Gibson Dunn’s summary of director education opportunities has been updated as of October 2024. A copy is available at this link. Boards of Directors of public and private companies find this a useful resource as they look for high quality education opportunities.
Securities Regulation
Latest SEC Enforcement Sweep Picks Up 34 Reporting Persons for Numerous Late and Missing 13F and 13H Filings
The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC") announced charges against 34 reporting persons for late and missing filings on Form 13F and Form 13H earlier this month. The entities and individuals charged agreed to settlements with the SEC requiring payments of $7.2 million in penalties.
Early Insights from the Insider Trading Policies Filed by S&P 500 Companies under the SEC’s New Exhibit Requirement
I. Introduction
For fiscal years beginning on or after April 1, 2023, domestic public companies are required to disclose whether they have adopted insider trading policies and procedures governing the purchase, sale, and/or other dispositions of their securities by their directors, officers and employees, or the companies themselves, and if so to file those policies and procedures as an exhibit to their annual reports on Form 10-K.[1] While calendar year companies must comply with these requirements in their Form 10-K for, or proxy statement following, the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024, 49 S&P 500 companies had addressed these requirements in filings as of June 30, 2024.[2]
Important Reminder to 13F Filers – New Vote Reporting Disclosures Required on Form N-PX (due August 31, 2024)
As a quick reminder, all institutional investment managers filing 13F reports under the Exchange Act (“13F Filers") are subject to a new requirement this year to file a Form N-PX by August 31, 2024. Form N-PX includes disclosures regarding certain executive compensation-related proposals described below.
Preparing for CDP’s New Sustainability Reporting Platform
Earlier this month, CDP (formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project) announced the launch of a new environmental disclosure platform. CDP is a non-profit that scores and assesses participating companies and cities, states, and regions on climate, deforestation, and water security topics. According to CDP, over 23,000 companies (representing two-thirds of global market capitalization) disclosed through CDP in 2023.
Division of Corporation Finance Issues Interpretive Guidance on the SEC’s Cybersecurity Incident Reporting Requirements
As discussed in our previous client alert, on December 18, 2023, new rules went into effect requiring companies to report material cybersecurity incidents on Form 8-K within four business days of the company’s determination that the cybersecurity incident is material. In the last several weeks the staff of the Division of Corporation Finance (the “Staff") of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC") has provided guidance regarding incident reporting in the form of a May 21 statement and a June 20 announcement from the Division of Corporation Finance Director Erik Gerding and, most recently, more formal Compliance and Disclosure Interpretations (“C&DIs") on June 24.
Updated Summary of Director Education Opportunities Now Available
Gibson Dunn’s summary of director education opportunities has been updated as of June 2024. A copy is available at this link. Boards of Directors of public and private companies find this a useful resource as they look for high quality education opportunities.
Reminder to 13G Filers on Upcoming Phase-In of SEC Amendments to Beneficial Ownership Filing Deadlines
As previously noted in our client alert, certain of the SEC amendments to beneficial ownership reporting rules adopted in October 2023 will go into effect on September 30, 2024. As a quick reminder, for Passive Investors (i.e., those reporting on Schedule 13G pursuant to Rule 13d-1(c) who beneficially own less than 20%) and Qualified Institutional Investors (“QIIs")
Eighth Circuit Establishes Briefing Schedule for SEC Climate Disclosure Rules Litigation
On May 20, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit issued an order establishing the briefing schedule for the consolidated litigation challenging the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC") final climate disclosure rules.
Reminder: Securities Settlement Cycle Transitions to T+1 on May 28, 2024
As previously reported on our Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance Monitor (available here and here), on May 28, 2024, the standard settlement cycle for most broker-dealer transactions will be shortened from “T+2″ to “T+1,” subject to certain exceptions. The SEC approved this change in its rule amendments to Rule 15c6-1(a) under the Exchange Act adopted on February 15, 2023.