Special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) are shell companies formed with the sole purpose of raising capital through initial public offerings (IPOs) and using the proceeds to acquire private operating companies. While traditionally regarded as vehicles for backdoor listings of weaker …

The last time I was in Poland was approximately three decades ago. It was a brief but memorable stop on an unfocused American student’s hop across Europe. Among other things, Poland provided me my only hitchhiking experience. Some kind soldiers …

Today [July 1], the Commission adopted amendments to provide a tailored form to register the offerings of registered index-linked annuities (“RILAs”) and registered market value adjustment annuities (“registered MVA annuities”). I am pleased to support this adoption because it fulfills …

Last week, a jury in Los Angeles returned a verdict in United States v. Peizer, finding that a company executive engaged in insider trading when, after learning of the likely termination of the company’s most important customer relationship, he …

On June 18, 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced charges against R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company (“RRD”) for failure to maintain adequate internal accounting controls in violation of Section 13(b)(2)(B) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange …

Last month, the U.S. smoothly shortened the settlement cycle for equities, corporate bonds, and municipal securities to one day after the transaction date (T+1). This step better unifies the U.S. market structure, where Treasuries, options, and mutual funds already largely …

Good morning, Chair Van Hollen, Ranking Member Hagerty, and members of the Subcommittee. Thank you for inviting me to testify today on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 budget request. As is customary, I’d like to note …

On June 5, 2024, a three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit unanimously ruled to vacate the SEC’s new rules and amendments under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the Advisers Act) that targeted private …

In an important step forward, the House voted to pass a bill to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework for digital assets and offering important protections for customers. It could be improved by expressly discarding Howey, Reves or similar inherently …

On May 16, 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) significantly expanded its consumer information protection framework by adopting rule amendments (the “Final Amendments”) to Regulation S-P, which governs the protection of consumer financial information held by broker-dealers, investment companies, …

The cybersecurity rules that the Commission adopted on July 26, 2023[*] require public companies to disclose material cybersecurity incidents under Item 1.05 of Form 8-K.[1]  If a company chooses to disclose a cybersecurity incident for which it has …

Audit firms are private businesses with the same legitimate interest in making a profit that all private businesses have.[1] But audit firms have also been entrusted to be essential gatekeepers in maintaining the integrity of our capital markets. The …