The Securities Law Blog provides commentary and news on the latest securities law developments impacting established and emerging growth publicly-traded issuers and investment banks, as well as entrepreneurs and venture-backed private entities. Our blog closely follows SEC rulemaking in several key areas including public and private securities offerings, shareholder activism and equity investment, and mergers & acquisitions.
The authors of this blog are members of the Corporate/Securities practice of Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP. Since our founding, this firm has been distinguished by responsive, independent and client-focused legal services provided by lawyers with a profound commitment to the companies they serve. This blog is an outgrowth of this representation of our clients in a wide range of capital market transactions.
Another indication that regulators are on high alert for further fallout in the wake of the collapse of major crypto firms.
Review of the Division of Corporation Finance’s Sample Comment Letters Can Help Guide Issuers in Preparing Their SEC Filings
FINRA, NYSE and NASDAQ issue alerts to their members on the recent trend of significant unusual price increases on the day of or shortly after the IPOs of small-cap issuers, most of which involve issuers with operations in China and other foreign countries, as part of so-called “ramp and dump” schemes, and place the obligation to battle the schemes on underwriters as “gatekeepers to the public markets.”
We continue to see a strong interest among executive officers and directors in adopting Rule 10b5-1 sales plans, despite the current market downturn. With economic uncertainty, a recent SEC enforcement action should be of note to insiders when adopting and structuring a 10b5-1 plan.
Investors need to understand the purposes for which an issuer’s net proceeds from a public offering are intended to be used. However, it appears lately that many issuers are routinely providing little specificity with regard to the allocation of their proposed net proceeds. Perhaps some issuers believe that the specific information required pursuant to Item 504 of Regulation S-K forces them to publicly reveal business plans that might put them at a competitive disadvantage. Even so, whether or not an issuer has a specific plan for its offering proceeds in place, there are many instances requiring special Use of Proceeds disclosure that an issuer may overlook.