Most private funds rely on a Rule 506 exemption under Regulation D to sell their limited partnership interests to investors. A new SEC rule amending Rule 506 should catch the eye of private fund compliance officers. The concept it fairly straight-forward: felons should not be allowed to take advantage of the private offering exemptions. Dodd-Frank … Read more »
Tag: Regulation D
Is the SEC Going to Reform Advertising Rules?
Advertising and corporate communications is a rough area for compliance when used in capital formation. The rules are restrictive, not always intuitive, often vague, and in direct opposition to the revenue-hungry side of the company. Last week, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform heard testimony on “how securities regulations have harmed public and … Read more »
The Changing Standard for an Accredited Investor
As financial reform has made its way through Congress there have been several proposed changes to the standard of what it takes to be an accredited investor. In 1982, the SEC prescribed the standard in Rule 501 of Regulation D: 5. Any natural person whose individual net worth, or joint net worth with that person’s … Read more »
Dodd Bill, Private Placements and Accredited Investors
I previously wrote about how the Restoring American Financial Stability Act being tossed around in the Senate could affect private investment funds by changing the definition of accredited investor and altering the process for a Regulation D private placement. It looks like much of that is going to be wiped out of the bill. Senate … Read more »
FINRA Guidance on Private Placements
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority released Regulatory Notice 10-22 reminding registered firms about their obligations regarding suitability, disclosures and other requirements for selling private placements to customers. A Broker-Dealer that recommends a security is under a duty to conduct a reasonable investigation concerning that security and the issuer’s representations about it. This is true regardless … Read more »
Accredited Investors under the Restoring American Financial Stability Act
One of the surprises in the Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010 is that it proposes to raise the standard for being an accredited investor. Section 412 of the bill would require the SEC to increase the dollar thresholds to be qualified as an accredited investor. Section 413 would require the GAO to study … Read more »
Defining An Accredited Investor
One of the key rules for private investment funds is that their investors generally need to be “accredited investors.” This is the gateway to an exemption from the registration requirement under the federal securities laws. The exemption is generally targeted so that experienced investors with significant financial resources and their own advisers are in less … Read more »
The SEC’s Office of Inspector General and Form D
The SEC’s Office of Inspector General has released its Semiannual Report to Congress (.pdf). I started off looking at how the OIG feels about the new Form D for securities sold under the Regulation D exemption: “Based on our review of Form D, we determined that certain revisions should be made to the form to … Read more »
Fund Raising Publicity
Under the U.S. securities laws, it is important for private investment funds to avoid engaging in a “general solicitation” or “general advertising” prior to and during fund raising. The key to private investment funds and the private offering of interests in the funds is that they are “private.” Assuring the private nature of an offering … Read more »
Bits and Pieces on Compliance
Here are a few stories and items that caught my eye this week, but I have not had time to build-out to a full post: The FCPA Enforcement Report of the First Quarter of 2009 from The FCPA Blog We count seven Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement actions since the start of the year, including … Read more »