Public Company SEC Reporting Requirements – Form S-1 Disclosures

Once the SEC staff declares your company’s Securities Act registration statement on Form S-1 effective, the public company becomes subject to the SEC’s reporting requirements . 

When Private Placements Go Public – Rule 506-c Attorneys

Rule 506 of Regulation D of the Securities Act of 1933 provides a private placement exemption from federal securities registration which is increasingly being used by companies seeking to raise capital prior to going public. 

Accredited Investor Status Under Rule 506(c) l Securities Lawyer 101

Rule 506(c) is the most commonly used exemption of the Regulation D of the Securities Act. Rule 506(c) allows the issuer to use general solicitation and advertising so long as sales are only made to purchasers who the issuer verifies as an “accredited investor”.

SEC Charges ICO Rating with Failing to Disclose it was Paid to Tout Digital Assets

The Russian entity ICO Rating is an online presence that shares information about ICOs (initial coin offerings), which have grown alongside the rapid rise of cryptocurrency in the past few years. ICO Rating settled with the SEC for… Read More

Smooth Sailing For General Solicitation Under Rule 506(c) – Going Public Lawyers

Rule 506(c) fundamentally changes how private placements will be conducted, by allowing issuers to engage in general solicitation and advertising if they comply with the Rule’s specific requirements. The advantages offered by Rule 506(c) are significant for issuers… Read More

What is an Exempt Direct Public Offering? Rule 506(c) Offering Attorneys

An exempt Direct Public Offering can involve a private placement under Rules 506(c) or 504 of Regulation D.  The most commonly used Direct Public Offering exemption is Rule 506(c).

Securities Offering Exemptions – SEC Concept Release

SEC Concept Release on Harmonization of Securities Offering Exemptions In the wake of the stock market crash of 1929, the public had lost confidence in the entirely unregulated U.S. markets. Congress sought to restore it by creating a… Read More

The Emerging Growth Company & Confidential Submission of Draft Registration Statements

Securities Lawyer 101 Blog In order to qualify for many of the benefits created by Title I of the JOBS Act, an issuer must qualify as an Emerging Growth Company. The JOBS Act created a new disclosure standard… Read More

Penny Stock Scalping 101 – Securities Lawyer 101

Stock scalping refers to the illegal and deceptive practice of recommending that others purchase a security while secretly selling the same security.  In recent years, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and Department of Justice have brought… Read More

SEC Form D Requirements, Regulation D, Notice of Sales

SEC Form D Requirements, Regulation D, Notice of Sales

SEC Form 8-K Current Reports, Filing Requirements l Securities Lawyer 101

Securities Lawyer 101 Blog Private companies going public should be familiar with the requirements of Form 8-K.  Once a company completes its going public transaction and its Form S-1 is effective,  it is required to comply with the… Read More

Form 10-Q Quarterly Reports, Filing Requirements l Going Public Lawyer

Publicly traded companies with a class of securities registered under Section 12 or subject to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”), are subject to the SEC’s periodic and current reporting requirements… Read More

What is an Accredited Investor? Securities Lawyer 101

Dodd-Frank amended the definition of an “accredited” investor to exclude the value of an investor’s primary residence when determining whether the net worth of that person exceeds the $1 million net worth test.  Under the amended rule, for purposes of calculating net worth in determining status of accredited investors, the value of an investor’s primary residence may not be included.

S-1 Registration Requirements, Filing Form S-1, S-1 Offering, S-1 Lawyers

S-1 Filing Requirements, Filing Form S-1, S-1 Offering, S-1 Lawyers – The process of going public using Form S-1 must be structured properly to be successful. Form S-1 is one of the most common forms used to register securities.

Dormant Shell Companies For Reverse Mergers Suspended by the SEC While Delinquent Filers Run Wild

Its object is to render useless and worthless dormant shell companies that might otherwise be hijacked, used in reverse mergers, and ultimately pumped and dumped. 

Going Public – Regulation A+ – IPO Alternative

Regulation A contains two exemptions with unique requirements and benefits. Regulation A Tier 1 and Tier 2 allow the issuer to raise up to $20 million and $50 million, respectively every 12 months.

Form F-1 Foreign Issuer Registration Statements and Going Public

SEC Form F-1 is commonly used by foreign issuers in connection with their going public transaction. Typically, foreign companies seeking to raise capital attempt to obtain public company status.  Foreign companies that go public in the U.S. can register… Read More

Will Form 12b-25 Extend 10-Q’s Due Date? l Securities Lawyer 101

Form 12b-25 provides the issuer with a 5 day extension within which to file the Form 10-Q or 15 days for a Form 10-K.

SEC Charges Lloyd Schuman with Repeated Insider Trading

The SEC charged on May 9, 2019, Lloyd Schuman and Dane Janes for insider trading and for repeatedly traded and tipped on confidential information that they obtained through their respective employers. The SEC’s complaint, filed in the U.S…. Read More

SEC Charges Danny Williams Former Executive of a Truckload Freight Company with Accounting Fraud

On May 9,2019, the SEC charged Danny Williams, the former President of Quality Companies, LLC, a former subsidiary of Indianapolis-based Celadon Group Inc., with an accounting fraud that allowed Celadon to avoid disclosing substantial losses and misrepresent its… Read More

SEC Obtains Final Judgment Against Rocco Roveccio for Defrauding Customers

On May 3, 2019, a federal district court entered a final consent judgment against Rocco Roveccio, a broker who was charged with defrauding customers by making unsuitable and unauthorized trades and churning customers’ accounts, which enriched the broker… Read More

What is a Penny Stock? Securities Lawyer 101

The term “penny stock” refers to a security issued by a company whose shares that trades at less than $5 per share on the OTC Markets Group, Inc.’s OTC Link.

SEC Announces Fraud Charges in Ticket Resale Investment Scam

On April 29,2019, the SEC charged James Siniscalchi, a New York City man with continuing a previously charged scheme, stealing millions of dollars from investors who were allegedly falsely promised their funds would be used for the purchase and… Read More

SEC Obtains Asset Freeze in Connection with Alleged Insider Trading

The SEC announced on April 29,2019, the entry of an emergency court order freezing assets related to alleged insider trading that yielded approximately $2.5 million in profits in connection with the April 12, 2019 announcement that oil-and-gas conglomerate… Read More

SEC Charges Christopher Dougherty, an Investment Adviser with Running a Ponzi Scheme

On April 26, 2019, the SEC charged Christopher Dougherty and several entities he controlled, with operating a Ponzi scheme that defrauded his investment advisory clients out of $7 million. The San Diego District Attorney’s Office separately announced criminal… Read More

Do I Have To Amend My Form D? Going Public Attorneys

When a company decides to raise money in a Regulation D offering as part of its going public transaction, it must file a Form D – Notice of Sales with the Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 504, 505… Read More

What Is DTC Eligibility? Going Public Attorneys

DTC’s eligibility creates liquidity for companies after a going public transaction. DTC’s Issue Eligibility program allows newly issued securities as well as secondary offerings that meet DTC’s eligibility criteria to become eligible for the depository and book-entry services… Read More

SEC Charges Truckload Freight Company with Accounting Fraud

The SEC charged on April 25,2019, an Indianapolis-based Celadon Group Inc. with an accounting fraud that allowed the truckload freight company to avoid disclosing substantial losses and misrepresent its financial condition. In a complaint filed in federal court… Read More

Former Broker Zachary Berkey Ordered to Pay SEC Disgorgement and Penalties

On April 18, 2019, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, ordered a former broker, Zachary Berkey, to pay $106,000 in disgorgement, plus prejudgment interest, and $71,000 in civil penalties. The SEC charged… Read More

SEC Charges Eric Lyons For Misappropriation and Fraudulent Securities Offering

On April 23, 2019, the SEC obtained an emergency asset freeze and temporary restraining order to halt an ongoing fraudulent securities offering by Eric Lyons, a Massachusetts resident, in an attempt to conceal his misappropriation from certain hedge… Read More