SEC Amends Definition of “A Smaller Reporting Company”

On June 28, 2018, the SEC adopted the much-anticipated amendments to the definition of a “smaller reporting company” as contained in Securities Act Rule 405, Exchange Act Rule 12b-2 and Item 10(f) of Regulation S-K. The amendments come almost two years to the day since the initial publication of proposed rule changes (see HERE).

Among other benefits, it is hoped that the change will help encourage smaller companies to access US public markets. The amendment expands the number of companies that qualify as a smaller reporting company (SRC) and thus qualify for the scaled disclosure requirements in Regulation S-K and Regulation S-X. The SEC estimates that an additional 966 companies will be eligible for SRC status in the first year under the new definition.

As proposed, and as recommended by various market participants, the new definition of a SRC will now include companies with less than a $250 million public float as compared to the $75 million threshold in the prior definition. In addition, if a company does not have an ascertainable public float or has a public float of less than $700 million, a SRC will be one with less than $100 million in annual revenues during its most recently completed fiscal year. The prior revenue threshold was $50 million and only included companies with no ascertainable public float.

Once considered a SRC, a company would maintain that status unless its float drops below $200 million if it previously had a public float of $250 million or more. The revenue thresholds have been increased for requalification such that a company can requalify if it has less than $80 million of annual revenues if it previously had $100 million or more, and less than $560 million of public float if it previously had $700 million or more.

The SEC also made related rule changes to flow through the increased threshold concept. In particular, Rule 3-05 of Regulation S-X has been amended to increase the net revenue threshold in the rule from $50 million to $100 million. As a result, companies may omit financial statements of businesses acquired or to be acquired for the earliest of the three fiscal years otherwise required by Rule 3-05 if the net revenues of that business are less than $100 million.

Furthermore, the conforming changes include changes to the cover page for most SEC registration statements and reports including, but not limited to, Forms S-1, S-3, S-4, S-11, 10-Q and 10-K.

The new rules did not change the definitions of either “accelerated filer” or “large accelerated filer.”As a result, companies with $75 million or more of public float that qualify as SRCs will remain subject to the requirements that apply to accelerated filers, including the accelerated timing of the filing of periodic reports and the requirement that accelerated filers provide the auditor’s attestation of management’s assessment of internal control over financial reporting required by Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. However, Chair Clayton as directed the SEC staff to make recommendations for additional changes to the definitions to reduce the number of companies that would qualify as accelerated filers.

Background

The topic of disclosure requirements under Regulation S-K as pertains to disclosures made in reports and registration statements filed under the Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”) and Securities Act of 1933 (“Securities Act”) have come to the forefront over the past couple of years. Regulation S-K, as amended over the years, was adopted as part of a uniform disclosure initiative to provide a single regulatory source related to non-financial statement disclosures and information required to be included in registration statements and reports filed under the Exchange Act and the Securities Act.

A public company with a class of securities registered under either Section 12 or which is subject to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act must file reports with the SEC (“Reporting Requirements”). The underlying basis of the Reporting Requirements is to keep shareholders and the markets informed on a regular basis in a transparent manner. Over the years Regulation S-K has not been kept current with other Rule changes, the arduous reporting requirements for smaller companies has resulted in stifled capital formation and fewer smaller IPOs, and investors have questioned the quality and relevancy of information required to be included in reports.

The SEC disclosure requirements are scaled based on company size. The SEC established the smaller reporting company category in 2007 to provide general regulatory relief to these entities. Prior to this rule change, a “smaller reporting company” was defined in Securities Act rule 405, Exchange Act Rule 12b-2 and Item 10(f) of Regulation S-K, as one that: (i) has a public float of less than $75 million as of the last day of their most recently completed second fiscal quarter; or (ii) a zero public float and annual revenues of less than $50 million during the most recently completed fiscal year for which audited financial statements are available.

The following table, copied from the SEC rule release, summarizes the scaled disclosure accommodations available to smaller reporting companies:

Final Amendments to Smaller Reporting Company Definition

The SEC has competing goals of protecting investors and the marketplace through requiring companies to provide disclosure needed to make informed investment and voting decisions and promoting capital formation and reducing compliance costs for smaller companies. The SEC believes that by raising the financial thresholds for the smaller reporting company definition and thereby expanding the number of companies eligible to use the available scaled disclosure, it will be satisfying its goals and appropriately responding to comments and recommendations by the Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Growth Companies, the SEC Government Business Forum on Small Business Capital Formation, Congress and industry commenters.

The SEC summarizes many of these recommendations, initiatives and comments in its rule release. For example, in September 2015 the SEC Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies met and finalized its recommendation to the SEC regarding changes to the disclosure requirements for smaller publicly traded companies. For a summary of the recommendations, see my blog HERE. The FAST Act, which was passed into law on December 4, 2015, required the SEC to scale or eliminate duplicative, antiquated or unnecessary disclosure requirements for emerging growth companies, accelerated filers, smaller reporting companies and other smaller issuers in Regulation S-K.

The SEC considered comments it received to the initial proposed rule release (see HERE) and comments it received in response to the published concept release and request for public comment on Regulation S-K. My two-part blog on that concept release can be read HERE and HERE. As indicated above, the new definition of a SRC will now include companies with less than a $250 million public float as compared to the $75 million threshold in the prior definition. In addition, if a company does not have an ascertainable public float or has a public float of less than $700 million, a SRC will be one with less than $100 million in annual revenues during its most recently completed fiscal year. The prior revenue threshold was $50 million and only included companies with no ascertainable public float.

Once considered a SRC, a company would maintain that status unless its float drops below $200 million if it previously had a public float of $250 million or more. The revenue thresholds have been increased for requalification such that a company can requalify if it has less than $80 million of annual revenues if it previously had $100 million or more, and less than $560 million of public float if it previously has $700 million or more.

The SEC also made related rule changes to flow through the increased threshold concept. In particular, Rule 3-05 of Regulation S-X has been amended to increase the net revenue threshold in the rule from $50 million to $100 million. As a result, companies may omit financial statements of businesses acquired or to be acquired for the earliest of the three fiscal years otherwise required by Rule 3-05 if the net revenues of that business are less than $100 million.

Furthermore, the conforming changes include changes to the cover page for most SEC registration statements and reports including, but not limited to, Forms S-1, S-3, S-4, S-11, 10-Q and 10-K.

My blog HERE contains a summary of the scaled disclosures available to smaller reporting companies. In addition, the FAST Act, passed into law on December 4, 2015, amended Form S-1 to allow for forward incorporation by reference by smaller reporting companies. A smaller reporting company may now incorporate any documents filed by the company, following the effective date of a registration statement, into such effective registration statement. In what was probably unintended in the drafting, the FAST Act changes only include smaller reporting companies and not emerging growth companies or non-accelerated filers. Other categories of filers, including accelerated and large accelerated filers, were already allowed to forward incorporate by reference. Accordingly, among the other benefits of the current proposed rule change, the number of companies that can utilize forward incorporation by reference in a Form S-1 will increase.

Amendments to Accelerated Filer and Large Accelerated Filer Definitions

The new rules did not change the definitions of either “accelerated filer” or “large accelerated filer.”As a result, companies with $75 million or more of public float that qualify as SRCs will remain subject to the requirements that apply to accelerated filers, including the accelerated timing of the filing of periodic reports and the requirement that accelerated filers provide the auditor’s attestation of management’s assessment of internal control over financial reporting required by Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. However, Chair Clayton has directed the SEC staff to make recommendations for additional changes to the definitions to reduce the number of companies that would qualify as accelerated filers.

The public float threshold for an accelerated filer is $75 million. Companies that currently file as an accelerated filer would continue to do so under the new rules, but would be able to benefit from the scaled disclosure requirements available to smaller reporting companies. The filing deadlines for each category of filer are:

Statements of Commissioners on Rule Amendment

Commissioners Hester Peirce and Michael Piwowar made public statements regarding the rule change both supporting the amendment but expressing disappointment that it did not also include a change in the definition of an accelerated filer. Both commissioners think it is not enough to reduce regulatory burdens to encourage more companies to go public. Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act is one of the largest burdens that face smaller public companies and Commissioner Piwowar believes that until that is changed, there will be no improvement in efforts to raise capital by smaller companies. Ms. Peirce goes further, stating that the failure to make a conforming change to the definition of an accelerated filer will actually be confusing to companies. That is, prior to the rule change, a smaller reporting company was always exempted from Section 404(b) compliance; however, now that will not be the case.

Ms. Peirce points to a poignant example from the comment letters. A group of biotech companies rightfully stated that money spent on compliance is less money spent on research and development and that investors in a smaller biotech company are more interested in getting FDA approval than the auditors’ blessing on internal controls.

On the upside, Chair Clayton has committed to continue to review this matter and work on changes to the definition of accelerated filer and/or changes to the requirements of 404(b) compliance.

The Author

Laura Anthony, Esq.
Founding Partner
Legal & Compliance, LLC
Corporate, Securities and Going Public Attorneys
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West Palm Beach, FL 33401
Phone: 800-341-2684 – 561-514-0936
Fax: 561-514-0832
LAnthony@LegalAndCompliance.com
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Securities attorney Laura Anthony and her experienced legal team provides ongoing corporate counsel to small and mid-size private companies, OTC and exchange traded issuers as well as private companies going public on the NASDAQ, NYSE MKT or over-the-counter market, such as the OTCQB and OTCQX. For nearly two decades Legal & Compliance, LLC has served clients providing fast, personalized, cutting-edge legal service. The firm’s reputation and relationships provide invaluable resources to clients including introductions to investment bankers, broker dealers, institutional investors and other strategic alliances. The firm’s focus includes, but is not limited to, compliance with the Securities Act of 1933 offer sale and registration requirements, including private placement transactions under Regulation D and Regulation S and PIPE Transactions as well as registration statements on Forms S-1, S-8 and S-4; compliance with the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including registration on Form 10, reporting on Forms 10-Q, 10-K and 8-K, and 14C Information and 14A Proxy Statements; Regulation A/A+ offerings; all forms of going public transactions; mergers and acquisitions including both reverse mergers and forward mergers, ; applications to and compliance with the corporate governance requirements of securities exchanges including NASDAQ and NYSE MKT; crowdfunding; corporate; and general contract and business transactions. Moreover, Ms. Anthony and her firm represents both target and acquiring companies in reverse mergers and forward mergers, including the preparation of transaction documents such as merger agreements, share exchange agreements, stock purchase agreements, asset purchase agreements and reorganization agreements. Ms. Anthony’s legal team prepares the necessary documentation and assists in completing the requirements of federal and state securities laws and SROs such as FINRA and DTC for 15c2-11 applications, corporate name changes, reverse and forward splits and changes of domicile. Ms. Anthony is also the author of SecuritiesLawBlog.com, the OTC Market’s top source for industry news, and the producer and host of LawCast.com, the securities law network. In addition to many other major metropolitan areas, the firm currently represents clients in New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, Atlanta, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Washington, D.C., Denver, Tampa, Detroit and Dallas.

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