The SEC has proposed amendments to Form PF, the confidential reporting form for certain SEC-registered investment advisers to private funds, to...more
Many persons and entities mail or otherwise provide to the SEC Divisions of Corporation Finance and Investment Management paper “courtesy copies” of materials that are filed or submitted via EDGAR, email, online form or other...more
The SEC announced settled charges against formerly publicly-traded Leaf Group Ltd. for failing to adequately evaluate and disclose in its annual proxy statement the lack of independence of a director and a board committee as...more
1/12/2022
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Failure To Disclose ,
Form 10-K ,
Form 8-K ,
Proxy Statements ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Securities Violations ,
Settlement Agreements
The SEC has proposed amendments to disclosure requirements regarding repurchases of an issuer’s equity securities that are registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. ...more
12/22/2021
/ Corporate Issuers ,
EDGAR ,
Form 20-F ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulation S-K ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Section 12 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ,
Securities Regulation ,
Share Buybacks ,
Stock Repurchases ,
XBRL Filing Requirements
The SEC has issued proposed amendments to Rule 10b5-1 and to related forms and disclosures. The amendments are intended to address perceived abuses of Rule 10b5-1 plans....more
12/17/2021
/ 10b5-1 Plans ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Insider Trading ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Securities Transactions ,
Trading Policies
In November, 2021 the SEC Division of Corporation Finance announced it had rescinded Staff Legal Bulletin (“SLBs”) Nos. 14I, 14J and 14K after a review of staff experience applying the guidance in them. Apparently as a...more
The SEC issued a statement reminding public companies that on March 5, 2021, LIBOR’s regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority, and administrator, ICE Benchmark Administration, Limited, announced that the publication of the...more
The SEC staff has released guidance for companies about how to properly recognize and disclose compensation cost for “spring-loaded awards” made to executives....more
In 2019, the SEC proposed changes to its proxy advisor rules (the “2019 Proposed Rules”). Later the SEC adopted final rules regarding proxy voting advice (the “2020 Final Rules”) provided by proxy advisory firms, or proxy...more
In 2016 the SEC adopted proposed rules related to use of universal proxies in contested director elections. The SEC has now adopted final rules. The SEC also adopted changes to the form of proxy and proxy statement...more
The SEC Division of Corporation Finance announced it has rescinded Staff Legal Bulletin (“SLBs”) Nos. 14I, 14J and 14K after a review of staff experience applying the guidance in them. Public companies relied on the guidance...more
In 2015 the SEC proposed rules to implement Section 954 of the Dodd-Frank which added Section 10D to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Section 10D requires the SEC to adopt rules directing the national securities exchanges...more
10/15/2021
/ Clawbacks ,
Comment Period ,
Corporate Governance ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Executive Compensation ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Incentive Compensation ,
Material Misstatements ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Securities Regulation ,
Securities Violations
The SEC has adopted amendments that it believes will modernize filing fee disclosure and payment methods. The revised rules amend most fee-bearing forms, schedules, statements, and related rules to require each filing fee...more
Section 312.07 of the NYSE Listed Company Manual provides that, where shareholder approval is a prerequisite to the listing of any additional or new securities of a listed company, or where any matter requires shareholder...more
10/5/2021
/ Absentee Voting ,
Abstention ,
Amended Rules ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Listing Rules ,
Nasdaq ,
NYSE ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Shareholder Approval
Our preliminary list of important planning considerations for the 2022 proxy season is set forth below. -
Directors’ and Officers’ Questionnaires; Committee Charters -
We have identified only a few possible changes...more
9/24/2021
/ Annual Meeting ,
Board of Directors ,
Clawbacks ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Form 10-K ,
Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) ,
Listed Company Manual ,
MD&A Statements ,
NYSE ,
Proxy Advisors ,
Proxy Season ,
Proxy Voting Guidelines ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Say-on-Pay ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
In 2010 the SEC issued an interpretive release on registrant’s disclosures related to climate change. Public pronouncements indicate the SEC s in the process of formulating updated rules. ...more
The SEC announced a settled enforcement action against Healthcare Services Group, Inc., John C. Shea, CPA, and Derya D. Warner regarding failure to make accruals for outstanding litigation. According to the SEC’s order...more
The SEC has approved the Nasdaq board diversity rules. -
Diverse Board Representation -
In general, each Nasdaq listed company must have, or explain why it does not have, at least two members of its board of...more
In a recently settled SEC enforcement action, the defendant asked employees to sign an acknowledgement, upon hire and on an annual basis, that they had received, read, and would adhere to the defendant’s employee manual. ...more
By a razor thin vote of 215 to 214, the House of Representatives passed the ESG Disclosure Simplification Act of 2021....more
6/18/2021
/ Business Strategies ,
Capital Investments ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Pending Legislation ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Finance
The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, James McRitchie and As You Sow have sued the SEC to invalidate the most recent amendments to Rule 14a-8 which permits small shareholders to submit proposals to public...more
The SEC announced a settled enforcement action concerning First American Financial Corporation’s violations of disclosure controls and procedures. The violations related to disclosures made in connection with a cybersecurity...more
6/16/2021
/ Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Escrow Accounts ,
First American Title Insurance Co. ,
Form 8-K ,
Personal Data ,
Popular ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Vulnerability Assessments
In public remarks SEC Gary Gensler hinted at the following changes to Rule 10b5-1: -
When insiders or companies adopt 10b5-1 plans, there’s currently no cooling off period required before they make their first trade....more
6/14/2021
/ 10b5-1 Plans ,
Cooling-Off Rule ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Gary Gensler ,
Insider Trading ,
Investment Management ,
Non-Public Information ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Stock Trades
The House Financial Services Committee has approved the Climate Risk Disclosure Act of 2021. The bill now heads to the House floor....more
The Securities and Exchange Commission charged eight companies for failing to disclose in SEC Form 12b-25 filings, commonly known as Form NT, that their request for seeking a delayed quarterly or annual reporting filing was...more