At the Managed Funds Association Outlook 2013 Conference, held on October 18, 2013, SEC Chair Mary Jo White delivered a speech emphasizing the importance of transparency in the hedge fund industry. Chair White highlighted that the JOBS Act, which allows private funds to participate in the general solicitation, increases the responsibility of private funds to be open and honest with potential clients and regulators. Chair …
The “Bad Actor” Amendments: Private Issuer Compliance with Rule 506
By Simon Riveles and Peter Tyson On July 10, 2013, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted amendments to Rule 506 of the Securities Act of 1933 to disqualify securities offerings relying on the Rule 506 exemption that involve certain “felons and other ‘bad actors’”. The final amendments (the Final Rules) went into effect on September 23, 2013 (the Effective Date) and apply to all …
General Solicitation May Trigger State Investment Adviser Registration in Certain States
Background As a consequence of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (“JOBS Act”), beginning September 23, 2013, managers of private funds will be permitted to advertise and solicit the general public in an effort to raise capital for their private fund. While the requirements for investment adviser registration vary from state to state, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee provide an exemption to …
SEC Proposes Amendments to Rule 156 following repeal of the ban on General Solicitation under Rule 506
By Peter Tyson and Simon Riveles Following the SEC’s adoption of amended Rule 506, the SEC has proposed amendments to Rule 156 of the Securities Act of 1933 to extend the rule’s interpretive guidance on sales literature to private funds. The proposed amendments to Rule 156 reflect the SEC’s concerns regarding fraudulent and misleading sales literature, the incidence of which could increase given the adoption …
SEC Repeals the Ban on General Solicitation under Rule 506
On July 10, 2013, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) adopted amendments to Rule 506 of Regulation D (“Rule 506(c)”) implementing changes mandating by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (“JOBS Act”). Rule 506(c) permits an issuer to engage in general solicitation or general advertising[1] in offering and selling of securities under Rule 506 provided such issuer reasonably believes and takes “reasonable steps” to …
The JOBS Act: Important Questions Remain Unresolved For Private Funds
On August 29, 2012, the SEC proposed rules implementing the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act’s (JOBS) eliminating the long-standing ban on general solicitation and general advertising for certain exempt securities offerings. The proposal would require (1) all purchasers of securities sold in such offerings to be accredited investors and (2) that issuers take reasonable steps to verify that their purchasers are accredited investors. The proposed …
SEC Issues Proposed Rule on Lifting Ban on General Solicitation under Rule 506 Offerings
On August 29, 2012, the SEC voted, by a 4-1 margin, to issue a proposed rule (“proposed rule”) that would eliminate the current ban on general solicitation and general advertising (collectively “General Solicitation”) under Rule 506 and Rule 144A of the 1933 Securities Act. New rule 506(c) of Reg. D is the first rule proposed for implementing the Jumpstart Our Business Startup Act (the “JOBS …
MFA Provides Recommendations on Implementation of JOBS Act
In a letter to the SEC, dated May 4, 2012, the Managed Futures Association (“MFA”), a hedge fund industry advocacy group, made several recommendations to the Commission regarding implementation of the repeal of the ban on general solicitation under the JOBS Act (the “Act”), particularly ways in which the Act can better be harmonized with existing securities laws. Passed in early April, 2012, the Act …
The JOBS Act
On March 22, the Senate passed an amended version of the Jump Start our Business Start-ups Bill (the JOBS Bill) which had been passed by the House with broad bi-partisan support on March 8. The bill is expected to be signed into law by the President. The law is meant to ease the regulatory burden on smaller companies and facilitate the capital formation process. The …
New Small Offering Exemption Proposal Gains Momentum
Spurred on by calls from the President to jump start small business, Congress has, in the past several months, taken up a various pieces of legislation aimed at facilitating small company financing. One such piece of legislation is H.R. 1070 which, if enacted, would allow small companies to raise up to $50 million in a twelve month period without undergoing the burdensome process of an …
Easing the Ban on General Solicitation
As Congress grapples with ways to kick start the economy and spur small business growth and hiring, one proposal gaining momentum is to relax or even eliminate the long-standing ban on general advertising or solicitation imposed on private companies seeking to raise capital under the private placement rules of Reg D of Section 4(2) of the 1933 Securities Act.