Mapping the Landscape of Comments to the SEC’s New Proxy Rules

By Jens Frankenreiter March 4, 2020 by renholding

In November 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking aimed at the roles played by proxy advisers in providing information and voting recommendations to clients. The move was preceded by substantively similar interpretive guidance …

Voluntary Disclosure for Primary Securities Offerings

By Andrew Abraham Schwartz March 3, 2020 by renholding

Mandatory disclosure is a foundation of modern securities law, both in the United States and around the world. But is it really necessary? After all, corporate promoters wishing to sell securities for their full value already have an economic incentive …

The SEC and “Piggyback” Securities Litigation

By Alexander Platt March 2, 2020 by renholding

Leading securities regulation scholars have repeatedly called for legislatively expanding the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) control over private securities litigation.[1] These proposals grow out of profound doubts about the private securities class action regime and frustration with the …

Why Cryptocurrencies Should Be Evaluated As Fiat Money

By J.S. Nelson February 27, 2020 by renholding

What are cryptocurrencies: securities, commodities, or another form of established currency – a non-sovereign fiat currency? In my forthcoming article, “Cryptocommunity Currencies,” I argue that, like other self-governing bodies, communities that issue cryptocurrencies should be judged on how …

SEC Commissioner Dissents from Order Blocking Proposed Bitcoin-Related Rule

By Hester M. Peirce February 27, 2020 by renholding

Today the Commission once again disapproved a proposed rule change that would give American investors access to bitcoin through a product listed and traded on a national securities exchange subject to the Commission’s regulatory framework.[1] This order is the

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The Blaszczak Bombshell: A Return to the “Parity of Information” Theory of Insider Trading?

By John C. Coffee, Jr. February 26, 2020 by renholding

The law of insider trading generally moves with the speed of molasses in February. For every two steps forward, there is one (or more) steps backward. But this winter has seen a rapid succession of developments. First, the Himes Bill …

How Congress Got It Right on Audit Oversight

By James R. Doty February 24, 2020 by renholding

President Donald Trump’s proposed $4.8 trillion budget calls for folding the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), America’s audit watchdog, into the Securities and Exchange Commission, the nation’s primary financial regulator. The stated goal is to eliminate duplicative regulations and …

Financial Regulators Warn Over Chinese Audit Quality Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

By Jay Clayton, Bill Hinman, Sagar Teotia and William D. Duhnke III February 20, 2020 by renholding

In November 2019, we met with senior representatives of the four largest U.S. audit firms, including certain of their network representatives, to discuss audit quality across their global networks and certain of the challenges faced in auditing public companies with

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Why the SEC’s Proposed Rules on Proxy Advisors Are Necessary

By Bernard S. Sharfman February 19, 2020 by renholding

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) recently proposed Amendments to Exemptions from the Proxy Rules for Proxy Voting Advice are an efficient and necessary response to the “collective action” problem that is imbedded in the shareholder voting of public companies …

Petition for Rulemaking on Short and Distort

By John C. Coffee, Jr. and Joshua Mitts February 18, 2020 by renholding

Short selling serves a critical function in the capital markets by encouraging price discovery and preventing the formation of asset bubbles. But recent years have seen a rise in “negative activism,” a novel phenomenon that has flourished in the era …

Cleary Gottlieb Discusses SEC Stance on Climate Change Disclosures

By Sandra Flow, Nicolas Grabar, Jeffrey D. Karpf and Rosa Parmose February 12, 2020 by Avesh Krishna

On January 30, the Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Clayton and Commissioners Lee and Peirce each issued statements on climate-related disclosures in SEC filings. The statements evidence some debate within the SEC on this topic, which has attracted considerable recent …

SEC Commissioner Peirce Offers Proposal to Fill Gap Between Regulation and Decentralization

By Hester M. Peirce February 11, 2020 by renholding

I appreciate the opportunity to be with all of you today. Before beginning, I have to remind you that the views I express are my own and do not necessarily represent those of the Securities and Exchange Commission or my

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Recent Trends in SEC Penalties Against Public Companies

By David Rosenfeld February 10, 2020 by renholding

Over the past 20 years, civil penalties have become an increasingly important part of the SEC’s enforcement program. The agency frequently imposes large monetary penalties, highlights those penalties in press releases, and touts them in end-of-year statistics. Civil penalties are …

Law Professors Urge SEC to Revise Proxy Adviser Proposal

By Yoon-Ho Alex Lee, Matthew Spitzer and Eric Talley February 4, 2020 by renholding

We write as legal scholars and economists who conduct research and teach in areas of corporate law, securities law, and administrative law. In addition, one of us has previously worked at the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) as a financial …

Insider Trading and Undisclosed SEC Probes

By Terrence Blackburne, John D. Kepler, Phillip J. Quinn and Daniel J. Taylor February 3, 2020 by renholding

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has a three-part mission: to protect investors; maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets; and facilitate capital formation. SEC investigations and enforcement actions play a critical role in carrying out each of these objectives. …

SEC Chair Clayton on Proposed Amendments to Volcker Rule and Disclosure Items

By Jay Clayton January 31, 2020 by renholding

Volcker Rule

Today, the Commission joined the Federal Reserve, OCC, FDIC and CFTC in proposing additional amendments to the implementing regulations under section 13 of the Bank Holding Company Act, commonly known as the “Volcker Rule.”[1] The proposed amendments,

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Davis Polk Offers Financial Institutions Enforcement Update

By Greg Andres, Martine Beamon, Robert Cohen, Neil MacBride and Paul Nathanson January 28, 2020 by renholding

To assist legal and compliance officers of financial institutions, this memorandum summarizes key recent developments in criminal prosecutions and regulatory enforcement actions involving financial institutions during November and December 2019.

Among the significant matters and trends:

The last two months

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Wachtell Lipton Discusses Mergers and Acquisitions—2020

By Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz January 23, 2020 by renholding

Despite ebbs and flows of global economic uncertainty, M&A activity remained robust in 2019. Total deal volume reached $4 trillion globally, a slight decrease from the $4.1 trillion volume in 2018, but higher than the $3.5 trillion in 2017. The …

SEC Chair Clayton Speaks at Inaugural Meeting of Asset Management Advisory Committee

By Jay Clayton January 16, 2020 by renholding

I am delighted to welcome you in this new year to the inaugural meeting of the Commission’s newest advisory committee—the Asset Management Advisory Committee, or the “AMAC.”[1] I apologize that I am not there to speak to you in

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Skadden Discusses Proposed SEC Amendments to Auditor Independence Rules

By Charles F. Smith and Andrew J. Fuchs January 14, 2020 by renholding

On December 30, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced proposed amendments to its auditor independence requirements. Comments on the proposed amendments will be due 60 days after publication in the federal register, meaning comments likely will be due …

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