On October 10, 2023, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) adopted amendments to the rules governing beneficial ownership reporting under Sections 13(d) and 13(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the...more
Based on updates to its rulemaking agenda that were released last week, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has delayed approval of two cybersecurity rules until at least October 2023. Both proposed rules were...more
On May 3, 2023, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted amendments to its rules that will require additional detail regarding the structure of share repurchase plans or programs and share repurchases by...more
5/16/2023
/ Disclosure Requirements ,
Foreign Private Issuers ,
Form 10-Q ,
Investors ,
Regulation S-K ,
Repurchases ,
Rule 10b-5 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Securities Regulation ,
Stock Repurchases ,
Trading Policies
On February 10, 2023, the staff of the Division of Corporation Finance (Staff) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) published new Regulation S-K Compliance and Disclosure Interpretations (C&DIs) regarding the...more
Public companies need to consider recent developments when preparing for the 2023 proxy and annual reporting season. We summarize key regulatory developments, recent guidance, important disclosure considerations and updates...more
12/27/2022
/ Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Diversity ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Executive Compensation ,
Glass Lewis ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
Non-GAAP Financial Measures ,
Popular ,
Principal Executive Office (PEO) ,
Proxy Season ,
Regulation S-K ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) ,
Total Shareholder Return (TSR)
On December 14, 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) adopted amendments to the affirmative defense in Rule 10b5-1(c) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), and adopted...more
On August 25, 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted the pay versus performance disclosure requirements that the agency was directed to promulgate by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer...more
On December 15, 2021, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) proposed amendments which would require that a public company provide more timely disclosure on a new Form SR regarding purchases of its equity...more
On December 15, 2021, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) proposed amendments to the affirmative defense in Rule 10b5-1(c) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and...more
12/17/2021
/ 10b5-1 Plans ,
Cooling-Off Rule ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Gary Gensler ,
Good Faith ,
Insider Trading ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Securities Regulation
The Division of Corporation Finance of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission recently published a sample letter to companies providing illustrative comments that the Division of Corporation Finance may issue to...more
9/30/2021
/ Clean Air Act ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Division of Corporate Finance ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
FASB ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Popular ,
Regulation S-K ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
On November 24, 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed amendments to Rule 701 and Form S-8. In a companion release, the SEC also proposed amendments to Rule 701 and Form S-8 to permit, on a temporary...more
On November 19, 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted amendments intended to modernize, simplify, and enhance certain financial disclosure requirements in Regulation S-K.[1] The SEC has eliminated...more
On October 28, 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Jay Clayton, together with the directors of three SEC divisions, issued a joint statement relating to complex financial products. The statement...more
On August 26, 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted amendments to the description of business, legal proceeding, and risk factor disclosures that are required pursuant to Regulation S-K. The SEC has...more
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) recently adopted amendments to the proxy rules to address proxy voting advice provided by proxy advisory firms such as Institutional Shareholder Services (“ISS”) and...more
As the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken to prevent the spread of the disease continue to affect public companies, the staff of the Office of Chief Accountant and the Division of Corporation Finance of the U.S....more
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) recently adopted amendments to the financial disclosure requirements applicable to registered debt offerings that include certain credit enhancements. The amendments...more
5/29/2020
/ Affiliates ,
Amended Rules ,
Corporate Issuers ,
Credit Enhancements ,
Debt Securities ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Financial Statements ,
Guarantors ,
Offerings ,
Parent Corporation ,
Pledges ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulation S-X ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Subsidiaries
On May 4, 2020, the U.S. SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance (the “Staff”) published four “FAQs” relating to the application of the Commission’s March 25, 2020 Order (the “COVID-19 Order”) providing extended deadlines for...more
5/6/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Division of Corporate Finance ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Form 10-K ,
Form 8-K ,
Form S-3 ,
New Guidance ,
Offerings ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Relief Measures ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Time Extensions
As the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to expand, and government responses to and economic effects of the pandemic evolve, companies have had to grapple in real time with what, when, and how to communicate about the...more
On March 24, 2020, the staff of the Division of Corporation Finance, the Division of Investment Management, and the Division of Trading and Markets (together, the “Staff”) published Staff Statement Regarding Rule 302(b) of...more
The novel coronavirus, and the disease that it causes, COVID-19, has serious implications for public and private companies’ interactions with financial regulators, investors, and the general public. The Securities and...more
On March 4, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) published Release No. 33-10763, “Facilitating Capital Formation and Expanding Investment Opportunities by Improving Access to Capital in Private Markets” to...more
The Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) has proposed amendments that are intended to modernize, simplify, and enhance certain financial disclosure requirements in Regulation S-K.[1] The proposals would eliminate...more
Public companies must focus on a number of evolving disclosure and corporate governance considerations as they progress through the annual reporting and proxy season. Morrison & Foerster discusses hot topics in 2020 — from...more
During 2019, the Division of Corporation Finance (the “Division” or the “Staff”) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) addressed a number of regulatory issues affecting public companies and participants...more
1/28/2020
/ Accredited Investors ,
Corp Fin ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Form 10-K ,
Proxy Voting Guidelines ,
Regulation S-K ,
Rule 14a-8 ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Testing-the-Waters Communications