The outbreak of coronavirus (also known as COVID-19) is reportedly impacting global manufacturing, transportation and cross-border supply chains underpinning many aspects of international trade and commerce. Some companies...more
2/26/2020
/ Breach of Contract ,
Commercial Contracts ,
Commercial General Liability Policies ,
Contract Terms ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Financial Contracts ,
Force Majeure Clause ,
Frustration of a Common Purpose ,
Global Economy ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Manufacturers ,
Material Adverse Effects ,
Nonperformance ,
Notice Requirements ,
Supply Chain ,
Transportation Industry
Despite political and economic uncertainties, markets and deal activity were resilient in 2019, and strong fundamentals remain in place heading into 2020. Companies continue to face a challenging litigation and enforcement...more
1/30/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Administrative Procedure Act ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Appeals ,
Arbitration Awards ,
Attorney General ,
Backstop Agreements ,
BEPS ,
BitLicense ,
Blockchain ,
Board of Directors ,
Bonds ,
Capital Markets ,
CFIUS ,
CFTC ,
Chapter 11 ,
Claim Preclusion ,
Class Action ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Common Stock ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Congressional Subpoenas ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Cooperation Agreement ,
Copyright ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Restructuring ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Corporate Taxes ,
Corwin Doctrine ,
Covenant Lite Deals ,
Creditors ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
DACA ,
DE Supreme Court ,
Debt Financing ,
Debtors ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Dischargeable Debts ,
Disgorgement ,
Disparate Impact ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Down Rounds ,
Drug Pricing ,
EBITDA ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement of Foreign Judgments ,
Enterprise Act 2002 ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Fair Housing Act (FHA) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FinTech ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Investment ,
Foreign Issuers ,
FRCP 23 ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
General Elections ,
GILTI tax ,
High-Yield Markets ,
Hong Kong ,
Hong Kong Stock Exchange ,
Individual Accountability ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intercreditor Agreements ,
International Arbitration ,
International Litigation ,
IRS ,
Issue Preclusion ,
Japan ,
Joint Venture ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Life Sciences ,
Listing Rules ,
Litigation Strategies ,
Make-Whole Premium ,
Mergers ,
MFW ,
Multinationals ,
National Security ,
PCAOB ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Political Parties ,
Preferred Shares ,
Private Offerings ,
Privately Held Corporations ,
Proxy Advisory Firms ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Refinancing ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Reporting Requirements ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Separation of Powers ,
Shareholder Activism ,
Shareholder Proposals ,
Shareholders ,
Split of Authority ,
State Labor Laws ,
Stock Drop Litigation ,
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ,
Tax Litigation ,
Technology Sector ,
Third-Party Release Agrements ,
Transparency ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
Valuation ,
White Collar Crimes
In 2019, a wave of bond-to-bond refinancings, as well as significant bank and term loan-to-bond refinancings, punctuated a strong year for debt financings after a slow first quarter. Throughout last year, debt investors...more
1/23/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Bonds ,
Debt Financing ,
Debt Market ,
EBITDA ,
EU ,
Global Market ,
High-Yield Markets ,
IFRS ,
Interest Rates ,
Leveraged Finance ,
Libor ,
Mergers ,
Refinancing ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
United States
On November 26, 2019, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) filed a notice of proposed rule change with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that would have modified NYSE’s direct listing rules to (1) permit companies to...more
12/10/2019
/ Capital Markets ,
Capital Raising ,
Direct Listing ,
Distribution Rules ,
NPRM ,
NYSE ,
Proposed Rules ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Securities Transactions
As the end of the year approaches, reporting companies should be aware of the various SEC filing deadlines for 2020. Companies also should be mindful of the 2020 financial statement “staleness” dates, the deadlines by which...more
On September 26, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted new Rule 163B and related amendments under the Securities Act to expand the permitted use of “testing-the-waters” communications to all companies...more
9/28/2019
/ Accredited Investors ,
Business Development Companies ,
Corporate Issuers ,
Emerging Growth Companies ,
Exemptions ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Institutional Investors ,
New Rules ,
Public Offerings ,
Qualified Institutional Buyers ,
Rule 163B ,
Securities Act ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Testing-the-Waters Communications
On July 12, 2019, the staff of the Division of Corporation Finance, Division of Investment Management, Division of Trading and Markets, and Office of the Chief Accountant (Staff) of the Securities and Exchange Commission...more
7/25/2019
/ Asset-Backed Loans (ABLs) ,
Benchmarks ,
Bonds ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Contract Terms ,
Derivatives ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Division of Corporate Finance ,
Division of Investment Management ,
FASB ,
Floating NAV ,
Interest Rate Swaps ,
Interest Rates ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Companies ,
Libor ,
Loans ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Risk Assessment ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Secured Overnight Funding Rate (SOFR) ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Transitional Arrangements
On May 3, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed extensive changes to the financial disclosure requirements for business acquisitions and dispositions. The proposed amendments are intended to reduce...more
5/14/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Financial Statements ,
Foreign Private Issuers ,
GAAP ,
IASB ,
IFRS ,
Income Test ,
Investment Test ,
Pro Forma Financial Information ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Proxy Statements ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Registration Statement ,
Regulation S-X ,
Rule 3-05 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
On February 19, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) voted to propose a new rule and related amendments under the Securities Act that would expand the permissible use of testing-the-waters communications to...more
2/22/2019
/ Accredited Investors ,
Capital Formation ,
Corporate Issuers ,
Emerging Growth Companies ,
JOBS Act ,
Offerors ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Qualified Institutional Buyers ,
Regulation FD ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Testing-the-Waters Communications
On January 25, 2019, President Donald Trump signed into law a continuing resolution that immediately reopened the federal government through February 15, 2019. The three-week continuing resolution is a welcome development,...more
1/28/2019
/ Continuing Resolution ,
Corporate Issuers ,
Division of Corporate Finance ,
Financial Statements ,
Government Shutdown ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Nasdaq ,
New Guidance ,
No-Action Letters ,
NYSE ,
Proxy Materials ,
Proxy Season ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Registration Statement ,
Regulation S-X ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholder Proposals ,
Trump Administration ,
Waivers
On July 24, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed rule amendments that would simplify the financial disclosure requirements applicable to registered debt offerings for guarantors and issuers of...more
8/9/2018
/ Amended Rules ,
Collateralized Debt Obligations ,
Corporate Issuers ,
Debt Securities ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Financial Statements ,
Guarantors ,
Parent Corporation ,
Private Placements ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Regulation S-X ,
Rule 144A ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Subsidiaries
On July 18, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a concept release soliciting public comment on ways to modernize Rule 701 and Form S-8 of the Securities Act of 1933 to account for recent developments...more
8/3/2018
/ Amended Rules ,
Board of Directors ,
Corporate Issuers ,
Corporate Officers ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Employee Stock Purchase Rights ,
Equity Compensation ,
Executive Compensation ,
Financial Statements ,
Form S-8 ,
Offerings ,
Private Offerings ,
Public Comment ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Qualified Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) ,
Rule 701 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Solicitation ,
Stock Options ,
Threshold Requirements
On July 17, 2018, the House of Representatives passed the JOBS and Investor Confidence Act (JOBS Act 3.0), a package of reforms consisting of 32 pieces of legislation principally designed to spur entrepreneurship by...more
7/24/2018
/ Accredited Investors ,
Angel Investors ,
Capital Formation ,
Dual Class Share Structures ,
Emerging Growth Companies ,
Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
JOBS Act ,
M&A Brokers ,
Private Offerings ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Burden ,
Rule 10b-5 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Small Business ,
Startups ,
Venture Funding
On July 18, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) amended Rule 701(e) of the Securities Act of 1933 (Securities Act), as mandated by the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act. The...more
On June 28, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved amendments to the definition of “smaller reporting company” (SRC) that will substantially expand the number of companies that will qualify for the scaled...more
On April 27, 2018, the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Nasdaq, along with certain technology and biotechnology groups, released a policy paper titled “Expanding...more
5/10/2018
/ Biotechnology ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Capital Markets ,
Chamber of Commerce ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Emerging Growth Companies ,
Financial Reporting ,
ICFR ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) ,
Investment Banks ,
JOBS Act ,
Large Corporate Filers ,
Mandatory Arbitration ,
Mutual Funds ,
Nasdaq ,
New Guidance ,
Offerors ,
PCAOB ,
Proxy Advisors ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Registered Investment Advisors ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sarbanes-Oxley ,
Securities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholder Proposals ,
Short Sales ,
SIFMA ,
Small Business ,
Technology Sector ,
Tick Size ,
WKSIs ,
XBRL Filing Requirements
On February 2, 2018, the SEC approved the New York Stock Exchange’s proposal to permit qualifying private companies to use “direct listings” to list their shares on the NYSE and become publicly traded without conducting an...more
2/9/2018
/ Acquisitions ,
Amended Rules ,
Capital Markets ,
Direct Listing ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Listing Rules ,
Mergers ,
NYSE ,
Private Placements ,
Privately Held Corporations ,
Registration Statement ,
Securities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Spinoffs ,
Valuation
The much-discussed new revenue recognition standards jointly issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) to harmonize revenue recognition standards between...more
On November 1, 2017, the House of Representatives passed two bills intended to ease regulatory burdens on capital formation. The bills would amend the Securities Act of 1933 (Securities Act) to extend the “testing the waters”...more
11/7/2017
/ Accredited Investors ,
Capital Formation ,
Corporate Finance ,
Corporate Issuers ,
Emerging Growth Companies ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
JOBS Act ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Registration Statement ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
On August 17, 2017, the staff (Staff) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued new guidance that will streamline significantly the confidential submission process for emerging growth companies (EGCs) and...more
8/23/2017
/ C&DIs ,
Confidential Information ,
Corporate Issuers ,
Draft Documents ,
Emerging Growth Companies ,
Financial Statements ,
Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
New Guidance ,
Registration Statement ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
On August 11, 2017, the Internal Revenue Service released guidance allowing publicly offered real estate investment trusts and regulated investment companies to distribute earnings in a combination of cash and stock as long...more
In July 2017, global index providers S&P Dow Jones (S&P DJI) and FTSE Russell (FTSE) announced changes to their index eligibility rules, with S&P DJI excluding from certain of its indices companies with multi-class capital...more
8/9/2017
/ Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Structures ,
Dow Jones ,
Eligibility ,
FTSE ,
Index Funds ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
S&P ,
Share Class Structures ,
Shareholder Rights ,
Voting Powers ,
Voting Rights
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced on June 29, 2017, that the staff (staff) of the Division of Corporation Finance will accept draft registration statement submissions from all companies for nonpublic...more
7/6/2017
/ Confidential Information ,
Corporate Issuers ,
Draft Documents ,
EDGAR ,
Emerging Growth Companies ,
Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
JOBS Act ,
Registration Statement ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act
On March 22, 2017, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted an amendment to Securities Exchange Act Rule 15c6-1(a) to shorten the standard settlement cycle for most broker-dealer securities transactions from three...more
On November 3, 2016, in Lowinger v. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit upheld a district court finding that customary initial public offering (IPO) lock-up agreements do not render parties...more