The Importance of Compliance in Private Capital Market Regulations
We’ve discussed compliance at length and how it’s essential for building trust within the private capital markets. But what happens when you’re not compliant?
The SEC will eventually find out and impose penalties to issuers that fail to meet securities regulations, as ten Regulation A+ (RegA+) issuers recently learned.
These recent violations can serve as a cautionary tale to issuers about the importance of adhering to Private Capital Market Regulations.
Regulation A+ and the SEC’s Oversight
Companies selling securities to raise capital generally have to register with the SEC and comply with other rules that can be expensive and onerous for smaller companies, so RegA+ allows exemptions from registration, provided certain other conditions are met. In its press release, the SEC announced that 10 RegA+ issuers failed to comply with these conditions, highlighting the challenges within Private Capital Market Regulations. The SEC reported that each issuer was previously qualified to sell securities under RegA+, but subsequently made significant changes to the offering so that it no longer met exemption requirements. These changes included “improperly increasing the number of shares offered, improperly increasing or decreasing the price of shares offered, failing to file updated financial statements at least annually for ongoing offerings, engaging in prohibited at the market offerings, or engaging in prohibited delayed offerings.”
Private Capital Market Regulations: Protecting Investors and Market Integrity
These regulations are not just arbitrary demands by the SEC; they exist to protect investors and the integrity of the system as a whole. For example, changing the offering price without getting those changes cleared by the SEC is a concern because it could be a vector for fraud or money laundering; issuing securities for a different price conceals the actual amount of money changing hands. Similarly, making unsanctioned changes to offering terms can erode investor confidence. Ideally, each investor conducted their own due diligence before investing – they felt comfortable with the terms listed in offering documents qualified by the SEC. Changing these terms without notifying investors and having changes approved by the SEC just isn’t fair play, and underscores the critical role of Private Capital Market Regulations.
The Consequences of Non-Compliance
The ten issuers cited by the SEC violated these principles, and got caught. Each company agreed to stop violating the Securities Act, and to pay civil penalties that ranged from $5,000 to $90,000. In the press release, Daniel R. Gregus, Director of the SEC’s Chicago Regional Office was quoted saying: “Companies that choose to benefit from Regulation A as a cost-effective way to raise capital must meet its requirements,” reinforcing the significance of compliance with Private Capital Market Regulations.
These penalties serve as a reminder that issuers must be careful when making changes to their offering after qualification. Working with an experienced team can help to mitigate some of this risk, but ultimately, it is the issuer’s responsibility to meet all securities regulations, including those pertaining to Private Capital Market Regulations. And as with most things, 90% of the job is preparation.
How not to fall into the wrong with the regulators checklist
- Always check with your securities lawyer and FINRA Broker-Dealer who did your RegA+ filing before making any public statements, news releases, or announcements related to investment in your company, as these might be construed as offerings subject to SEC rules and Private Capital Market Regulations;
- Track all your activities date, time, where distributed
- Be thoroughly familiar with your company, its business, and how it is structured.
- Have a clear idea of your company’s funding needs, how much capital you need to raise, what kind of equity or control you are prepared to give up in return
- Seek advice from qualified experts: securities lawyers, broker-dealers, accountants; being familiar with your own company will help you answer their questions and get better advice.
- Choose the right capital-raising route for your needs, whether it be a bank loan, remortgaging your house, or using one of the JOBS Act exemptions.
- READ THE REGULATIONS! Seriously, read the regulations, and any explanatory notes from the SEC on how they apply and what you need to do to comply.
- Make notes about the parts you’re not sure about, and ask your experts how they apply to you.
It may turn out that the exemption you initially chose isn’t the right one for your needs, so be prepared to go back and change your plans. It’s much easier to change plans before they’re implemented than it is to have to fix something that’s gone wrong with the implementation.
Once you’re satisfied with the regulation you’ve chosen, make a list of all the things you’ll need to do to carry out a compliant and successful raise. You might do this yourself, or with the assistance of your experts, but in any event you should have your experts review it to see if you’ve got anything wrong or left anything out. Execute the plan. You may need to delegate some of the items on the list to others, but ensure that there is always someone accountable to sign off on the completion of every requirement. Maintain a paper trail of who did what and when, not so much to know whom to blame but to be able to identify where something went wrong and how to fix it. Don’t panic. Mistakes happen.