Securities & Capital Markets

President Trump’s executive orders aimed at Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs and policies, including the executive order titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit Based Opportunity” (Executive Order 14173), are impacting the way publicly traded companies approach their DEI-related disclosures.  Although enforcement of the executive orders was recently temporarily halted (as we wrote about here), as calendar year end public companies begin to file their Form 10-K Annual Reports for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, we have seen, and expect to continue to see, a shift in new DEI disclosures as compared to prior years.  Companies are paying consideration to whether they want to include such disclosures, how comprehensive such disclosures should be, and what language should be employed to strike an appropriate balance.  

The SEC adopted its final rules and amendments concerning cybersecurity risk management, strategy, governance, and incident disclosure (the “Final Rule”) on July 26, 2023.  In this article we highlight some of the principal changes to the cybersecurity rules first proposed by the SEC more than 16 months prior.

Public and private life science companies have multiple options available for capital-raising. Here are a few to be considered.

The United States Department of Labor’s (“DOL”) Employee Benefits Security Administration (“EBSA”) announced on March 10, 2021 that it will not enforce certain final rules put into place under President Trump related to environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) investing.

In January 2019, the Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation (the “Office”) was formed “to advance the interests of small businesses and their investors at the SEC and in the capital markets.” These small businesses include early-stage start-ups, small public companies, and everything in between. Each year, the Office prepares an annual report to Congress, which among other things, explains issues that small businesses face with respect to raising capital, including a focus on minority- and women-owned businesses. Included are some of the highlights from this year’s annual report, including a few of the Office’s recommendations to Congress.

Regardless of size or industry, thoughtful director appointment is critical to the success of any public company.  Yet following the departure of a director, many boards are left scrambling to locate and onboard a suitable replacement.  Even boards that purposely undertake to increase the number of directors may struggle to balance numerous (and sometimes competing) concerns.  Below are a few pointers for promoting good corporate governance practices when appointing a new director.

Since the early days of the pandemic, Mintz’s COVID-19 Compliance & Enforcement Defense Task Force has closely monitored and advised clients on the evolving COVID-19 relief programs, including those created by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The CARES Act provided for over $2 trillion in relief funds, which is the largest emergency assistance package in American history. The numerous CARES Act programs have continued to develop through, among other things, the passage of the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020, and rapidly changing regulatory guidance and FAQs. As one example, the government recently wrestled with whether to make public the list of about 4.6 million entities that received more than $500 billion from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) under the CARES Act. After initially refusing to disclose PPP loan recipients, the Small Business Administration and Treasury Department decided to make public the names of entities that received loans larger than $150,000, as well as the dollar range of each loan.

The American Securities Association (“ASA”), a financial industry trade association representing regional and small financial services companies, has sued the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) to prevent the SEC from using the Consolidated Audit Trail (the “CAT”) initiative to gather personal data of retail investors.

Today the Small Business Administration (SBA) issued additional guidance with respect to the “necessity” certification required under the CARES Act in connection with the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The relevant guidance appears in FAQ 46, and it is very good news for borrowers who received PPP loans under $2 million (together with PPP loans to affiliates, if any). The SBA, in consultation with the U.S. Department of Treasury, has determined that a safe harbor will apply with respect to SBA’s review of the certification of necessity in connection with respect to such loans. Specifically, “[a]ny borrower that, together with its affiliates, received PPP loans with an original principal amount of less than $2 million will be deemed to have made the required certification concerning the necessity of the loan request in good faith.”

In what will likely be the first of many, the SEC brought an action against a company for false and misleading press releases related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Due to the economic impact of COVID-19, especially on smaller broker-dealers, FINRA will allow small firms more time to pay their Annual Assessment (comprised of the Gross Income Assessment and the Personal Assessment).

Several State Securities Regulators continue to warn investors of investment scams involving COVID-19.

The SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspection and Examinations (OCIE) issued two risk alerts relating to Regulation Best Interest (Reg. BI).

In a Statement on April 2, the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Jay Clayton, announced that the June 30, 2020 timeline for implementation of Regulation Best Interest (“Reg. BI”) will remain.