Last week, the SEC staff published new compliance and disclosure interpretations clarifying some of the inner workings of exemptions for certain cross-border business combinations, exchange offers and rights offerings. These exemptions are available for specified transactions involving foreign companies whose US ownership falls below 40% or 10% of total ownership, with the latter group being afforded significantly greater relief. When the SEC originally adopting these exemptions, it sought to induce parties to include US investors in transactions where they would typically be excluded in order to avoid the burdens of complying with US securities laws.… More
Monthly Archives: October 2018
Victim of cyber-theft? Maybe you violated the Exchange Act, too
The SEC recently reminded public companies that they have an affirmative obligation to prevent cyber-theft and that failing to do so could mean that their internal controls are ineffective, a violation of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
In an October 16, 2018 investigative report describing recent cyber-related frauds against nine public companies, the SEC noted that public companies must maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that “access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization.” In each of the nine cases,… More