One of the hottest going-public trends in 2020 and 2021 has been the rise of SPACs – Special Purpose Acquisition Companies – as a vehicle for private companies to go public. SPACs are shell companies that are formed, funded and taken public for the purpose of later acquiring an operating company. By merging with a SPAC, the private company effects a reverse takeover, inheriting the...
Last November, the SEC finalized certain amendments that would eliminate selected financial data, two years of supplementary financial information, and MD&A provisions for the contractual obligations table and off-balance sheet disclosure, under certain circumstances, for SEC reports and registration statements. Companies may now early adopt these amendments for filings made after the rulemaking’s effective date of February 9, 2021, as long as they provide disclosure...
Companies that count State Street Global Advisors as an investor should review its CEO Cyrus Taraporevala’s just-released annual letter on its proxy voting agenda, which has significant updates on voting policies with regard to board and workforce diversity. Indicating that State Street’s primary challenge as an investor is the lack of publicly available racial and ethnic diversity data, the CEO states: In 2021, we will...
On December 1, 2020, Nasdaq submitted a proposal to the SEC seeking approval of new listing requirements for board diversity. The stated goal of the proposal is to provide stakeholders with a better understanding of a company’s current board composition and enhance investor confidence that listed companies are considering diversity in the context of selecting directors, either by including at least two diverse directors on...
In response to commonly asked questions, the SEC staff has released three FAQs related to amendments to the business description, legal proceedings and risk factor disclosure requirements in Regulation S-K Items 101, 103, and 105, discussed here. The rulemaking became effective on November 9, 2020. Compliance for Form S-3 Registration Statements and Prospectus Supplements The first FAQ clarifies that for registration statements on Form S-3...
On October 7, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (”SEC”) proposed a new limited, conditional exemption from broker-dealer registration requirements of Section 15(a) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”) for “finders” who assist issuers with raising capital in private markets from accredited investors. The proposed exemption would permit natural persons to engage in certain defined and limited activities involving...
Corporate secretaries of public companies will soon be updating their D&O questionnaires for the 2021 proxy season, and they should consider whether to include a question that allows directors to self-identify as diverse. While companies may be hesitant to raise the issue, increasingly, they are being asked for diversity data on their boards and employees. In recent news: The California governor has signed into law...
On August 26, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) adopted amendments to update the definition of “accredited investor” in the Commission’s rules governing certain kinds of private securities offerings, including securities offerings to natural persons and entities conducted pursuant to Rules 506(b) and 506(c) of Regulation D under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and the definition...
Companies have offered benefits to employees, including executive officers, to enable them to continue their work and otherwise to make their lives easier during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now the SEC has released additional guidance as to when these benefits constitute perquisites or personal benefits that should be included in executive compensation for proxy disclosure purposes. See Question 219.05 of the SEC’s Compliance and Disclosure Interpretations. ...
On September 9, the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance updated its guidance to outline three alternatives for handling an expiring confidential treatment order (“CTO”): 1) If the contract continues to be material but the previously redacted information is no longer confidential: refile the unredacted exhibit. 2) If the contract continues to be material, and the previously redacted information continues to be confidential, request to extend...
Cam C. HoangCam helps clients with corporate matters including governance and...
Jason BrenkertJason assists clients in raising funds through capital mar...
Kimberley R. AndersonKimberley helps clients achieve key business goals through securi...
