On August 28, FINRA filed with the SEC a notice of proposed rule change that would extend the 120-day period that certain individuals can function as a principal or Operations Professional without having successfully passed an appropriate qualification examination through December 31, 2020. Earlier this year, in response to COVID-19, FINRA provided…
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has filed a proposed amendment to the standardized membership application forms, Form NMA (New Membership Application Form) and Form CMA (Continuing Membership Application Form). The proposed amendments are non-substantive and technical changes that are intended to conform with the amended Membership Application Program rules that create…
On August 28, the SEC amended and extended the temporary final rules adopted earlier this year that were intended to facilitate capital formation for small businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. The temporary final rules will continue to provide limited, conditional relief from certain Regulation Crowdfunding requirements that relate to the timing of the…
On August 26, the SEC announced that the fees public companies and other issuers (including mutual funds) pay to register their securities with the SEC will decrease nearly 16% from $129.80 per million dollars to $109.10 per million dollars. The change will be effective this year on October 1. The fee rate…
On August 26, the SEC adopted amendments to the definition of “accredited investor” under Rules 501(a) and 215 of the Securities Act of 1933 (Securities Act) and adopted amendments to the “qualified institutional buyer” (QIB) definition under Rule 144A of the Securities Act. Historically, individual investors who do not meet specific income…
On September 11, the SEC announced that it has adopted final rules to update and expand the statistical disclosures that bank and savings and loan registrants provide to investors, in light of changes in this sector over the past 30 years. The rules also eliminate certain disclosure items that are duplicative of…
On August 12, the SEC’s OCIE issued a risk alert regarding its observations pertaining to COVID-19-related issues, risks and practices, including market volatility and higher risks of misconduct, relevant to SEC-registered investment advisers and broker-dealers (collectively, Firms). OCIE’s observations and recommendations fall broadly into the following six categories: (1) protection of investors’…
On August 5, the SEC proposed modifying the disclosure framework for mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (funds) registered on Form N-1A. The proposed modifications, which derive from the SEC’s investor experience initiative, would create a new layered disclosure regime that attempts to simplify disclosure and scale down the level of detail currently…
Raising capital can be a significant challenge for private companies, especially issuers that typically would not draw the attention of investment banks such as early stage or emerging growth companies. One of the highest hurdles these companies face is simply identifying prospective sources of capital. Registered securities brokers can assist…
On July 24, the FDIC and SEC adopted a final rule required by the Dodd-Frank Act clarifying and implementing provisions relating to the orderly liquidation of certain brokers or dealers (covered broker-dealers) in the event the FDIC is appointed receiver under Title II of the Dodd-Frank Act. The FDIC and SEC developed…