On March 8, 2020, we discussed on a post (available here) about the announcement (available here) by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) that providedconditional regulatory relief (Order available here) for certain filing obligations under the federal securities laws to companies impacted by the coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”).
Topic: Audit Committee
SEC Provides Conditional Regulatory Relief and Additional Disclosure Guidance for Companies Affected by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
On March 4, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) announced (available here) that it is providing conditional regulatory relief (Order available here) for certain filing obligations under the federal securities laws to companies impacted by the coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”), including “U.S. companies located in the affected areas, as well as companies with operations in those regions.
SEC Amends Rules to Encourage Issuers to Conduct Registered Debt Offerings
On March 2, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) announced (available here) the adoption of amendments to the financial disclosure requirements applicable to registered debt offerings that include credit enhancements, such as subsidiary guarantees, in an effort to “improve the quality of disclosure and increase the likelihood that issuers will conduct debt offerings on a registered basis."
SEC Announces Proposed Amendments to MD&A and Guidance on Key Performance Indicators and Metrics; Commissioners Debate Addition of Sustainability Disclosure Requirements
On January 30, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) issued proposed amendments to simplify the requirements of Regulation S-K and an interpretative release relating to Management’s Discussion and Analysis (“MD&A”).
Considerations for Preparing Your 2019 10-K
In a client alert published today (available here), we offer our observations on new developments and recommended practices to consider in preparing the Annual Report on Form 10-K. In particular, given the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s latest enforcement actions and recent adoption of amendments impacting disclosures in Form 10-K, there are a number of important substantive and technical considerations that registrants should keep in mind when preparing their 2019 Forms 10-K.
SEC Releases Statement on Key Reminders for Audit Committees
On December 30, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) released a statement (the “Statement”) from Chairman Jay Clayton, Chief Accountant Sagar Teotia and the Director of the Division of Corporation Finance, William Hinman, addressing the role of the audit committee in financial reporting and highlighting key reminders regarding oversight responsibilities (available here). The Statement is intended to “assist audit committees [in] carrying out their year-end work, including promoting efficient and constructive dialogue among audit committees, management and independent auditors.”
SEC Proposes Revised Resource Extraction Rules, Again!
[Updated January 18, 2020]
On December 18, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) released proposed rules (available here) relating to the disclosure of payments by resource extraction issuers. The SEC’s release sets forth the tortured more-than-seven-year history of this rulemaking (see previous Gibson Dunn posts regarding this topic in 2015, 2013 and 2010). The SEC is proposing these rules by mandate pursuant to Section 1504 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) after having earlier adopted versions of the rules vacated in 2012 by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, a ruling which the SEC declined to appeal, and disapproved in 2016 by Congress pursuant to its authority under the Congressional Review Act. While Congress disapproved of the adopted rules in 2016, it did not repeal Section 1504 of the Dodd-Frank Act, so the SEC’s rulemaking mandate remained in place. Revised rules cannot be substantially similar to the ones disapproved by Congress under the Congressional Review Act. As such, the newly proposed rules substantially differ from the previously adopted rules, and the differences are discussed in more detail below.
Desktop Calendar of SEC Deadlines for 2020 Now Available
This is a smart time of year to confirm plans for SEC reporting and capital markets transactions in 2020. To assist public companies in keeping track of the various filing deadlines, we have prepared a desktop reference calendar that sets forth filing deadlines for many SEC reports. To assist companies with planning capital markets transactions, including IPOs, our calendar also provides the staleness dates (i.e., the last date financial statements may be used in a prospectus or proxy statement without being updated).
SEC to Host Roundtable on Short-Termism on July 18
The Securities and Exchange Commission has announced (available here) that it will hold a roundtable on July 18, 2019, to hear from investors, issuers and other market participants about short-termism’s impact on capital markets and whether the reporting system or other SEC regulations should be changed to address those concerns. The event will begin at 12:30 p.m. ET in the SEC’s headquarters and be open to the public in person and via live webcast on SEC.gov, as well as archived for later viewing. The agenda and access information are available here. The roundtable is related to a request for comment that the SEC published in December 2018, when the SEC announced it may be reconsidering quarterly reporting (our post about that SEC request for comment on quarterly reporting is available here).
SEC Proposes to Improve Disclosures Relating to Acquisitions and Dispositions of Businesses
On May 3, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced (available here) proposed changes to existing disclosure requirements in connection with acquisitions and dispositions of businesses. The proposed rules (available here) are intended to: (1) improve financial disclosures regarding the acquisition and disposition of businesses, (2) facilitate more timely access to capital, and (3) reduce the complexity and compliance costs related to such disclosures.