SEC Requires DTC Fairness Procedures
On September 24, 2009, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida alleging that International Power Group (“IPWG”) had issued shares of common stock in violation of the registration requirements of Section 5 of the Securities Act of 1933. In the Matter of IPWG, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) reviewed actions taken by Depository Trust Company (“DTC”), and determined that DTC Fairness Procedures were not provided to IPWG and its actions were subject to SEC review.
The SEC alleged that the recipients of the illegally issued shares sold them publicly when no exemption from registration was available. On September 30, 2009, DTC issued a notice to its participants notifying them that DTC suspended IPWG’s common stock as an “Eligible Security” and as such, IPWG’s stock could no longer be traded electronically. According to the SEC no DTC Fairness Procedures were provided. Read More
Accredited Investor Status – Going Public Lawyers
Regulation D under the Securities Act of 1933,
as amended (the “Securities Act”), sets forth a safe harbor from the registration requirements of the Securities Act for certain private placements of securities. In connection with these exemptions, offerings made in reliance upon Regulation D, Rule 504, 505 and 506 can be made to up to 35 non-accredited investors and an unlimited number of “accredited” investors.
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank”) amended the definition of an “accredited” investor to exclude the value of an investor’s primary residence when determining whether the net worth of that person (or joint net worth with his or her spouse) exceeds the $1 million net worth test. The amended rule, established by Dodd Frank became effective on February 27, 2012. Read More
Rule 144 l The Reverse Merger Blacklist
Traditionally, private companies go public by registering an offering under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Another way for private companies to go public is through a Reverse Merger (“Reverse Merger”) with a publicly traded company. In a Reverse Merger, a private operating company or its business operations are acquired by, or merge into a publicly traded company, often inactive with negligible operations and assets. Read More
How to Use a Registration Statement When Going Public
Private companies going public with a registration statement (“Registration Statement”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act”). When a Registration Statement is used, the company files it with the SEC, typically on Form S-1 registering securities it plans to sell or securities held by its shareholders (“Selling Shareholders”). Companies going public should anticipate SEC comments to the registration statement. The SEC reviews and often comments on the disclosures provided in the Registration Statement. Upon confirmation that the SEC is satisfied that the disclosures satisfy the disclosure requirements of the securities laws, it will declare the Registration Statement effective and the securities may be sold.
When a company uses a Registration Statement in its going public or other transaction, the SEC does not comment on, nor does it have the authority to deny effectiveness of a Registration Statement based upon the private company’s business or operations, potential success or its offering.
Going Public and the S-1 Registered Offering
Private companies seeking going public can file a registration statement to register their own securities in a direct public offering or an initial public offering (“IPO”). Securities sold in a direct public offering are sold directly by the private company going public and the securities sold in an IPO are sold by an underwriter who is typically a registered broker dealer. Read More
What Is a Form 144 Notice Of Sales?
Rule 144 requires that a “Notice of Sale” on Form 144 be filed by any person for whose account the securities are being sold if the person is an affiliate at the time of sale, or was an affiliate during the 90 days preceding the sale, and is selling more than 5,000 shares or the shares being sold have an aggregate sale price of more than $50,000.
Public Availability of the Form 144 Notice Filing
Form 144 is publicly available upon filing through the SEC’s EDGAR database. Read More
SEC Registration Statements In Going Public Transactions
Going public is a big step for any company. The process of “going public” is complex and at times precarious. While going public offers many benefits it also comes with risks and quantities of regulations with which issuers must become familiar. Despite the risks even in a down economy, the U.S. markets remain an attractive source of capital for both domestic and foreign issuers.
Going public is a complicated & intricate procedure, and it is important to have an experienced securities attorney to help your company navigate through the process and deal with the Securities & Exchange Commission the (“SEC”), Financial Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) & Depository Trust Company (“DTC”). Read More
SEC’s Mine Safety Disclosure Rules – Securities Lawyer 101 Blog
On December 21, 2011, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) adopted final rules to implement the mine safety disclosure requirements of Section 1503 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform andConsumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank). Section 1503’s disclosure requirements are currently in effect and require SEC reporting issuers that are operators of coal or other mines in the United States to make specific disclosures. Read More
The Regulation D Exemption l Rule 506 l Going Public Lawyers
To offer and sell securities in the United States, an issuer must comply with the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or must offer and sell the securities pursuant to an exemption from the registration statement requirements. A commonly used private offering exemption is Rule 506 of Regulation D. Rule 506 is a non-exclusive “safe harbor” for the statutory exemption provided by Section 4(2) of the Securities Act. The Rule 506 exemption is often used by issuers who engage in go public direct transactions and conduct underwritten and direct public offerings. Read More
What Is The Section 4(1) Exemption? Securities Lawyer 101
Rule 144 (“SEC Rule 144”) under the Securities Act of 1933 (“Securities Act”) provides a safe harbor from the registration provisions of the Securities Act for resales of restricted and control securities by persons other than the issuer if all conditions of the rule are complied with. Section 4(1) of the Securities Act provides an exemption for a transaction “by a person other than an issuer, underwriter, or dealer.” Read More
Filing and Amending Form D
Form D is used to file a notice of an exempt offering of securities with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) for offerings made under Rule 504, 505 or 506 of Regulation D. Federal securities laws require that a Form D be filed with the SEC within 15 days after the first sale of securities in the offering. In addition to filing the Form D with the SEC, issuers must comply with state law filing requirements. Most states require issuers to file a Form D or comparable form with their state securities commission.
Form D and Form D amendments must be filed with the SEC online using EDGAR (electronic gathering, analysis and retrieval) system. In order to do so, the issuer must obtain its own filer identification number (called a “Central Index Key” or “CIK” number) and access codes. Read More
SEC Enters into Deferred Prosecution Agreement l Securities Lawyer 101
In January of 2010, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) announced it would strengthen its enforcement program by encouraging greater cooperation from individuals and companies in SEC investigations and enforcement actions. One of those measures included the use of Deferred Prosecution Agreements (“DPA”). On May 17, 2012, the SEC entered into its first such agreement with Tenaris S.A., a steel pipe manufacturer. Read More
What is a Form S-8 Registration Statement?
Registration of securities on Form S-8 (“Form S-8”) is a short-form registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), providing significant benefits to small issuers. Form S-8 is available to register securities offered to employees and consultants under benefit plans under limited circumstances. Because a registration statement on Form S-8 is effective upon filing it offers benefits to SEC reporting companies, most significantly that an S-8 registration statement becomes effective upon filing and the shares registered may be issued without a restrictive legend. Read More
How FINRA Rule 6490 Impacts Reverse Mergers
FINRA Rule 6490, recently enacted in September 2010, requires issuers of securities not listed on exchanges to provide timely notice to FINRA of certain corporate actions including reverse mergers. Rule 6490 corporate actions include name changes, forward stock splits, reverse stock splits, distributions of cash or securities such as dividends, stock splits and other actions, and rights and subscription offerings.
Rule 6490 codifies Rule 10b-17 of the Securities Exchange Act. The new rule will impact both SEC reporting and non-reporting issuers if they enact corporate changes including issuers who go public direct and conduct underwritten or direct public offerings and those who pursue reverse mergers with public shells. Complying with this criteria is often an unexpected legal and compliance cost for many issuers not familiar with the rule. This is particularly true for issuers who engage in reverse mergers with public shells. Read More
