The Securities and Exchange Commission has continued its effort to update and streamline the disclosure requirements for filings with the SEC. In November, the SEC adopted amendments to the rules for Management’s Discussion and Analysis and related financial disclosures. [1] MD&A, because of its principles-based nature, is among the most…

The Securities and Exchange Commission, on November 24, 2020, proposed changes to the rules and forms that are used for compensatory securities offerings by both private and public companies. If adopted, the changes should give added flexibility to companies using equity as part of their compensation programs for employees, directors…

The Securities and Exchange Commission on November 2, 2020, by a 3 to 2 vote, adopted significant changes to the rules governing capital raising through private offerings and other offerings exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933. The adopting release (available here) indicates that these changes are…

The Securities and Exchange Commission on August 26, 2020 adopted changes to the business, legal proceeding and risk factor disclosures made by public companies and companies going public. This was one of two actions taken by the SEC on that date; see our blog post describing changes to the definition…

The Securities and Exchange Commission on August 26, 2020 adopted changes to the definition of accredited investor intended to modernize the exempt offering process. It also made related changes to the definition of qualified institutional buyer. This was one of two actions taken by the SEC on that date; see…

On July 22, 2020, the SEC adopted final rules on the application of its proxy solicitation rules to proxy voting advisors. (See our November 2019 blog post on the proposed rules here.) Among other things, the new rules will, for practical purposes, require these proxy advisory firms – most…

On June 23, 2020, the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance released CF Disclosure Guidance: Topic No. 9A supplementing its previous guidance regarding COVID-19 disclosures that we discussed in a previous post. The new guidance identifies additional considerations for disclosures by companies about their operations, liquidity and capital resources as…

Recently, the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York held in Kirschner v. J.P. Morgan[1] that a syndicated term loan was not a “security” under several state securities (or Blue Sky) laws. While the ruling did not interpret federal law, it supports the position that syndicated…

Corporate stock buybacks have been prevalent in recent years. However, due to COVID-19 and ‎market volatility, many companies, because they are focused on liquidity and balance sheet ‎strength, have suspended or terminated existing stock buyback programs. Despite falling out of ‎favor, analysts estimate that companies will spend hundreds of billions

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In a settled enforcement action,[1] the Securities and Exchange Commission reminded private equity firms and registered investment advisors of their obligation to implement and enforce compliance procedures, in particular procedures to prevent the misuse of material non-public information.  In this action, Ares Management LLC agreed to a $1 million…