Market Regulation

This section discusses some of the most important legislation meant to regulate finance and protect stakeholders.

Securities Act of 1933

The Securities Act of 1933 ensures investors receive complete and accurate information before they invest.


LEARNING OBJECTIVE

  • Describe how the Securities Act of 1933 regulates stock markets

KEY POINTS

    • The Act's objectives are to provide investors with material financial and other corporate information about issuers of public securities.
    • The primary purpose of the 1933 Act is to ensure that buyers of securities receive complete and accurate information before they invest.
    • Among other things, registration forms call for: a description of the securities to be offered for sale; information about the management of the issuer; information about the securities (if other than common stock); and financial statements certified by independent accountants.
    • Rule 144, promulgated by the SEC under the 1933 Act, permits, under limited circumstances, the sale of restricted and controlled securities without registration.
    • Regulation S is a "safe harbor" that defines when an offering of securities is deemed to be executed in another country and therefore not be subject to the registration requirement under section 5 of the 1933 Act.

TERMS

  • private placements

    Private placement (or non-public offering) is a funding round of securities which are sold not through a public offering, but rather through a private offering, mostly to a small number of chosen investors.

  • SEC

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (frequently abbreviated SEC) is a federal agency which holds primary responsibility for enforcing the federal securities laws and regulating the securities industry, the nation's stock and options exchanges, and other electronic securities markets in the United States.


The Securities Act of 1933 (also known as the '33 Act) is essentially a consumer protection law for "retail" investors (i.e. not money managers, foundations, pensions, etc.)


Purpose

The Act's objectives are to provide investors with material, financial, and other corporate information about issuers of public securities (i.e. stocks and bonds), and to prevent fraud in the offering of such securities. The primary purpose of the '33 Act is to ensure that buyers of securities receive complete and accurate information before they invest.


Registration Process

Unless they qualify for an exemption, securities offered or sold to the public in the U.S. must be registered by filing a registration statement with the SEC. Although the law is written to require registration of securities, it is more useful as a practical matter to consider the requirement to be that of registering offers and sales. If person A registers a sale of securities to person B, and then person B seeks to resell those securities, person B must still either file a registration statement or find an available exemption.


US SEC: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (frequently abbreviated SEC) is a federal agency, which holds primary responsibility for enforcing the federal securities laws and regulating the securities industry

Many transactions are exempt from regulation under the Securities Act. Section 4 of the Act limits its application to public offerings (according to SEC guidelines, more than 25 offerees) by issuers and their underwriters (i.e. investment banks). This means that the Act primarily applies to companies offering securities to the public, and not to transactions between investors or to sales of stock to small groups of investors (i.e.private placements).

The prospectus, which is the document through which an issuer's securities are marketed to a potential investor, is included as part of the registration statement. The SEC prescribes the relevant forms on which an issuer's securities must be registered. Among other things, registration forms call for:

  • a description of the securities to be offered for sale;
  • information about the management of the issuer;
  • information about the securities (if other than common stock); and
  • financial statements certified by independent accountants.

For public offerings, the main requirement of the Securities Act is registration. An issuer must prepare an extensive statement describing the securities to be offered and detailing the nature of the issuer's business. Once this statement is registered with and approved by the SEC, its data and forecasts are placed in a prospectus for potential investors. Any offering of the securities by the issuer or underwriter must thereafter be accompanied by the prospectus.


Rule 144

Rule 144, promulgated by the SEC under the 1933 Act, permits, under limited circumstances, the sale of restricted and controlled securities without registration. In addition to restrictions on the minimum length of time for which such securities must be held and the maximum volume permitted to be sold, the issuer must agree to the sale. If certain requirements are met, Form 144 must be filed with the SEC. Often, the issuer requires that a legal opinion be given indicating that the resale complies with the rule. The amount of securities sold during any subsequent three-month period generally does not exceed any of the following limitations:

  • 1% of the stock outstanding
  • the average weekly reported volume of trading in the securities on all national securities exchanges for the preceding four weeks
  • the average weekly volume of trading of the securities reported through the consolidated transactions reporting system (NASDAQ)
  • Notice of resale is provided to the SEC if the amount of securities sold in reliance on Rule 144 in any three-month period exceeds 5,000 shares or if they have an aggregate sales price in excess of $50,000. After one year, Rule 144(k) allows for the permanent removal of the restriction except as to 'insiders'.
  • In cases of mergers, buyouts or takeovers, owners of securities who had previously filed Form 144 and still wish to sell restricted and controlled securities must refile Form 144 once the merger, buyout, or takeover has been completed.

Regulation S

Regulation S is a "safe harbor" that defines when an offering of securities is deemed to be executed in another country and therefore not be subject to the registration requirement under section 5 of the 1933 Act. The regulation includes two safe harbor provisions: an issuer safe harbor and a resale safe harbor. In each case, the regulation demands that offers and sales of the securities be made outside the United States and that no offering participant (which includes the issuer, the banks assisting with the offer, and their respective affiliates) engage in "directed selling efforts". In the case of issuers for whose securities there is substantial U.S. market interest, the regulation also requires that no offers and sales be made to U.S. persons (including U.S. persons physically located outside the United States).


Source: Boundless
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