Tag: SEC
Director of SEC whistleblower office encourages staff to find whistleblower retaliation cases
by Cydney Posner According to Law360, the director of the SEC’s whistleblower office, Sean McKessy, is exhorting the staff of that office to set a high priority on cases involving employer retaliation for whistleblower complaints. During an interview, McKessy “said his office was actively looking for cases to bring against […]
Will the SEC intercede in the battle over fee-shifting bylaws?
“The first trickle through a leak in the dam” that eventually causes the dam to collapse is how Professor John Coffee characterized the adoption of fee-shifting bylaw or charter provisions by 24 companies since May of this year. The “dam” here is the practice of private enforcement, as a supplement […]
Corp Fin Director provides some insights into the direction of the SEC “Disclosure Effectiveness Initiative”
by Cydney Posner A few days ago, Corp Fin director, Keith Higgins, gave a speech, “Shaping Company Disclosure for the 21st Century” before the George A. Leet Business Law Symposium at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, in which he discussed some of the SEC’s considerations in its “Disclosure […]
SEC staff issues CDI regarding use of the internet in connection with intrastate offerings — how feasible is it?
by Cydney Posner The SEC staff has posted another new CDI regarding internet communications, this one advising how issuers may conduct intrastate offerings under Rule 147 and still use the internet to communicate offers. The question is whether an issuer can use its website or social media to offer securities […]
Corp Fin tallies shareholder proposal no-action requests and responses
by Cydney Posner As reported by Bloomberg, director of Corp Fin Keith Higgins, speaking at the ABA meeting of the Business Law section in Chicago, provided Corp Fin’s tally of no-action requests and responses in connection with shareholder proposals for the 2014 proxy season. According to the article, Corp Fin received […]
A peek into Corp Fin’s assessment of the first year of conflict minerals filings
by Cydney Posner As those who worked on conflict minerals this past year can attest, the SEC was not exactly lavish in providing guidance on the application of its rules. As reported by Bloomberg, director of Corp Fin, Keith Higgins, speaking at the ABA meeting of the Business Law section […]
Good news for companies adopting retrospective approach to new FASB revenue recognition standard
by Cydney Posner One of the critical questions that companies are facing under FASB’s new revenue recognition standard is whether companies that elect to follow a retrospective approach (applying the standard to both current and prior years — e.g., 2016 and 2015 revenues in addition to 2017) will be required […]
SEC sends a message — to executives and their companies
by Cydney Posner In October 2013, SEC Chair Mary Jo White gave a speech at the Securities Enforcement Forum in which she declared an “enforcement mission” of the SEC to be implementation of the “broken windows” theory of crime deterrence made famous decades ago in NYC: “The [‘broken windows’] theory is […]
Whether 1992 or 2013 version of COSO framework — disclose in management’s and auditor’s internal control reports
by Cydney Posner Last week, I posted a piece regarding the “squishy” deadline (to borrow the term of art coined by the COSO Chair) for implementation of the new 2013 COSO internal control framework. As you may recall, the original 1992 COSO internal control framework is deemed by COSO to […]
Academic study shows increases in insider sales prior to public release of certain SEC comment letters
by Cydney Posner Articles in Compliance Week and Forbes report on a recent academic study showing unusually high levels of stock sales by insiders in the period prior to public release of SEC comment letters that addressed revenue recognition issues, a topic that can often spell trouble at many companies. The level of […]