In connection with the upcoming Form 10-K/proxy season, public companies with a fiscal year ending on December 31 will be required, for the first time, to publicly file their insider trading policies as exhibits to their Annual Report on Form 10-K pursuant to Item 408(b) of Regulation S-K.  Prior to this SEC rules requirement, it was fairly uncommon for public companies to make their insider trading policies publicly available (on a voluntary basis). Continue Reading The Time is Here: Public Companies Should be Mindful of the Upcoming Insider Trading Policy Form 10-K Exhibit Filing Requirement

Earlier this month, 38 Congressional Democrats (10 Senators; 28 Representatives) sent a letter to Chairman Gary Gensler of the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), urging the SEC to robustly enforce its existing rules and climate disclosure-related guidance while the recent climate disclosure rules are under litigation  and a related stay.Continue Reading Certain Members of Congress Urge SEC to Enforce Existing Climate Disclosure Rules During Litigation

I was recently quoted in Corporate Compliance Insights sharing perspective on the new climate disclosure rules issued in March 2024 by the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC). The SEC voluntarily stayed the new rules while the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit completes judicial review of consolidated challenges to the new rules.Continue Reading Embattled SEC Climate Disclosure Rule

The U.S. Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that pure silence in MD&A statements are not actionable in shareholder securities fraud cases.  The case is important for issuers and shareholders alike for several reasons:Continue Reading U.S. Supreme Court Unanimously Holds Pure Omissions in Item 303 Disclosures Not Actionable under Private Securities Laws

After almost two years following its proposed rules, on March 6, 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted final rules to require public companies to disclose certain climate-related information in registration statements and annual reports.Continue Reading The SEC Finally Adopts Climate Change Disclosure Rules: Making Sense of 800+ Pages

On October 18, 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted amendments to the rules governing beneficial ownership reporting to “require market participants to provide more timely information on their positions to meet the needs of investors in today’s financial markets.”Continue Reading SEC Adopts Amendments to Modernize Beneficial Ownership Reporting

On November 22, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) stayed the recently enacted Share Repurchase Disclosure Modernization Rule (Repurchase Disclosure Rule) pursuant to section 705 of the Administrative Procedure Act and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Firth Circuit’s (Fifth Circuit) October 31, 2023 opinion providing the SEC 30 days to correct defects in the Repurchase Disclosure Rule.  For an overview of the Fifth Circuit’s October 31 opinion, please refer to our earlier blog post: Fifth Circuit Requires SEC to Revisit Share Repurchase Disclosure Rules.Continue Reading SEC Stays Repurchase Disclosure Rules and the Fifth Circuit Denies SEC’s Motion for Additional Time to Cure Rule Defects