Tag Archives: SEC

On October 10, 2023, the SEC adopted final amendments to Regulation 13D-G and Regulation S-T to modernize the beneficial ownership reporting regime under Sections 13(d) and 13(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and the related rules.  The amendments aim to enhance the timeliness, accuracy, and accessibility of information about significant ownership and voting power in public companies. Specifically, the amendments affect filing deadlines,… More

On September 27, 2023, the SEC announced a series of enforcement actions against six officers, directors and major stockholders of public companies, as well as five companies, for repeated failures to report information regarding ownership of and transactions in the companies’ stock.  In an action reminiscent of its 2014 enforcement sweep, the SEC used data analytics to identify individuals who repeatedly failed to make required filings in a timely fashion.  … More

On August 25, 2023, the SEC issued new compliance and disclosure interpretations (C&DIs) related to (i) the December 2022 Rule 10b5-1 amendments and (ii) the related issuer disclosure requirements.  The full text of the Rule 10b5-1 amendment C&DIs and the issuer disclosure C&DIs is available here and here, and our December 2022 blog post regarding the Rule 10b5-1 amendments is available here.… More

As more advisory services, investment companies, and public companies have publicized their Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has proposed a set of new rules intended to create a consistent, comparable, and reliable source of information regarding climate change impacts and sustainability efforts to inform and protect investors while facilitating further innovation in this evolving area.

The SEC’s proposed new rules have,… More

Key Takeaways:

• The SEC adopted final rules that seek to modernize and improve disclosures related to stock buyback programs. The enhanced disclosure will require domestic issuers to:
  • Disclose aggregate daily quantitative repurchase data on a quarterly basis;
  • Indicate if certain directors or officers traded in the relevant securities within four business days of the public announcement of an issuer’s repurchase plan;
  • Provide narrative disclosure regarding (i) the issuer’s objectives or rationales for its share repurchases and (ii) any policies and procedures relating to purchases and sales of the issuer’s securities;…

More

The SEC’s recent Rule 10b5-1 rulemaking has drawn attention to its efforts to crack down on illegal trading by corporate insiders. (See our related post here.)  But less attention has been paid to part of the rulemaking that will likely impact every public company’s option grant practices.

Newly adopted Item 402(x)(2) of Regulation S-K imposes a significant new executive compensation disclosure requirement on public companies.… More

On August 25, 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced the adoption of amendments to rules relating to executive compensation disclosure. The final rule can be found here. As mandated by Section 953(a) of the Dodd-Frank Act, Item 402 of Regulation S-K was amended to add subsection (v), which requires companies to disclose information depicting the relationship between executive compensation actually paid and the company’s financial performance in annual proxy statements.… More

Key Takeaways:

• The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) have brought the first-ever insider trading actions involving cryptocurrency against a former manager of Coinbase, one of the largest U.S. crypto asset trading platforms, and two tippees for sharing or trading upon confidential information relating to the planned listing of various cryptocurrencies on Coinbase.
• The SEC’s securities fraud charges are based on its longstanding position that certain cryptocurrencies are investment contracts and therefore “securities” subject to the SEC’s jurisdiction.…

More

Key Takeaways:

• The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) Climate and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance)Task Force has brought its first two enforcement actions for allegedly misleading ESG-related disclosures by a public company and an investment adviser, respectively.
• The actions reflect the close and continuing focus on ESG by the SEC’s Division of Enforcement (Enforcement); more such actions are virtually certain to follow.
• These cases also underscore the importance for issuers and advisers of mitigating the risk of ESG-related disclosure violations through robust internal controls and careful vetting of public statements about ESG impacts and investments.…

More

Key Takeaways:

• The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) Division of Enforcement (Enforcement) announced that it will nearly double the size of its Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit, making the Unit one of the largest within Enforcement.
• The decision reflects the SEC’s increasing prioritization of cryptocurrency and cybersecurity enforcement.
• Issuers of digital assets, crypto exchanges and lending platforms, and other industry participants should expect more frequent investigations and enforcement actions.…

More