For example, investment advisers (whether or not they are registered), broker-dealers, banks, trustees, and insurance companies are all institutional investment managers. For example, if a private fund that beneficially owns more than 5% of a class of an issuers Section 13(d) Securities is managed by a securities firm that is a limited partnership, the general partner of which is an LLC that in turn is owned in roughly equal proportions by two managing members, then each of the private fund, the securities firm, the firms general partner, and the two managing members of the general partner likely will have an independent Section 13 reporting obligation. The reporting obligations of a Large Trader continue until it files an amendment to Form 13H showing that it has ceased operations (a terminating filing) or has not effected transactions in NMS Securities at or above the identifying activity level for a full calendar year (an inactive status filing). SEC Rules and Amendments . Generally, shares of registered closed-end funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are Section 13(f) Securities as well as certain convertible debt securities, equity options, and warrants. [21] Insiders of a registered closed-end fund are subject to substantially similar requirements under Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. Any control person (as defined below) of a securities firm, by virtue of its ability to direct the voting and/or investment power exercised by the firm, may be considered an indirect beneficial owner of the Section 13(d) Securities. Section 16: Reports of Directors, Officers, and Principal Shareholders. These reports require much of the same information about the company as is required in a registration statement for a public offering. Under the proposed amendments, if adopted without further comment: In certain circumstances, it may be appropriate for the Schedule 13D or Schedule 13G made by control persons to include a disclaimer of beneficial ownership. Proposed Changes to Filing Deadlines. Additional risks and uncertainties that could affect our financial results and business are more fully described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2022, which is expected to be filed with the SEC on or about February 28, 2023, and our other SEC filings, which are available on the Investor Relations page of our . [12]A person or entity that beneficially owns more than 10% of a class of Section 13(d) Securities may also have filing or other obligations under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act and/or Section 16 of the Exchange Act. If you have a pension plan or own a mutual fund, chances are that the plan or mutual fund owns stock in public companies. [27]Rule 16a-3(k) also requires each public company that maintains a corporate website to post on its website all Forms 3, 4, and 5 filed with respect to its equity securities by the end of the business day after filing with the SEC. SEC amendments to Rule 10b5-1 take effect today. Unlike the definition of beneficial ownership for the purpose of determining whether a person is a 10% beneficial owner discussed above (i.e., voting and dispositive power), for Section 16 reporting purposes, an insiders beneficial ownership depends on whether the person has the opportunity to profit, directly or indirectly, from a purchase, sale or other transaction in the public companys equity securities (a profit interest). In February 2022, the SEC proposed new Rule 13f-2 under the Exchange Act[28] that, if adopted, would require any institutional investment manager with investment discretion over accounts with large short positions[29] to file monthly reports with the SEC on a confidential basis. In lieu of using Form 5, an insider may choose to report a transaction on Form 4; however, the voluntary Form 4 must be timely filed before the end of the second business day following the day on which the transaction that triggered the filing has been executed or otherwise deemed to occur. Positions of Investment Managers with More than $100Million in Discretionary Accounts, Proxy Votes by Investment Managers with More than $100Million in Discretionary Accounts, of Directors, Officers, and Principal Shareholders, at the time of the registration of the companys equity, https://www.filermanagement.edgarfiling.sec.gov, https://www.sec.gov/rules/proposed/2022/33-11030.pdf, http://www.sec.gov/divisions/investment/13flists.htm, https://www.sec.gov/rules/proposed/2022/34-94313.pdf, https://www.sec.gov/rules/proposed/2021/34-93784.pdf, Corporate (Private Equity, Fusions & Acquisitions, Marchs de Capitaux), International Regulatory Enforcement (PHIRE), Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021(CAA) Machine Readable Files, registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act, manages discretionary accounts that, in the aggregate, purchase or sell any NMS securities (generally exchange-listed equity. to disclose the status of shareholding by submitting a Large Shareholding Report within a prescribed period. The violation is not regarded as a criminal offense, but the liability is strict, which means that an insider may not offer any defenses (reasonable or otherwise) to avoid disgorgement. You may file electronically on EDGAR yourself or have an outside vendor, such as a financial printer, do so on your behalf. Instead, we recommend that you make EDGAR filings through an outside vendor. If filed by U.S. domestic companies, the statements are available on the EDGAR database accessible at www.sec.gov. [16] The SEC publishes a complete list of Section 13(f) Securities on its official website each quarter, which a manager may rely on if there is any question with respect to a particular security. Consequently, a person should file a Schedule 13D as soon as possible once it is obligated to switch from a Schedule 13G to reduce the duration of the cooling off period. This is among the reasons that board disclosure and accountability have become increasingly critical aspects of good governance. 33-11030 and 34-94211 (Feb. 10, 2022), available at https://www.sec.gov/rules/proposed/2022/33-11030.pdf. Form 13H requires that a Large Trader, reporting for itself and for any affiliate that exercises investment discretion over NMS securities, list the broker-dealers at which the Large Trader and its affiliates have accounts and designate each broker-dealer as a prime broker, an executing broker, and/or a clearing broker. Form 13H filings with the SEC are confidential and exempt from disclosure under the United States Freedom of Information Act. All of this information must be filed electronically with the SEC through its EDGAR system, and will immediately become publicly available upon filing. The SEC also proposed new Rule 10B-1 under the Exchange Act[30] in December 2021 in order to require any person with large notional positions[31] in credit default swaps, other swaps based on debt securities, or swaps based on equity securities to file reports with the SEC that disclose each security-based swap position and any related position in the reference debt or equity security, loan or narrow-based security index underlying the security-based swap. In addition, Section 16 prohibits short selling by insiders of any class of the company's securities, whether or not that class is registered under the Exchange Act. Obligations of a Firms Clients. Disgorgement applies on strict liability basis even if an insider can show that his, her, or its trades were not made using any inside information. Switching from Schedule 13G to Schedule 13D. Form N-PX will allow reporting managers that have a disclosed policy of not voting proxies and that did not vote during the reporting period to indicate this on the form without providing additional information about each voting matter. Change shareholder reporting requirements (Reporting Requirements) for open-end management investment . In general, Schedule 13G is available to any reporting person that falls within one of the following three categories: Exempt Investors. Form 5 Annual Statement of Beneficial Ownership of Securities. beneficially owns, in the aggregate, more than 5% of a class of the voting, equity securities (the Section 13(d) Securities): issued by any closed-end investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the Investment Company Act), or, issued by any insurance company that would have been required to register its securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act but for the exemption under Section 12(g)(2)(G) thereof (see, manages discretionary accounts that, in the aggregate, hold equity securities trading on a national securities exchange with an aggregate fair market value of $100 million or more (see, securities and standardized options) in an aggregate amount equal to or greater than (a) 2 million shares or shares with a fair market value of more than $20 million during a day, or (b) 20 million shares or shares with a fair market value of more than $200 million during a calendar month (see, Significant Acquisitions and Ownership Positions, any general partner, managing member, trustee, or controlling shareholder of the firm; and. The following persons are likely to be considered control persons of a firm: If a securities firm (or parent company) is directly or indirectly owned by two partners, members, trustees, or shareholders, generally each such partner, member, trustee, or shareholder is deemed to be a control person. A reporting person may use the less burdensome Schedule 13G if it meets certain criteria described below. A securities firm (and, in some cases, its parent company or other control persons) generally will have a Section 13 reporting obligation if the firm directly or indirectly: Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires that directors and officers of a company that has a class of securities registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act (a public company), as well as persons who beneficially own more than 10% of any class of equity security which is registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act (other than any exempted security), file reports with the SEC on Forms 3, 4, and 5. This legal update summarizes (a) the reporting requirements under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), which are generally applicable to persons that own, or exercise investment discretion over accounts that own, publicly traded or exchange-listed equity securities,[1] and (b) the reporting requirements under Section 16 of the Exchange Act, which are applicable to persons considered to be insiders of public companies. [13] Modernization of Beneficial Ownership Reporting, SEC Release Nos. The proposed annual shareholder report disclosure requirements would have an 18-month compliance period. [15]For this purpose, an institutional investment manager has investment discretion over an account if it directly or indirectly (a) has the power to determine which securities are bought or sold for the account, or (b) makes decisions about which securities are bought or sold for the account, even though someone else is responsible for the investment decisions. [3]Under current SEC rules, a person holding securities-based swaps or other derivative contracts may be deemed to beneficially own the underlying securities if the swap or derivative contract provides the holder with voting or investment power over the underlying securities. Please research the equivalent of the SEC large shareholder reporting requirements (13Ds, etc.) [22] For the persons included in the definition of Qualified Institution, see Footnote 5 above and accompanying text. Sections 13(d) and 13(g) of the Exchange Act require any person or group of persons[2] who directly or indirectly acquires or has beneficial ownership[3] of more than 5% of a class of an issuers Section 13(d) Securities (the 5% threshold) to report such beneficial ownership on Schedule 13D or Schedule 13G, as appropriate. Under the new rule, large companies would be required to disclose details on executive compensation for the past five fiscal years while small companies need to report on the past three fiscal years. In each case, the reporting person must file a Schedule 13D within 10 days of the event that caused it to no longer satisfy the necessary conditions (except that, if a former Qualified Institution is able to qualify as a Passive Investor, such person may simply amend its Schedule 13G within 10 days to switch its status). Reporting persons that must report on Schedule 13D are also required to disclose a significant amount of additional information, including certain disciplinary events, the source and amount of funds or other consideration used to purchase the Section 13(d) Securities, the purpose of the acquisition, any plans to change or influence the control of the issuer, and a list of any transactions in the securities effected in the previous 60 days. The list is available at http://www.sec.gov/divisions/investment/13flists.htm. These obligations are discussed in more detail in Section 16: Reports of Directors, Officers, and Principal Stockholders below. [8] If the reporting persons are eligible to file jointly on Schedule 13G under separate categories (e.g., a private fund as a Passive Investor and its control persons as Qualified Institutions), then the reporting persons must comply with the earliest filing deadlines applicable to the group in filing any joint Schedule 13G. This ruling will eliminate the use of 30e-3 for open-end funds and ETFs, therefore Tailored Shareholder Reports will be mailed to shareholders, unless a . On Form N-PX, reporting persons must identify each say-on-pay voting matter using the same language and order of priority as disclosed in the public companys form of SEC proxy card, if any, and disclose (a) the number of securities voted (or instructed to be voted) as well as how those shares were voted (i.e., for, against and/or abstain), and (b) the number of securities loaned, directly or indirectly, by the reporting manager that were not recalled to vote. [14] Section 13(f)(6)(A) of the Exchange Act defines the term institutional investment manager to include any person (other than a natural person) investing in, or buying and selling, securities for its own account, and any person (including a natural person) exercising investment discretion with respect to the account of any other person (including any private or registered fund). In order for a control person to file a Schedule 13G as a Qualified Institution, however, no more than 1% of a class of an issuers Section 13(d) Securities may be held (a) directly by the control person or (b) directly or indirectly by any of its subsidiaries or affiliates that are not Qualified Institutions. Small companies would be exempt from disclosing details on pensions and peer groups. As an associate, I worked directly with and advised over 15 public companies on corporate and securities law compliance, board and corporate governance . Examples of an indirect profit interest in a public companys equity securities that will trigger an insiders Section 16 reporting requirement include: (a) the equity securities held by family members in the same household as the insider, (b) a security-based swap involving the equity securities, (c) the right to acquire equity securities through the exercise or conversion of any other derivative security (whether or not exercisable within 60 days), (d) a general partners proportionate interest in the equity securities held by a partnership, and (e) under certain circumstances, receipt of a performance-based fee or allocation from a client with respect to equity securities held in the clients portfolio.[23]. If your company has registered a class of its equity securities under the Exchange Act, shareholders who acquire more than 5% of the outstanding shares of that class must file beneficial owner reports on Schedule 13D or 13G until their holdings drop below 5%. We can also provide the names of additional vendors for your consideration. A reporting person is a Passive Investor if it beneficially owns more than 5% but less than 20% of a class of an issuers Section 13(d) Securities and (a) the securities were not acquired or held with an activist intent, and (b) the securities were not acquired in connection with any transaction having an activist intent. In February 2022, the SEC proposed amendments to Section 13[13] in order to accelerate the filing deadlines for Schedule 13D and Schedule 13G and to require more frequent amendments to Schedule 13G in lieu of the current annual amendment. Public companies are a key part of the American economy. Consequently, the direct or indirect control persons of a securities firm may also be reporting persons with respect to a class of an issuers Section 13(d) Securities. Filings on Forms 3, 4, and 5 must be submitted to the SEC via EDGAR (unless a hardship exemption of the type specified in Regulation S-T applies).[27]. Form 4 Statement of Changes of Beneficial Ownership of Securities. Please contact us if you need these forms. Previously, companies could file Form 144 in paper format, which many reporting persons elected to use. Availability of Filing on Schedule 13G by Control Persons. Examples of the events that trigger the filing of a current report are: The company also will have to comply with certain rules whenever its management submits proposals to shareholders that will be subject to a shareholder vote, usually at a shareholders meeting, and certain of its shareholders and management become subject to other requirements. November 2022 The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently finalized rule and form amendments (Adopted Rules) that require mutual funds and most exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to provide shareholders with streamlined and "visually engaging" shareholder reports. [11]This includes a change in the previously reported ownership percentage of a reporting person even if such change results solely from an increase or decrease in the aggregate number of outstanding securities of the issuer. Key Takeaways. This legal update also includes a summary of certain proposed rules under the Exchange Act that would impose additional reporting requirements if adopted, and concludes with a schedule of the filing deadlines under Sections 13 and 16 for 2023. Your companys CEO and CFO must certify the financial and certain other information contained in annual reports on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. 2001 - 20065 years. As discussed above, a securities firm is deemed to be the beneficial owner of the Section 13(d) Securities in all accounts over which it exercises voting and/or investment power. The time frame depends on whether the issuing company is subject to reporting requirements under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These filings contain background information about the shareholders who file them as well as their investment intentions, providing investors and the company with information about accumulations of securities that may potentially change or influence company management and policies. The rules under Section 16 require these insiders to report most of their transactions involving the company's equity securities to the SEC within two business days on Forms 3, 4 or 5. The Society for Corporate Governance (the "Society" or "we") appreciates the opportunity to provide comments to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC" or the "Commission") on the proposed changes to the reporting threshold for Form 13F reports by institutional investment managers (the "Proposed Rules"). [28]Short Position and Short Activity Reporting by Institutional Investment Managers, SEC Release 34-94313 (Feb. 25, 2022), available at https://www.sec.gov/rules/proposed/2022/34-94313.pdf. Amendments to Form 13H must be filed (a) annually within 45 days after the end of each full calendar year so long as a securities firm continues to qualify as a Large Trader, and (b) promptly following the end of a calendar quarter if any of the information on the most recent Form 13H becomes inaccurate. For example, the sale of a warrant to purchase common stock of a public company would be matched with any purchase of the common stock of that public company occurring within six months for purposes of determining short-swing profits under Section 16(b). Accordingly, once an institutional investment managers obligation to report on Form13F is established, the manager must make four quarterly filings with the SEC. Unless a securities firm has an activist intent with respect to the issuer of the Section 13(d) Securities, the firm generally will be able to report on Schedule 13G either as a Qualified Institution or as a Passive Investor. Form 13F requires an institutional investment manager that meets the $100 million threshold (a reporting manager) to report the amount and value of the Section 13(f) Securities held in its discretionary accounts in the aggregate and on an issuer-by-issuer basis. Qualified Institutions. When a Qualified Institution or Exempt Investor exceeds the 5% threshold (subject to item 2 below), 2. Under DTR 5.8.12R, issuers are required to disclose to the public major shareholding notifications they receive from shareholders and holders of financial instruments falling within DTR 5.3.1R (1), unless the exemption available in DTR 5.11.4R applies. Transaction reporting by officers, directors and 10% shareholders Section 16 of the Exchange Act applies to an SEC reporting company's directors and officers, as well as shareholders who own more than 10% of a class of the company's equity securities registered under the Exchange Act. A reporting person who is not eligible to use Schedule 13G must file a Schedule13D within 10 days of such reporting persons direct or indirect acquisition of beneficial ownership of more than 5% of a class of an issuers Section 13(d) Securities. Short-swing profits may result whenever an insider (a) sells (or is deemed to sell) any covered securities within six months of purchasing any covered securities of the same class at a lower price per share, or (b) purchases (or is deemed to purchase) any covered securities within six months of selling any covered securities of the same class at a higher price per share. When beneficial ownership of a Passive Investor exceeds 10%, Promptly after the triggering transaction, 2. 6LinkedIn 8 Email Updates, Compliance Guide: Changes to Exchange Act Registration Requirements to Implement Title V and Title VI of the JOBS Act, Compliance Guide: Interactive Data for Financial Reporting, Press Release: SEC Adopts Amendments to Implement JOBS Act and FAST Act Changes for Exchange Act Registration Requirements, JOBS Act FAQs: Changes to the Requirements for Exchange Act Registration and Deregistration, Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404: A Guide for Small Business. [30] Prohibition Against Fraud, Manipulation, or Deception in Connection with Security-Based Swaps; Prohibition against Undue Influence over Chief Compliance Officers; Position Reporting of Large Security-Based Swap Positions, SEC Release No. issued by a Listed Company, etc. We respectfully submit this letter in opposition to the Your company must also file current reports on Form 8-K to report certainspecified events, oftenwithin four business days after occurrence of the event. The template's report composition component automates a multi-step process, resulting in new efficiencies for complying with the SEC rule, the fintech firm stated. An excluded position must meet both of these requirements. Along with certain other institutions listed under the Exchange Act,[5] a reporting person that is a registered investment adviser or broker-dealer may file a Schedule 13G as a Qualified Institution if it (a) acquired its position in a class of an issuers Section 13(d) Securities in the ordinary course of its business, (b) did not acquire such securities with the purpose or effect of changing or influencing control of the issuer, nor in connection with any transaction with such purpose or effect (such purpose or effect, an activist intent), and (c)promptly notifies any discretionary account owner on whose behalf the firm holds more than 5% of the Section 13(d) Securities of such account owners potential reporting obligation. For example, a direct or indirect control person of a securities firm will not qualify as a Qualified Institution if more than 1% of a class of an issuers Section 13(d) Securities is held by a private fund managed by the firm or other affiliate because a private fund is not among the institutions listed as a Qualified Institution under the Exchange Act.