On March 31st, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued an Accounting Standards Update (ASU) in which a new standard addresses troubled debt restructuring (TDR) and vintage disclosures. The update is designed to provide investors with sufficiently detailed disclosures so they may gather useful information about certain loan refinancings, restructurings, and write-offs. The new ASU undertakes remarks submitted by investors and other stakeholders during the post-implementation review of the credit losses standard. The revisions both create a single model for loan modification accounting by creditors and provide enhanced write-off disclosures and loan modification. Continue reading "FASB Broadens Disclosure Requirements and..." »

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has released an Accounting Standards Update (ASU) designed to promote synergy between hedge accounting and an organization’s risk management procedures. The latest ASU builds on the FASB’s 2017 issuance of a hedging standard which improved alignment between the two entities. The earlier standard also increased transparency concerning how results of hedging activities are presented – on the face of the financial statements and in the footnotes – for investors and analysts when hedge accounting is applied. Continue reading "FASB Enhances and Broadens Hedge Accounting" »

On March 30, the SEC’s Division of Examinations issued its annual examination priorities, the publication that provides an overview of the Division’s risk-based approach, including the areas it believes present potential risks to investors and the integrity of the US capital markets. When compiling the examination priorities, the Division leans heavily on its four pillars: promoting and improving compliance, preventing fraud, monitoring risks, and informing policy. Continue reading "SEC Staff Announces 2022 Examination Priorities" »

On March 23, the SEC announced that it is proposing amendments to remove references to credit rating agencies from current exceptions included in Regulation M. The rules that comprise Regulation M are intended to maintain the pricing integrity of the securities trading markets by prohibiting issuers, distribution participants, selling security holders, and any of their affiliated purchasers from taking part in activities that could inorganically influence the market for an offered security. The proposed changes would also implement new standards to replace the current standard gauges for credit-worthiness and add new record-keeping requirements in certain cases. Continue reading "SEC Announces Proposed Amendments to Remove..." »

On March 21st, the SEC announced that it is proposing amendments to its rules under the Securities Act and Securities Exchange Act that would make it mandatory for domestic and foreign registrants to include specific climate-related data in their annual reports and registration statements. This data would need to be disclosed in a structured data format. The proposal is open for public comment. Continue reading "SEC Proposes Rule Amendments to Improve..." »

The SEC’s Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation will host the 41st Annual Government-Business Forum on Small Business Capital Formation, which is held annually in accordance with the Small Business Investment Incentive Act of 1980. The forum is an event for members of the public and private sectors, including entrepreneurs, investors, and other leaders, to gather and discuss capital raising and develop suggestions for policy impacting emerging businesses and their investors. The remote meeting will take place April 4-7, with each session beginning at 1:00 p.m. ET each day and lasting 90 minutes.{expires: 2022-04-08}

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The SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance and the Office of the Chief Accountant will host a meeting via webcast on sec.gov to discuss and consider whether to propose amendments that would enhance and standardize climate-related disclosures for investors. The meeting is free, open for the public to attend, and will take place on Monday, March 21, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. ET. {expires: 2022-03-22} Continue reading "SEC Staff to Hold Meeting to Discuss Proposing..." »

The SEC has announced that it is proposing new Rule 13f-2 and related Form SHO pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Section 13(f)(2) of the Exchange Act was added by Section 929X of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. These changes would provide greater transparency to investors and regulators through increasing the public availability of short sale related data by requiring certain institutional investment managers to report short sale related information. The SEC then would release aggregate data about large short positions, including daily short sale activity data, to the public for each individual security. Continue reading "SEC Announces Proposed Short Sale Disclosure..." »

On February 10th, the SEC announced that it is proposing amendments to Rules 21F-3 and 21F-6 of the Exchange Act of 1934, which governs the SEC’s whistleblower program. Under the Exchange Act, monetary awards are issued to eligible whistleblowers who voluntarily report original information pertaining to a securities law violation that leads to the SEC’s success in obtaining a monetary order greater than one million dollars in a covered judicial or administrative action brought by the SEC. The valuable tips provided to the SEC help the agency fight wrongdoing and better protect investors and the marketplace. Continue reading "SEC Proposes Reforms to Two Whistleblower..." »

On February 9th, the SEC announced that it is proposing new rules and amendments under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and the Investment Company Act of 1940 that are intended to both improve cybersecurity readiness and bolster investor confidence in the resilience of investment advisers and investment companies against threats and attacks to cybersecurity. Continue reading "SEC Announces Proposed Cybersecurity Risk..." »

On February 9th, the SEC announced that it is proposing new rules and amendments intended to protect investors by reducing risks in the clearance and settlement of securities. The revisions would increase operational efficacy by shortening time between the execution of securities transaction and its settlement. The proposed rule would decrease the standard settlement cycle for the majority of broker-dealer transactions from two business days after the trade date (“T+2”) to one business day after the trade date (“T+1”).

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On January 31th, the SEC issued its annual Staff Report on Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations (NRSROs), as required by Section 6 of the Credit Rating Agency Reform Act of 2006 and Section 15E(p)(3)(C) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

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The SEC has announced that its Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee will hold a remote meeting to discuss matters related to the rules and regulations affecting small and emerging companies and their investors under the federal securities laws. The free webcast will take place on Thursday, February 10, 2022, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. The event is open to the public and will be presented live on sec.gov. {expires: 2022-02-10} Continue reading "SEC to Host Small Business Capital Formation..." »

The SEC’s Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation will host its third annual Capital Call on January 19, 2022, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EST. The call is free, open to the public, and will be webcast live on the event page. The call will explore perspectives on current capital raising issues that impact startups through small cap businesses and their investors. {expires: 2022-01-20} Continue reading "SEC’s Small Business Advocate to Hold Capital..." »

On December 9th, the SEC’s Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation issued its 2021 Annual Report, a comprehensive publication that provides an overview of both capital raising in communities across the nation, and entrepreneurs and investors who are building companies together from startups to small cap. {expires: 2022-01-20} Continue reading "SEC Staff Releases Report on Capital Raising..." »