this summer that included a provision prohibiting the SEC from proposing or implementing the use of the universal ballots in contested elections....

Hyperlinks Proposed for SEC Filings

Hyperlinks Proposed for SEC Filings

On August 31, 2016, as part of the SEC’s continued Disclosure Effectiveness Initiative, the SEC proposed amendments that would require the inclusion of hyperlinks to exhibits to most registration statements and periodic and current reports. The proposed rules would also require these filings to be in HTML format. Read more in our full summary here:  https://www.dorsey.com/newsresources/publications/client-alerts/2016/09/hyperlinks-proposed-for-sec-filings

SEC Proposes Amendments to Update and Simplify Disclosure Requirements

SEC Proposes Amendments to Update and Simplify Disclosure Requirements

The Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) recently announced proposed amendments in order to update and simplify its disclosure requirements. The proposed amendments are intended to simplify compliance efforts and reduce the disclosure burden on companies subject to the SEC’s public reporting requirements, while maintaining the integrity of publicly disclosed information available to market participants. The proposed amendments address a number of SEC disclosure requirements...

Can a shareholder who is unable to rely on the HSR passive investor exemption still file a Schedule 13G? Maybe, says the SEC Staff in new guidance

Can a shareholder who is unable to rely on the HSR passive investor exemption still file a Schedule 13G? Maybe, says the SEC Staff in new guidance

Last Tuesday, the US Department of Justice announced a record $11 million fine against an activist investment firm for improperly claiming an exemption from Hart-Scott-Rodino’s notification and waiting period provisions reserved for passive investors.  Two days later, in the wake of the DOJ’s announcement, the SEC Staff issued guidance stating that the inability to rely on the HSR passive investor exemption (relating to the acquisition...

SEC Releases Proposed Rules on Incentive-Based Compensation for Investment Advisers and Registered Broker Dealers

SEC Releases Proposed Rules on Incentive-Based Compensation for Investment Advisers and Registered Broker Dealers

The SEC has issued its proposed rules on incentive-based compensation for investment advisers and registered broker dealers:https://www.sec.gov/news/pressrelease/2016-89.html. Comments are due by July 22, 2016.  The rules are part of a joint interagency rulemaking required by Dodd-Frank Act Section 956, which directs the agencies to prohibit incentive-based compensation arrangements that encourage inappropriate risk-taking: (1) by providing an executive officer, employee, director, or principal shareholder of the...