Securities exchanges propose new compensation committee rules after SEC mandate *

USA - November 27 2012
On September 25, 2012, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and The NASDAQ Stock Market (Nasdaq) submitted proposed rule changes to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that would require equity issuers listed on their exchanges to comply with certain standards pertaining to the structure, authority, functioning and independence of compensation committees.

Co-authors: Andrew Merken.

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New SEC disclosure rules target use of “conflict minerals” and payments to governments for resource extraction, mandating supply chain inquiries and audits *

USA - October 1 2012
On August 22, 2012, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted disclosure rules that will impose new and significant responsibilities on issuers of publicly traded securities.

Co-authors: Andrew Merken.

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SEC proposes to lift bans on general solicitation and advertising pursuant to JOBS Act *

USA - September 12 2012
On August 29, 2012, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed new rules that would, under certain circumstances, eliminate the bans on “general solicitation and general advertising” (hereafter referred to as “general solicitation”) in connection with securities offerings made to accredited investors or qualified institutional buyers (QIBs) pursuant to either Rule 506 of Regulation D or Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933.

Co-authors: Andrew Merken.

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JOBS Act makes it easier to raise capital *

USA - April 17 2012
Capital raising by private companies and certain smaller public companies that either went public after Dec. 8, 2011 or go public in the future became easier when President Barack Obama signed into law the “Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act” (the JOBS Act) on April 5, 2012.

Co-authors: Andrew Merken.

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SEC Division of Corporation Finance gives disclosure guidance on new concerns: cybersecurity and European sovereign debt exposure *

USA - February 9 2012
The Division of Corporation Finance (“CorpFin”) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) has recently published disclosure guidance on two topics of emerging concern: risks associated with cybersecurity breaches and exposure to European sovereign debt (“Eurodebt”).

Co-authors: Andrew Merken.

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