SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
17 CFR Parts 228, 229, 230, 239 and 274
[Release Nos. 33-7497; 34-39593; IC-23011
International Series No. 1113; File No. S7-3-97]
RIN: 3235-AG88
Plain English Disclosure
AGENCY: Securities and Exchange Commission
ACTION: Final Rules
SUMMARY: We are adopting the plain English rule with some
changes based on the comments we received and the lessons we
learned from the plain English pilot participants. The rule
requires issuers to write the cover page, summary, and risk
factors section of prospectuses in plain English. We are
changing the existing requirements for these sections to the
extent they conflict with the plain English rule. We are also
giving issuers more specific guidance on how to make the entire
prospectus clear, concise, and understandable. We believe that
using plain English in prospectuses will lead to a better
informed securities market_a market in which investors can more
easily understand the disclosure required by the federal
securities laws.
DATES: Effective Date. October 1, 1998.
Compliance Date. October 1, 1998. When we act on the amendments
to the mutual fund disclosure requirements that we proposed in
February 1997, we may change the date by which mutual funds must
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comply with these amendments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ann D. Wallace or Carolyn A.
Miller at (202) 942-2980 or David Maltz at (202) 942-1921 in the
Division of Corporation Finance. If your questions involve
mutual funds, call Kathleen K. Clarke at (202) 942-0724 or
Markian Melnyk at (202) 942-0592 in the Division of Investment
Management. Direct your questions on the staff's plain English
handbook to Nancy M. Smith at (202) 942-7040.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We are adopting amendments to Rules
421,1 4612 and 4813 of Regulation C4 and Items 101,5 501,6 502,7
503,8 and 5089 of Regulations S-K10 and S-B.11 We are also
adopting minor amendments to Forms S-2,12 S-3,13 S-4,14 S-20,15 F-2,16
F-3,17 F-4,18 and N-2.19
Our Office of Investor Education and Assistance will, within
the next six weeks, issue a final version of A Plain English
Handbook: How to Create Clear SEC Disclosure Documents. The
handbook will give techniques and tips on how to create plain
English disclosure documents. We suggest you order a hard copy
by calling 800-SEC-0330. Some of the handbook's graphic elements
will not be available on the web version. A draft version is
available now on our Internet site (http://www.sec.gov).
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Executive Summary
II. Lessons From the Plain English Pilot Program
III. Rules on How to Prepare Prospectuses
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A. Plain English Rule - Rule 421(d)
B. Clear, Concise, and Understandable
Prospectuses - Rule 421(b)
C. Comments on Proposed Amendments to
Rule 421(b) and Rule 421(d)
IV. Revisions to Regulations S-K and S-B
A. Item 501 - Forepart of Registration Statement
and Outside Front Cover Page of Prospectus
B. Item 502 - Inside Front and Outside Back
Cover Pages of Prospectus
C. Item 503 - Summary Information, Risk Factors,
and Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges
1. Summary Information
2. Risk Factors
3. Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges
V. Plain English for Investment Companies
VI. Phase-In of the Plain English Rule and Other Requirements
for
Issuers Other Than Investment Companies
VII. Comments on the Plain English Proposals
A. Liability Concerns
B. Staff Plain English Review and
Comment Process
C. Requests for Acceleration
VIII. Cost-Benefit Analysis
IX. Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis
X. Paperwork Reduction Act
XI. Statutory Authority
Text of the Amendments
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Appendix A: Charts on Amendments to Small Business Issuer
Rules
Appendix B: List of Plain English Pilot Participants
I. Executive Summary
Full and fair disclosure is one of the cornerstones of
investor protection under the federal securities laws. If a
prospectus fails to communicate information clearly, investors do
not receive that basic protection. Yet, prospectuses today often
use complex, legalistic language that is foreign to all but
financial or legal experts. The proliferation of complex
transactions and securities magnifies this problem. A major
challenge facing the securities industry and its regulators is
assuring that financial and business information reaches
investors in a form they can read and understand.
In response to this challenge, we undertake today a sweeping
revision of how issuers must disclose information to investors.
This new package of rules will change the face of every
prospectus used in registered public offerings of securities.20
Prospectuses will be simpler, clearer, more useful, and we hope,
more widely read.
First, the new rules require issuers to write and design the
cover page, summary, and risk factors section of their
prospectuses in plain English. Specifically, in these sections,
issuers will have to use: short sentences; definite, concrete,
everyday language; active voice; tabular presentation of complex
information; no legal or business jargon; and no multiple
negatives. Issuers will also have to design these sections to
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make them inviting to the reader. In response to comments, the
new rules will not require issuers to limit the length of the
summary, limit the number of risk factors, or prioritize risk
factors.
Second, we are giving guidance to issuers on how to comply
with the current rule that requires the entire prospectus to be
clear, concise, and understandable. Our goal is to purge the
entire document of legalese and repetition that blur important
information investors need to know.
Also, our Office of Investor Education and Assistance is
finalizing a handbook with practical tips on how to prepare plain
English documents. This handbook explains how to apply plain
English principles to disclosure documents.
To ensure a smooth transition, the plain English rule and
the other changes adopted today will apply beginning October 1,
1998. We encourage all participants in securities offerings to
start following these plain English principles now when writing
their prospectuses. Our staff will continue its efforts to
assist companies in drafting prospectuses in plain English.
II. Lessons From the Plain English Pilot Program
To test plain English in disclosure documents, the Division
of Corporation Finance started a pilot program in 1996 for public
companies willing to file plain English documents under either
the Securities Act of 193321 or the Securities Exchange Act of
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1934.22 More than 75 companies have volunteered to participate in
the pilot program. Many participants have prepared disclosure
documents that will not be subject to the plain English rule,
including proxy statements, footnotes to financial statements,23
and management's discussion and analysis of financial condition
and results of operations.24
We have included in Appendix B a list of pilot participants
that filed plain English documents. These pilot participants
produced examples of disclosure that is clear, well-written, and
designed to increase investors' understanding.
Our experience with the pilot participants affirms our
belief that preparing documents in plain English increases
investors' understanding and helps them make informed investment
decisions. The package of rules we are adopting, as well as the
handbook, will enable issuers to improve dramatically the clarity
of their disclosure documents.
III. Rules on How to Prepare Prospectuses
A. Plain English Rule - Rule 421(d)
Rule 421(d), the plain English rule, requires you to prepare
the front portion of the prospectus in plain English. You must
use plain English principles in the organization, language, and
design of the front and back cover pages, the summary, and the
risk factors section. Also, when drafting the language in these
front parts of the prospectus, you must comply substantially with
six basic principles:
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* Short sentences;
* Definite, concrete, everyday language;
* Active voice;
* Tabular presentation or bullet lists for complex material,
whenever possible;
* No legal jargon or highly technical business terms; and
* No multiple negatives.
A number of comment letters noted that our rule dictates how
to write the front of the prospectus. They are correct. We have
seen marked improvement in the clarity of disclosure when pilot
participants have used these widely recognized, basic principles
of clear writing. We believe the benefits to investors support
mandating the use of these writing principles for the front of
the prospectus.
In addition, you must design the cover page, summary, and
risk factors section to make them easy to read. You must format
the text and design the document to highlight important
information for investors. The rule permits you to use pictures,
charts, graphics, and other design features to make the
prospectus easier to understand.
B. Clear, Concise, and Understandable Prospectuses -
Rule 421(b)
Rule 421(b) currently requires that the entire prospectus be
clear, concise, and understandable. This requirement is in
addition to the plain English rule we are adopting, which applies
only to the front of the prospectus.
We are adopting, as proposed, amendments to Rule 421(b).
These amendments provide guidance on how to prepare a prospectus
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that is clear, concise, and understandable. The amendments set
out four general writing techniques that you must follow and list
four conventions to avoid when drafting the prospectus. As
several comment letters noted, these amendments codify our
earlier interpretive advice.25
Amended Rule 421(b) requires you to use the following
techniques when writing the entire prospectus:
* Present information in clear, concise
sections, paragraphs, and sentences. Whenever
possible, use short explanatory sentences and bullet
lists;
* Use descriptive headings and subheadings;
* Avoid frequent reliance on glossaries or
defined terms as the primary means of explaining
information in the prospectus. Define terms in a
glossary or other section of the document only if the
meaning is unclear from the context. Use a glossary
only if it facilitates understanding of the disclosure;
and
* Avoid legal and highly technical business
terminology.
The new note to Rule 421(b) provides guidance on how to
comply with the rule's general requirements. The note lists the
following drafting conventions to avoid because they make your
document harder to read:
* Legalistic or overly complex presentations
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that make the substance of the disclosure difficult to
understand;
* Vague boilerplate explanations that are
readily subject to differing interpretations;
* Complex information copied directly from
legal documents without any clear and concise
explanation of the provision(s); and
* Repetitive disclosure that increases the size
of the document, but does not enhance the quality of
the information.
C. Comments on Proposed Amendments to Rule 421(b) and
Rule 421(d)
Several comment letters stated that we should permit public
companies to use legal and technical business terminology. The
letters noted, for example, that high technology companies must
use technical terms to distinguish their products or services
from others in the industry. We recognize that certain business
terms may be necessary to describe your operations properly.
But, you should avoid using excessive technical jargon that only
your competitors or an industry specialist can understand.
You should write the disclosure in your prospectus for
investors. When you use many highly technical terms, the
investor must learn your dictionary of terms to understand your
disclosure. If technical terms are unavoidable, you should make
every effort to explain their meaning the first time you use
them.
Several comment letters noted that some investors,
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particularly institutional investors, want to read the specific
terms of contracts or the securities offered. For example, an
investor may want to read the specific language of a loan
agreement's financial covenants or an indenture's default
provisions.
Our current rule permits you to summarize an exhibit's key
provisions in your prospectus.26 Moreover, we require you to file
material contracts and any instruments that define the rights of
security holders. We believe this approach generally serves the
needs of all investors in the market. If you cannot adequately
summarize the language from an exhibit in the prospectus, then
you should include that language. However, you must present it
clearly and explain what it means to investors.
IV. Revisions to Regulations S-K and S-B
We are adopting these revisions largely as we proposed them.
However, based on the comment letters and our belief that
communicating clearly should be the focus of disclosure to
investors, we are not adopting any requirements that would
require you to:
* limit the length of the summary;
* limit the number of risk factors; or
* prioritize risk factors.
A. Item 501 - Forepart of Registration Statement and
Outside
Front Cover Page of Prospectus27
As proposed, we are eliminating the formal design
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requirements for the prospectus cover page. We are, however,
requiring you to limit the front cover of the prospectus to one
page. We believe these revisions will allow you to design and
write a cover page that will focus investors on key information
about the offering and encourage them to read the important
information in the prospectus. Also, we intend for these
amendments to give you the flexibility you need to design a cover
page tailored to your company and the offering.
Under the revised disclosure item, you are free to use
pictures, graphs, charts, and other designs that accurately
depict your company, business products, and financial condition.
The staff will object to design features and font types that make
the disclosure hard to read or understand.
We are amending the formalized requirements on how you
present the mandatory legends on the cover page. We are not
placing any restrictions on how you present these legends,
except:
* you must make the legends prominent; and
* you must make the print type easy to read.
Using all capitalized letters for the legends does not give them
proper prominence. Rather, it makes them hard to read. A well-
designed cover page that does not crowd the legends with other
text can give them the prominence they need.
We have amended Item 501 to give you two plain English
examples of the legend that states the Commission has not
approved the offering.28 The item also gives you a plain English
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example of the legend that states the prospectus is not yet
complete, commonly called the "red herring" legend.
We are revising the requirements on information that you
must always include on the prospectus cover page. Our goal is to
have the cover page focus on key information about the offering.
You should avoid moving information to the cover page
unnecessarily.
We had proposed to eliminate the requirement that the cover
page include a cross-reference to the risk factors section in the
prospectus. In response to comment letters emphasizing the
importance of this information, we are keeping this requirement.
The cover page must reference the risk factors section and state
the page number on which the risk factors begin.
The following table shows the current requirements for the
prospectus cover page and the changes we are adopting.
Regulation S-K - Item 501
Current Final
* Cover page of registration * Same
statement
* Company name * Same
* Title, amount, and * Same
description of securities offered
* Selling security holders * Same
offering
* Cross reference to risk * Same, except cross-reference
factors must include page number. No
print type specified
Regulation S-K - Item 501, con't.
Current Final
* Formatted distribution table * Delete distribution table.
showing price, underwriting Use bullet list or other design
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commission, and proceeds of that highlights the information
offering
* Show bona fide estimate of * Same
range of maximum offering price
and number of securities
* If price not set, show how * Same
price will be determined
* Formatted best efforts * Delete distribution table.
disclosure and distribution table Use bullet list or other design
that highlights the information
* Commission legend * Retain in plain English.
Include reference to state
securities commissions. No print
type specified
* State-required legends * Same
* Underwriters' over-allotment * Identify existence of the
option, expenses of offering, option and the number of shares.
commissions paid by others, and Move all other information to the
other non-cash consideration and plan of distribution section
finders' fees
* No requirement to identify * Identify market for
market for securities, trading securities, trading symbol,
symbol, underwriters, or type of underwriters, and type of
underwriting arrangements underwriting arrangements
* Date of prospectus * Same
* Prospectus "Subject to * Retain in plain English
Completion" legend
* No page limit * Must limit cover to one page
In our proposing release, we asked whether we should require
specific information on the prospectus cover page for certain
types of offerings, such as mergers, exchange offers, or limited
partnership offerings. Several comment letters suggested that
the plain English rule and the revised disclosure requirements
should replace our earlier interpretive advice on cover page
disclosure for limited partnership offerings.29
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We believe that the plain English rule and the revised
disclosure requirements are consistent with our earlier advice on
limited partnership offering prospectuses and similar offerings,
with one significant exception. Under our advice, the cover page
must list the offering's key risks, resulting in repetitious
disclosure of those risks. However, we believe the unique nature
of these offerings and the risks they present to investors
warrant requiring the issuer to highlight these risks on the
cover page. Of course, the cover page, summary, and risk factors
section must otherwise comply with the plain English rule and the
revised disclosure requirements we are adopting.
We are not adopting special requirements for any other type
of offering. We have had a number of merger prospectuses in the
pilot program that provide excellent guidance on how to apply
plain English to these offerings.
B. Item 502 - Inside Front and Outside Back Cover
Pages of Prospectus30
We are amending the requirements for the inside front cover
page and outside back cover page of the prospectus to limit
significantly the information you are required to include on
these pages. We believe this will give you further freedom to
arrange the information in the prospectus from investors'
viewpoints. The table at the end of this section shows the
current requirements for these pages and the changes we are
adopting.31
Although we prefer that the required table of contents
immediately follow the cover page, we believe you should continue
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to have the flexibility to include it on either the inside front
or outside back cover page of the prospectus. However, if you
deliver a prospectus to investors electronically, you must
include the table of contents immediately after the cover page.
This placement will benefit investors because they will not have
to scroll to the end of the prospectus to see how it is
organized.
Although some comment letters recommended that we eliminate
the requirement to disclose the dealer's prospectus delivery
obligations, we have decided to retain this disclosure on the
outside back cover page. We believe this disclosure is helpful
to dealers in meeting their legal obligation to deliver the
prospectus.
Regulation S-K - Item 502
Current Final
* Availability of Exchange Act * Move to description of
reports generally business section or, for short-
form registration statements, to
the incorporation by reference
disclosure
* Identify market for * Move to cover page
securities
* Availability of annual * Move to description of
reports to shareholders with business section
financial statements for foreign
issuers and others not subject to
proxy rules
Regulation S-K - Item 502, con't.
Current Final
* Availability of Exchange Act * Move to incorporation by
reports incorporated by reference reference disclosure
in short-form registration
statements
* Stabilization legend * Move to plan of distribution
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section
* Passive market making * Delete. Disclosure remained
activities legend in plan of distribution section
* Dealer prospectus delivery * Retain on outside back cover
page
* Enforceability of civil * Move to description of
liability provisions of federal business section
securities laws against foreign
persons
* Table of contents * Same. If prospectus
delivered electronically, must
immediately follow cover page
C. Item 503 - Summary Information, Risk Factors, and
Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges32
1. Summary Information
If you include a summary, it must be brief and in plain
English. Further, if you include a summary description of the
company's business operations or financial condition, you must
write this information in plain English even if you do not
caption it a "summary."
Although we have not limited the length of the summary, we
believe this section should highlight the most important features
of the offering. For example, the summary should not include a
lengthy description of the company's business and business
strategy. This detailed information is better suited to the
disclosure in the body of the prospectus.
Several comment letters suggested that we require a summary
section. We decided against this because a summary may not be
helpful in all prospectuses. For example, you may not need to
summarize the prospectus in a short-form registration statement.
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Several comment letters suggested that we specify the
information that must be in a summary. Because we believe you
need flexibility to write a summary that is appropriate to your
offering, we are not adopting specific disclosure items for the
summary. However, because the financial statements are an
important part of the disclosures made by public companies, we
believe you should continue to highlight financial information in
the summary. You should present this financial information in a
manner that allows investors to understand it easily.
2. Risk Factors
If you include a risk factors section in your prospectus,
you must write the risk factors in plain English and avoid
"boilerplate" risk factors. We believe a discussion of risk in
purely generic terms does not tell investors how the risk may
affect their investment in a specific company. You should place
any risk factor in context so investors can understand the
specific risk as it applies to your company and its operations.
3. Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges
When you offer debt or preferred equity, you must disclose a
ratio of earnings to fixed charges. Where you include a
prospectus summary, amended Item 503 requires you to show the
ratio of earnings to fixed charges as part of the summarized
financial data.
V. Plain English for Investment Companies
The plain English rule applies to prospectuses of investment
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companies and will complement our disclosure initiatives for
these companies.33 Also, the amendments we are adopting to Rule
481 require these companies to write and design the front parts
of their prospectuses in plain English.
As part of our commitment to improve mutual fund disclosure,
in February 1997, we proposed significant changes to the
disclosure requirements for mutual fund prospectuses and new
summary disclosure documents called "profiles."34 These proposals
would require a standardized risk/return summary in mutual fund
prospectuses and profiles. The risk/return summary would include
a concise narrative discussion of fund risks and a bar chart
showing a fund's annual returns for the past ten years. We
expect to consider these and other changes to mutual fund
prospectuses shortly. The plain English rule will apply to the
cover page and the risk/return summary in prospectuses and the
new fund profiles.35
Investment companies must comply with the plain English rule
and the revised disclosure requirements for new registration
statements filed on or after October 1, 1998. When we act on the
changes to the mutual fund disclosure requirements, we may change
the compliance date for mutual funds so they may comply with
these new requirements with one filing.36
VI. Phase-In of the Plain English Rule and Other Requirements
for
Issuers Other Than Investment Companies
To ease the transition to plain English and to avoid
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delaying your access to the capital markets, we will phase in the
plain English rule and the other changes as follows:
* If you first file a registration statement on
or after October 1, 1998, you must comply with the new
requirements.37 If you file a registration statement
before October 1, 1998, but it is not yet effective on
that date, you do not have to amend it to comply with
the new requirements before it is effective.
* On or after October 1, 1998, any supplement you file to a
prospectus in an effective registration statement that relies on
Rule 415(a)(1)(x) must comply with the new requirements.
* If you file a post-effective amendment on or
after October 1, 1998, either to include the company's
latest audited financial statements in the registration
statement or to update the prospectus under Section
10(a)(3),38 you must comply with the new requirements.
If you elect to comply immediately with any of the plain
English requirements, we believe you should comply with all of
them to make the document more readable. For example, you should
not have a plain English cover page and a legalistic summary or
risk factors section.
During the phase-in period, we will hold workshops to help
issuers, underwriters, and their counsel comply with the plain
English rule. Until October 1, 1998, the staff will continue the
plain English pilot program, but because of limited resources and
because we expect high demand by issuers to participate in the
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pilot, the staff will no longer offer expedited review. We
encourage issuers to participate in the pilot program with both
Securities Act and Exchange Act documents.
VII. Comments on the Plain English Proposals
We received 45 comment letters on the plain English
proposals.39 Generally, the comment letters favored requiring
plain English for the front of prospectuses_the cover page,
summary, and risk factors section. The American Society of
Corporate Secretaries and the American Corporate Counsel
Association, as well as several public companies, supported the
plain English requirements. They believe that requiring plain
English will focus all parties involved in the offering
process_issuers, underwriters, trustees, and counsel_on clear and
readable disclosure. Investor groups, such as the American
Association of Retired Persons and the Consumer Federation of
America, supported adopting the plain English rule to ensure that
investors receive clear information.
Other comment letters raised the following general concerns
about the plain English rule:
* Will the plain English rule increase a registrant's
liability?
* How will the staff review and comment on plain English
filings?
* Will the Commission deny acceleration of a filing if it does
not comply with the plain English rule?
We address these concerns in the following three sections.
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A. Liability Concerns
Several comment letters, including those of the American Bar
Association and the Securities Industry Association, recommended
a voluntary rather than a mandatory approach to improving the
readability of prospectuses. These comment letters argued
against mandating plain English primarily because of liability
concerns.
These comment letters expressed concern that issuers may
omit material information in the course of simplifying the
language. The comment letters urged us to adopt a safe harbor
rule from legal liability to cover the sections of the prospectus
that must be in plain English.
Other letters from groups representing public companies and
the mutual fund industry stated they believe plain English will
not increase their liability. They stated that plain English
disclosure should reduce potential liability because it decreases
the likelihood that an investor will misunderstand the
prospectus.40
Using plain English does not mean omitting important
information. These rules only require you to disclose
information in words investors can understand and in a format
that invites them to read the document. For these reasons, we do
not believe that a safe harbor rule is necessary or appropriate.
We also believe it is inappropriate for you to include language
that attempts to create a safe harbor for these sections.
The letters raising liability concerns also questioned
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whether it is possible to summarize in plain English complex
matters covered in the body of the document. We believe the
courts will continue to view the summary section, as its caption
indicates, as a highlight of important information in the
prospectus. A summary, by its very nature, cannot disclose
everything. In determining whether a company has made full
disclosure, courts should look at the disclosure in the entire
document.
Moreover, a company's failure to include everything in the
summary should not trigger automatically the application of the
"buried facts" doctrine. Under the buried facts doctrine, a
court would consider disclosure to be false and misleading only
if its overall significance is obscured because material
information is "buried," for example, in footnotes or appendices.41
The package of rules we are adopting should lead to clearer
documents that are easier for investors to understand. We
believe that compliance with these requirements will not increase
the risk of litigation.
B. Staff Plain English Review and Comment Process
Several comment letters questioned whether the staff's time
would be well spent giving comments on grammar. The letters also
stated that the staff's past comments have caused many immaterial
disclosures and much of the repetition in current prospectuses.
Our staff will focus on whether you disclose material
information and whether that disclosure is clear and readable.
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The staff will not correct grammatical mistakes.
We recognize that a document can still be clear despite the
occasional long sentence or use of passive voice. But we have
learned from the plain English pilot program that a document
becomes clearer and easier to read when its writer uses plain
English.
The staff will issue their comments in plain English and
avoid requesting repetitive information in the document. If the
staff selects your registration statement for a legal and
accounting review, the same people who review your document will
issue any plain English comments.
Because the format and design of your document play a large
part in its readability, we will request paper copies of the
plain English sections that you plan to deliver to investors. We
are working to upgrade our Electronic Data Gathering Analysis and
Retrieval system, EDGAR, to permit the filing of an exact
duplicate of the paper copy sent to investors but this may not
occur for some time.
C. Requests for Acceleration
Rule 461 currently requires the Commission staff, when
presented with a request for acceleration, to consider the
accuracy and adequacy of the prospectus that you circulated.42
The rule also requires the staff to consider whether you have
made a bona fide effort to make the prospectus reasonably concise
and understandable. We are amending Rule 461 to require the
staff to consider also whether you have made a bona fide effort
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to satisfy the plain English rule in drafting the front part of
the prospectus. Because compliance with the plain English rule
will facilitate investors' understanding of the prospectus
information, we believe it is important that the preliminary
prospectus that you circulate to investors complies with the
plain English rule.
Comment letters expressed concern that the amendment to Rule
461 could frequently delay the effective date of registration
statements. We believe that these concerns are unfounded. The
procedures for addressing deficiencies and for granting or
denying acceleration requests have worked very well for many
years. We believe the continued use of these procedures will
work in implementing the plain English rule. If we select your
registration statement for review, the staff will give you
comments on how to comply with the plain English rule as well as
other requirements. You will have the same opportunity you have
now to work with the staff to resolve all comments on your
document, consistent with your financing schedule.
VIII. Cost-Benefit Analysis
The plain English rule and amendments should improve
communications between public companies and investors and promote
investor protection. Specifically, we anticipate, and many
public comment letters concur, that adopting the plain English
rule will:
* allow investors to make better-informed assessments of the
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risk and rewards of investment opportunities;
* reduce the likelihood that investors make investment
mistakes because of incomprehensible disclosure documents;
* reduce investors' costs of investing by lowering the time
required to read and understand information;
* increase consumers' interest in investing by giving them
greater confidence in their understanding of investments;
* reduce the number of costly legal disputes because investors
are more likely to better understand disclosure documents; and
* lower offering costs because investors will ask issuers
fewer questions about the offering.
Several comment letters suggested that writing documents in
plain English would impose substantial costs on public companies.43
While there may be some additional costs initially, we expect
them to be modest and to diminish over time as firms learn to
prepare documents using plain English principles. After a short
phase-in period, public companies should incur little, if any,
additional cost from this rule or these amendments. In some
instances, we anticipate that companies will save on printing and
mailing costs because plain English tends to reduce document
length. Some firms may also save time answering investors'
questions. We believe the substantial benefits to investors and
the public markets more than justify the phase-in costs.
We base these conclusions, in part, on companies'
experiences in the plain English pilot program. To help assess
the benefits and costs, we asked nine randomly selected plain
English pilot participants, one of which prepared an initial
public offering prospectus, about their experiences preparing
plain English documents. Six of the nine participants responded,
including the initial public offering issuer. All of the
======END OF PAGE 25======
participants agreed that investors benefit from clearer, more
readable, less redundant disclosure. Specifically, several
predicted that investor misunderstandings and mistakes would
decline. They did not generally believe, however, that writing
their disclosures in plain English would reduce their liability
for disclosures. The consensus was that investors file lawsuits
on the basis of disclosure materiality, not brevity or wording.
Several participants found, however, that they spent less time
answering investors' questions when they wrote their documents in
plain English.44
In terms of the costs of writing documents in plain English,
all of the responding participants spent more time writing their
documents in plain English than they otherwise would have if they
used conventional language.45 Pilot participants found that legal
and technical writing costs rose for plain English filings by
approximately 15 percent.46 Because legal and technical writing
comprises approximately 48 percent of the total burden hours
necessary to complete a registration statement (with accounting
comprising the other 52 percent),47 we estimate that total burden
hours will rise by approximately seven percent in the first year.
The table below shows the current and estimated burden hours
per filing, the estimated change in burden hours per filing, and
the number of forms filed in 1997 by form type.48 The information
in the table indicates that we estimate public companies will
require on average 60 additional hours per filing to comply with
the plain English requirements in the first year. At $120 per
======END OF PAGE 26======
hour,49 this translates to an added cost in the first year of
approximately $7,200 per filing.50 Based on pilot program
participants' experiences,51 we expect the number of hours and
cost to fall in the following year to the current level as firms
gain experience with the plain English principles. We anticipate
the cost to repeat filers to fall even sooner.
Estimat Change in
ed Estimat Estimated
Burden ed Burden
Hours/ Burden Change Hours by
Filing Hours/ in Filing
Before Filing Estimat Type
Plain After ed After
Form English Plain Burden Filings Plain
Rule English Hours/ / English
Rule Filing Year52 Rule
S-1 1,267 1,358 91 1,067 97,097
S-2 470 504 34 145 4,930
S-3 398 427 29 3,137 90,973
S-4 1,233 1,322 89 2,044 181,91
6
F-1/S- 1,868 2,002 134 162 21,708
20
F-2 559 599 40 3 120
F-3 166 178 12 220 2,640
F-4 1,308 1,402 94 243 22,842
S-11 147 158 11 68 748
SB-1 710 761 51 8 408
SB-2 876 939 63 434 27,342
Total 7,531 450,72
4
We believe the estimate of seven-percent higher cost in the
first year is somewhat overstated because it is based on the
experiences of pilot participants who did not have models to
follow. The time required for future registrants to comply with
the requirements should be lower. To help reduce compliance
time, the staff is including a list of filings by pilot
participants and the information issuers need to locate those
======END OF PAGE 27======
filings. The staff is also issuing a handbook on how to prepare
plain English documents and will hold workshops to help public
companies, their counsel, and underwriters comply with the rules.
We also anticipate that public companies' legal counsel, who will
gain experience from all their clients' transactions, will help
to speed the transition to plain English. Finally, some firms
filed multiple registration statements in 1997 and we applied the
same burden hour increase to all filings. We believe that
required compliance time for firms' later filings should be lower
than earlier filings as companies gain experience writing in
plain English.
These results are consistent with those found by the
American Society of Corporate Secretaries, which surveyed the 57
member companies represented on its Securities Law Committee.
The twelve members who had prepared at least one plain English
document predicted no "material change in annual burden reporting
or hours."53 Similarly, Baltimore Gas and Electric Company
incurred no additional cost once the company learned the process.54
One benefit generally found by pilot program participants
was that document length was shortened on average by 11 percent.55
Given that the average length of an S-1 prospectus is
approximately 116 pages, this decline would result in a 13-page
reduction. For an S-3 prospectus, whose average length is 52
pages, the decline would save 6 pages. And the length of an S-4
prospectus, which averages 219 pages, would fall by 24 pages.56
Where plain English shortened documents, several responding
======END OF PAGE 28======
participants estimated lower printing and distribution costs.
Even if costs dropped by only five percent, firms would save
approximately $3,160 per filing. In aggregate, firms would save
approximately $24 million per year_savings that could continue
for as long as firms comply with the plain English requirements.57
In summary, while all of the participants that answered our
questions incurred some additional document preparation costs,
the majority estimated them to be low and predicted that they
would fall over time. The participants anticipated little added,
and perhaps even lower, overall cost. Some even predicted they
might save money on printing and distribution costs and time
answering investors' questions. Based on the experiences of
pilot program participants, we believe that the substantial
benefits to investors of plain English and the on-going cost
savings to issuers justify the short-term cost to public
companies of learning to prepare documents in plain English.
IX. Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis
The staff has prepared this Final Regulatory Flexibility
Analysis in accordance with Section 603 of the Regulatory
Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 603). This analysis relates to
revisions of Rules 421, 461, and 481 of Regulation C and Items
101, 501, 502, 503, and 508 of Regulations S-K and S-B to
implement the Commission's plain English initiative. The
Commission is also adopting minor amendments to Forms S-2, S-3, S-
4, S-20, F-2, F-3, and F-4 under the Securities Act and Form N-2
======END OF PAGE 29======
under the Investment Company Act.
Need for and Objectives of Plain English Rules
In August 1995, Chairman Arthur Levitt organized the Task
Force on Disclosure Simplification to find ways to simplify the
disclosure process and increase the effectiveness and efficiency
of capital formation where consistent with investor protection.
In its final report to the Commission, the Task Force suggested
that the Commission require public companies to write certain
parts of prospectuses in plain English.58 The Commission responded
in January 1997 by proposing a rule and several amendments that
required public companies to write the front of prospectuses
using plain English principles.59 The amendments revised current
rules and forms to eliminate certain language requirements in the
front of prospectuses and relocate highly technical language
within the prospectus. The Commission proposed these rules to
enhance the clarity and conciseness of prospectuses.
The Commission received 45 comment letters from 43 entities
in response to the proposing release.60 The commentators
generally expressed strong support for the plain English
proposals, although several expressed concerns with specific
provisions and some suggested alternative approaches for
addressing particular issues. The Commission is adopting the
plain English proposals with minor modifications that clarify
provisions and reflect the suggestions of some comment letters
and the plain English pilot program participants. These rules
will make prospectuses simpler, clearer, more useful, and, we
======END OF PAGE 30======
hope, more widely read.
The amendments will be adopted pursuant to Sections 6, 7, 8,
10, and 19(a) of the Securities Act, Sections 12, 13, 15(d),
16(a), and 23(a) of the Exchange Act, and Sections 8, 24, 30, 31,
and 38 of the Investment Company Act of 1940.
Small Entities Subject to the Rules
For the purposes of the Regulatory Flexibility Act, the term
"small business," as used in reference to a public company other
than an investment company, is defined by Rule 157 under the
Securities Act as an issuer whose total assets on the last day of
its most recent fiscal year were $5 million or less and is
engaged or proposing to engage in small business financing.61 An
issuer is considered to be engaged in small business financing if
it is conducting or proposes to conduct an offering of securities
that does not exceed $5 million. The Securities Exchange Act
defines a "small business" issuer, other than an investment
company, to be an issuer that, on the last day of its most recent
fiscal year, had total assets of $5 million or less. When used
with respect to an issuer that is an investment company, the term
is defined as an investment company with net assets of $50
million or less as of the end of its most recent fiscal year. 62
The Commission estimates that approximately 1,100 of
approximately 12,700 Exchange Act reporting companies and 800
investment companies of approximately 3,700 active registered
investment companies currently satisfy the definition of "small
business," all of which will be subject to the plain English
======END OF PAGE 31======
requirements. We have no reliable way, however, to determine how
many businesses may become subject to Commission reporting
obligations in the future, or may otherwise be impacted by the
plain English requirements.
Significant Issues Raised by Public Comment
The Commission received no requests for the Initial
Regulatory Flexibility Analysis and received no comments
specifically in response to its request for information about the
impact of the rule and amendments on small businesses. Nine
comment letters, however, discussed the costs and benefits to
public companies in general. Six believed that costs would
generally be low and temporary as firms learn to write in plain
English. Three believed that the costs would be more
significant. These costs are discussed in greater detail in the
next subsection. The Commission's efforts to minimize the
compliance costs to all reporting companies, both large and
small, are discussed in the final subsection of this Final
Regulatory Flexibility Analysis.
Projected Reporting, Recordkeeping, and Other Compliance
Requirements
The plain English rules and amendments do not affect the
substance of the disclosures that public companies must make.
They do not impose any new recordkeeping requirements or require
reporting of additional information. We anticipate, however,
that there will be a temporary increase in cost that will
diminish over time as firms learn to prepare documents using
======END OF PAGE 32======
plain English principles. Thus, after a short phase-in period,
public companies should incur little, if any, additional cost
from this rule or these amendments. In some instances, we
anticipate that companies
will save on printing and mailing costs because plain English
tends to reduce document length. Some firms may also save time
answering investors' questions.
We base these conclusions, in part, on companies'
experiences in the plain English pilot program. We solicited
information about firms' experiences by questioning a group of
pilot participants. Based on their responses, discussed in
detail in Section VIII, we anticipate a temporary increase in
cost that will diminish over time as firms learn to prepare
documents using plain English principles. While none of the
pilot participants specifically qualified as a "small business,"
the company that wrote its initial public offering prospectus in
plain English had a favorable experience.
In addition, we requested information about the impact of
the plain English requirements on small businesses in the
proposing release. While no one commented specifically on the
burden to small firms, several letters indicated that the
additional cost of writing in plain English would be low and
would diminish after the initial effort of learning to write in
plain English. Some commentators even predicted savings. This
evidence contrasts, however, with three letters expressing
concern that writing in plain English would increase document
======END OF PAGE 33======
preparation costs and lengthen documents. While we considered
these concerns, experience from the pilot program suggests that
phase-in costs will be low and that documents will be shorter and
easier to read and understand.
Agency Action to Minimize Effect on Small Businesses
The Regulatory Flexibility Act directs the Commission to
consider significant alternatives that would accomplish the
stated objectives, while minimizing any significant adverse
impact on small issuers. In connection with the plain English
rules and amendments, we considered several alternatives,
including (a) establishing different compliance and reporting
requirements for small businesses; and (b) using performance
rather than design standards, and (c) exempting small businesses
from all or part of the requirements. We do not believe,
however, that these alternatives are appropriate. First, these
alternatives would be inconsistent with our statutory mandate to
require prospectuses to disclose fully and fairly all material
information to investors. Second, these alternatives would
significantly dilute or negate the important benefits of plain
English disclosure to investors. For these reasons, we also
believe there would be no benefit in providing separate
requirements for small issuers based on the use of performance
rather than design standards.
We have tried before, through interpretive advice and other
means, to address the problems with current prospectus
disclosure, which too often includes arcane, needlessly complex,
======END OF PAGE 34======
and incomprehensible language. These earlier measures have not
resulted in widespread improvement in prospectus readability.
Therefore, we believe the plain English requirements are
necessary to improve communication between public companies and
investors, particularly given the relatively low compliance
burden. In addition, we believe the rules and amendments should
apply equally to all entities required to disclose information
under the Securities Act to enhance protection of all investors.
The plain English principles are generally broad statements
that provide registrants flexibility in how to disclose
information. Thus, there are a variety of ways in which
registrants, including small businesses, can use the principles
and guidance in making their disclosures. Modifications of the
plain English proposals by the Commission will reduce the short-
term cost to small issuers. Based on suggestions in several
comment letters, the Commission is not adopting limitations on
the length of summaries, limitations on the number of risk
factors or the requirement that companies prioritize risk
factors. To provide compliance assistance to both small and
large issuers, the release includes a list of filings by pilot
participants and the information issuers need to locate those
filings. The staff is also issuing a handbook on how to prepare
plain English documents and will hold workshops to help small and
large issuers, their counsels, underwriters, and others comply
with the rules. Finally, the Commission is minimizing the impact
by delaying the effective date of the rules until October 1,
======END OF PAGE 35======
1998.
X. Paperwork Reduction Act
The plain English rule and amendments affect several
regulations and forms that contain "collection of information
requirements" within the meaning of the Paperwork Reduction Act
of 1995.63 In the proposing release, the Commission stated its
belief that the plain English rule and amendments would not
result in a substantive or material change to the affected
collections of information. Nevertheless, the Commission
solicited comment on whether the rule and amendments would
materially affect the burden on public companies and mutual funds
that prepare prospectuses. Because several comment letters
indicated that the burden would increase, at least in the short
term, the Commission has determined to submit the rule and
amendments to the Office of Management and Budget for review in
accordance with 44 U.S.C. 3507(d). The Commission is amending
Rules 421, 461, and 481 of Regulation C and Items 101, 501, 502,
503, and 508 of Regulations S-K and S-B. The Commission is also
adopting minor amendments to Forms S-2, S-3, S-4, S-20, F-2, F-3,
and F-4 under the Securities Act and Form N-2 under the
Investment Company Act as a part of the plain English initiative.64
The rule and amendments require public companies to write
information included in the front of prospectuses_the cover page,
summary, and risk factors section_in everyday language that
investors can understand. The changes also codify existing
======END OF PAGE 36======
Commission interpretive advice and eliminate requirements no
longer deemed useful. The requirements do not affect the
substance of the disclosures that registrants must make. They do
not impose any new recordkeeping requirements or require
reporting of additional information.
As discussed in detail in Section VII, we anticipate that
there will be a temporary increase in burden that will diminish
over time as firms learn to prepare documents using plain English
principles. As indicated in the Cost/Benefit Analysis table, we
estimate that public companies will require on average 60
additional burden hours per filing or 450,724 hours in total to
comply with the plain English requirements in the first year. We
then expect burden hours to fall to their current level. Thus,
after a short phase-in period, public companies should incur
little, if any, additional cost from this rule or these
amendments. In some instances, we anticipate that companies will
save on printing and mailing costs because plain English tends to
reduce document length. Some firms may also save time answering
investors' questions. The added burden will be reflected in the
estimated burden hours for Regulation C.65
The information collection requirements imposed by the forms
and regulations are mandatory to the extent that a company elects
to do a registered offering. The information is made publicly
available. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is
not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it
displays a currently valid OMB control number.
======END OF PAGE 37======
In accordance with 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(B), the Commission
solicits comment on the following:
* whether the changes in the collection of information are
necessary for the proper performance of the function of the
agency;
* the accuracy of the Commission's estimate of the burden of
the changes to the collection of information;
* the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be
collected; and
* whether there are ways to minimize the burden of the
collection of information on those who are to respond, including
through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms
of information technology.
Anyone desiring to submit comments on the collection of
information requirements should direct them to the Office of
Management and Budget, Attention: Desk Officer for the Securities
and Exchange Commission, Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs, Washington, D.C. 20503, and should also send a copy of
their comments to Jonathan G. Katz, Secretary, Securities and
Exchange Commission, 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
20549, with reference to File No. S7-3-97. The Office of
Management and Budget is required to make a decision concerning
the collection of information between 30 and 60 days after
publication, so a comment to OMB is best assured of having its
full effect if OMB receives it within 30 days of publication.
======END OF PAGE 38======
XI. Statutory Authority
The rule amendments are proposed under Sections 6, 7, 8, 10
and 19(a) of the Securities Act, Sections 12, 13, 15(d), 16(a)
and 23(a) of the Exchange Act, and Sections 8, 24, 30, 31 and 38
of the Investment Company Act of 1940.
List of Subjects in 17 CFR Parts 228, 229, 230, 239, and 274
Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Securities, and
Investment companies.
Text of the Amendments
For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Securities
and Exchange Commission amends Title 17, Chapter 11 of the Code
of Federal Regulations as follows:
PART 228 - INTEGRATED DISCLOSURE SYSTEM FOR SMALL BUSINESS
ISSUERS
1. The authority citation for Part 228 continues to read
as follows:
Authority: 15 U.S.C. 77e, 77f, 77g, 77h, 77j, 77k, 77s, 77z-
2, 77aa(25), 77aa(26), 77ddd, 77eee, 77ggg, 77hhh, 77jjj, 77nnn,
77sss, 78l, 78m, 78n, 78o, 78u-5, 78w, 78ll, 80a-8, 80a-29, 80a-
30, 80a-37, 80b-11, unless otherwise noted.
2. By amending 228.101 to add paragraphs (c) and (d) to
read as follows:
228.101 (Item 101) Description of Business.
* * * * *
======END OF PAGE 39======
(c) Reports to security holders. Disclose the following in
any registration statement you file under the Securities Act of
1933:
(1) If you are not required to deliver an annual report to
security holders, whether you will voluntarily send an annual
report and whether the report will include audited financial
statements;
(2) Whether you file reports with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. If you are a reporting company, identify
the reports and other information you file with the SEC; and
(3) That the public may read and copy any materials you
file with the SEC at the SEC's Public Reference Room at 450 Fifth
Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549. State that the public may
obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room
by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. If you are an electronic
filer, state that the SEC maintains an Internet site that
contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other
information regarding issuers that file electronically with the
SEC and state the address of that site (http://www.sec.gov). You
are encouraged to give your Internet address, if available;
(d) Canadian Issuers. Provide the information required by
Items 101(f)(2) and 101(g) of Regulation S-K (229.101(f)(2) and
(g)).
3. Section 228.501 is revised to read as follows:
228.501 (Item 501) Front of Registration Statement and Front
Cover of Prospectus.
======END OF PAGE 40======
The small business issuer must furnish the following
information in plain English. See 230.421(d) of Regulation C of
this chapter.
(a) Limit the outside front cover page of the prospectus to
one page and include the following information:
(1) The registrant's name. A foreign registrant also must
give the English translation of its name;
(2) The title, amount, and description of securities
offered. If the underwriter has any arrangement with the issuer,
such as an over-allotment option, under which the underwriter may
purchase additional shares in connection with the offering,
indicate that this arrangement exists and state the amount of
additional shares that the underwriter may purchase under the
arrangement;
(3) If there are selling security holders, a statement to
that effect;
(4) Whether any national securities exchange or the Nasdaq
Stock Market lists the securities offered, naming the particular
market(s), and identifying the trading symbol(s) for those
securities;
(5) A cross-reference to the risk factors section,
including the page number where it appears in the prospectus.
Highlight this
cross-reference by prominent type or in another manner;
(6) Any legend or statement required by the law of any
state in which the securities are offered;
======END OF PAGE 41======
(7) A legend that indicates that neither the Securities and
Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has
approved or disapproved of the securities or passed on the
adequacy or accuracy of the disclosures in the prospectus. Also
make clear that any representation to the contrary is a criminal
offense. You may use one of the following or other clear, plain
language:
Example A: Neither the
Securities and Exchange Commission
nor any state securities commission
has approved or disapproved of
these securities or passed upon the
adequacy or accuracy of the
prospectus. Any representation to
the contrary is a criminal offense.
Example B: Neither the
Securities and Exchange Commission
nor any state securities commission
has approved or disapproved of
these securities or determined if
this prospectus is truthful or
complete. Any representation to the
contrary is a criminal offense.
(8) If you are not a reporting company and the preliminary
prospectus will be circulated, as applicable:
(i) A bona fide estimate of the range of the maximum
offering price and maximum number of shares or units offered; or
(ii) A bona fide estimate of the principal amount of debt
securities offered;
(9)(i) Name(s) of the lead or managing underwriter(s) and
an identification of the nature of the underwriting arrangements;
(ii) If the offering is not made on a firm commitment
basis, a brief description of the underwriting arrangements;
======END OF PAGE 42======
(iii) If you offer the securities on a best efforts or best
efforts minimum/maximum basis, the date the offering will end,
any minimum purchase requirements, and whether or not there are
any arrangements to place the funds in an escrow, trust, or
similar account; and
(iv) If you offer the securities for cash, the price to the
public for the securities, the underwriting discounts and
commissions, and proceeds to the registrant or other persons.
Show the information on both a per share or unit basis and for
the total amount of the offering. If you make the offering on a
minimum/maximum basis, show this information based on the total
minimum and total maximum amount of the offering. You may
present the information in a table, term sheet format, or other
clear presentation. You may present the information in any
format that fits the design of the cover page so long as the
information can be easily read and is not misleading;
(10) If the prospectus will be used before the effective
date of the registration statement, a prominent statement that:
(i) The information in the prospectus will be amended or
completed;
(ii) A registration statement relating to these securities
has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission;
(iii) The securities may not be sold until the
registration statement becomes effective; and
(iv) The prospectus is not an offer to sell the securities
and it is not soliciting an offer to buy the securities in any
======END OF PAGE 43======
state where offers or sales are not permitted. You may use the
following or other clear, plain language:
The information in this prospectus is
not complete and may be changed. We may not
sell these securities until the registration
statement filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission is effective. This
prospectus is not an offer to sell these
securities and it is not soliciting an offer
to buy these securities in any state where
the offer or sale is not permitted.
(11) If you use 230.430A of this chapter to omit pricing
information and the prospectus is used before you determine the
public offering price, the information in paragraph (a)(10) of
this section; and
(12) The date of the prospectus.
(b) [Reserved]
4. Section 228.502 is revised to read as follows:
228.502 (Item 502) Inside Front and Outside Back Cover Pages of
Prospectus.
The small business issuer must furnish the following
information in plain English. See 230.421(d) of Regulation C of
this chapter.
(a) Table of Contents. On either the inside front or
outside back cover page of the prospectus, provide a reasonably
detailed table of contents. It must show the page number of the
various sections or subdivisions of the prospectus. Include a
specific listing of the risk factors section required by Item 503
of this Regulation S-B (17 CFR 228.503). You must include the
table of contents immediately following the cover page in any
======END OF PAGE 44======
prospectus you deliver electronically;
(b) Dealer Prospectus Delivery Obligation. If applicable
to your offering, on the outside back cover page of the
prospectus, advise dealers of their prospectus delivery
obligation, including the expiration date specified by Section
4(3) of the Securities Act (15 U.S.C. 77d(3)) and 230.174 of
this chapter. You may use the following or other clear, plain
language:
Dealer Prospectus Delivery Obligation
Until (insert date), all dealers that effect
transactions in these securities, whether or
not participating in this offering, may be
required to deliver a prospectus. This is in
addition to the dealers' obligation to
deliver a prospectus when acting as
underwriters and with respect to their unsold
allotments or subscriptions.
5. By revising 228.503 to read as follows:
228.503 (Item 503) Summary Information and Risk Factors.
The small business issuer must furnish the following
information in plain English. See 230.421(d) of Regulation C of
this chapter.
(a) Summary. Provide a summary of the information in the
prospectus where the length or complexity of the prospectus makes
a summary useful. The summary should be brief. The summary
should not contain, and is not required to contain, all of the
detailed information in the prospectus. If you provide summary
business or financial information, even if you do not caption it
as a summary, you still must provide that information in plain
English.
======END OF PAGE 45======
Instruction to paragraph 503(a)
The summary should not merely repeat the text of the prospectus
but should provide a brief overview of the key aspects of the
offering. Carefully consider and identify those aspects of the
offering that are the most significant and determine how best to
highlight those points in clear, plain language.
(b) Address and phone number. Include, either on the cover
page or in the summary section of the prospectus, the complete
mailing address and telephone number of your principal executive
offices.
(c) Risk factors. (1) Discuss in a section captioned
"Risk Factors" any factors that make the offering speculative or
risky. The factors may include, among other things, the
following:
(i) Your lack of an operating history;
(ii) Your lack of recent profits from operations;
(iii) Your poor financial position;
(iv) Your business or proposed business; or
(v) The lack of a market for your common equity
securities.
(2) The risk factor discussion must immediately follow the
summary section. If you do not include a summary section, the
risk factor discussion must immediately follow the cover page or
the pricing information that immediately follows the cover page.
Pricing information means price and price-related information
that you may omit from the prospectus in an effective
======END OF PAGE 46======
registration statement based on 230.430A(a) of this chapter.
6. Section 228.508 is amended to revise the heading of
paragraph (a), add two sentences to the end of paragraph (a) and
revise paragraph (j) to read as follows:
228.508 (Item 508) Plan of Distribution.
(a) Underwriters and underwriting obligations. * * * The
small business issuer must disclose the offering expenses
specified in Item 511 of this Regulation S-B (17 CFR 228.511).
If there is an arrangement under which the underwriter may
purchase additional shares in connection with the offering, such
as an over-allotment option, describe that arrangement and
disclose information on the total offering price, underwriting
discounts and commissions, and total proceeds assuming the
underwriter purchases all of the shares subject to that
arrangement.
* * * * *
(j) Stabilization and other transactions. (1) Briefly
describe any transaction that the underwriter intends to conduct
during the offering that stabilizes, maintains, or otherwise
affects the market price of the offered securities. Include
information on stabilizing transactions, syndicate short covering
transactions, penalty bids, or any other transaction that affects
the offered security's price. Describe the nature of the
transactions clearly and explain how the transactions affect the
offered security's price. Identify the exchange or other market
======END OF PAGE 47======
on which these transactions may occur. If true, disclose that
the underwriter may discontinue these transactions at any time;
(2) If the stabilizing began before the effective date of
the registration statement, disclose the amount of securities
bought, the prices at which they were bought, and the period
within which they were bought. If you use 230.430A of this
chapter, the final prospectus must contain information on the
stabilizing transactions that took place before the public
offering price was set; and
(3) If you are making a warrant or rights offering of
securities to existing security holders and the securities not
purchased by existing security holders are to be reoffered to the
public, disclose the following information in the reoffer
prospectus:
(i) The amount of securities bought in stabilization
activities during the offering period and the price or range of
prices at which the securities were bought;
(ii) The amount of the offered securities subscribed for
during the offering period;
(iii) The amount of the offered securities purchased by
the underwriter during the offering period;
(iv) The amount of the offered securities sold by the
underwriter during the offering period and the price or range of
prices at which the securities were sold; and
(v) The amount of the offered securities that will be
reoffered to the public and the offering price.
======END OF PAGE 48======
PART 229 - STANDARD INSTRUCTIONS FOR FILING FORMS UNDER
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
AND ENERGY POLICY AND CONSERVATION ACT OF 1975 -
REGULATION S-K
7. The authority citation for Part 229 continues to read
as follows:
Authority: 15 U.S.C. 77e, 77f, 77g, 77h, 77j, 77k, 77s, 77z-
2, 77aa(25), 77aa(26), 77ddd, 77eee, 77ggg, 77hhh, 77iii, 77jjj,
77nnn, 77sss, 78c, 78i, 78j, 78l, 78m, 78n, 78o, 78u-5, 78w,
78ll(d), 79e, 79n, 79t, 80a-8, 80a-29, 80a-30, 80a-37, 80b-11,
unless otherwise noted.
* * * * *
8. By amending 229.101 to add paragraphs (e), (f), and
(g) before "Instructions to Item 101" to read as follows:
229.101 (Item 101) Description of business.
* * * * *
(e) Available Information. Disclose the following in any
registration statement you file under the Securities Act of 1933:
(1) Whether you file reports with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. If you are a reporting company, identify
the reports and other information you file with the SEC.
(2) That the public may read and copy any materials you
file with the SEC at the SEC's Public Reference Room at 450 Fifth
Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549. State that the public may
obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room
by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. If you are an electronic
======END OF PAGE 49======
filer, state that the SEC maintains an Internet site that
contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other
information regarding issuers that file electronically with the
SEC and state the address of that site (http://www.sec.gov). You
are encouraged to give your Internet address, if available;
(f) Reports to Security Holders. Disclose the following
information in any registration statement you file under the
Securities Act:
(1) If the SEC's proxy rules or regulations, or stock
exchange requirements, do not require you to send an annual
report to security holders or to holders of American depository
receipts, describe briefly the nature and frequency of reports
that you will give to security holders. Specify whether the
reports that you give will contain financial information that has
been examined and reported on, with an opinion expressed "by" an
independent public or certified public accountant.
(2) For a foreign private issuer, if the report will not
contain financial information prepared in accordance with U.S.
generally accepted accounting principles, you must state whether
the report will include a reconciliation of this information with
U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
(g) Enforceability of Civil Liabilities Against Foreign
Persons. Disclose the following if you are a foreign private
issuer filing a registration statement under the Securities Act:
(1) Whether or not investors may bring actions under the
civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws
======END OF PAGE 50======
against the foreign private issuer, any of its officers and
directors who are residents of a foreign country, any
underwriters or experts named in the registration statement that
are residents of a foreign country, and whether investors may
enforce these civil liability provisions when the assets of the
issuer or these other persons are located outside of the United
States. The disclosure must address the following matters:
(i) The investor's ability to effect service of process
within the United States on the foreign private issuer or any
person;
(ii) The investor's ability to enforce judgments obtained in
U.S. courts against foreign persons based upon the civil
liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws;
(iii) The investor's ability to enforce, in an
appropriate foreign court, judgments of U.S. courts based upon
the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities
laws; and
(iv) The investor's ability to bring an original action in
an appropriate foreign court to enforce liabilities against the
foreign private issuer or any person based upon the U.S. federal
securities laws.
(2) If you provide this disclosure based on an opinion of
counsel, name counsel in the prospectus and file as an exhibit to
the registration statement a signed consent of counsel to the use
of its name and opinion.
* * * * *
======END OF PAGE 51======
9. By revising 229.501 to read as follows:
229.501 (Item 501) Forepart of Registration Statement and
Outside Front Cover Page of Prospectus.
The registrant must furnish the following information in
plain English. See 230.421(d) of Regulation C of this chapter.
(a) Front Cover Page of the Registration Statement. Where
appropriate, include the delaying amendment legend from 230.473
of Regulation C of this chapter.
(b) Outside Front Cover Page of the Prospectus. Limit the
outside cover page to one page. If the following information
applies to your offering, disclose it on the outside cover page
of the prospectus.
(1) Name. The registrant's name. A foreign registrant
must give the English translation of its name.
Instruction to paragraph 501(b)(1).
If your name is the same as that of a company that is well
known, include information to eliminate any possible confusion
with the other company. If your name indicates a line of
business in which you are not engaged or you are engaged only to
a limited extent, include information to eliminate any misleading
inference as to your business. In some circumstances, disclosure
may not be sufficient and you may be required to change your
name. You will not be required to change your name if you are an
established company, the character of your business has changed,
and the investing public is generally aware of the change and the
character of your current business.
(2) Title and amount of securities. The title and amount
======END OF PAGE 52======
of securities offered. Separately state the amount of securities
offered by selling security holders, if any. If the underwriter
has any arrangement with the issuer, such as an over-allotment
option, under which the underwriter may purchase additional
shares in connection with the offering, indicate that this
arrangement exists and state the amount of additional shares that
the underwriter may purchase under the arrangement. Give a brief
description of the securities except where the information is
clear from the title of the security. For example, you are not
required to describe common stock that has full voting, dividend
and liquidation rights usually associated with common stock.
(3) Offering price of the securities. Where you offer
securities for cash, the price to the public of the securities,
the underwriter's discounts and commissions, the net proceeds you
receive, and any selling shareholder's net proceeds. Show this
information on both a per share or unit basis and for the total
amount of the offering. If you make the offering on a
minimum/maximum basis, show this information based on the total
minimum and total maximum amount of the offering. You may
present the information in a table, term sheet format, or other
clear presentation. You may present the information in any
format that fits the design of the cover page so long as the
information can be easily read and is not misleading;
Instructions to paragraph 501(b)(3)
======END OF PAGE 53======
1. If a preliminary prospectus is circulated and you are
not subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13(a) or 15
(d) of the Exchange Act, provide, as applicable:
(A) A bona fide estimate of the range of the maximum
offering price and the maximum number of securities offered; or
(B) A bona fide estimate of the principal amount of the
debt securities offered.
2. If it is impracticable to state the price to the
public, explain the method by which the price is to be
determined. If the securities are to be offered at the market
price, or if the offering price is to be determined by a formula
related to the market price, indicate the market and market price
of the securities as of the latest practicable date.
3. If you file a registration statement on Form S-8, you
are not required to comply with this paragraph (b)(3).
(4) Market for the Securities. Whether any national
securities exchange or the Nasdaq Stock Market lists the
securities offered, naming the particular market(s), and
identifying the trading symbol(s) for those securities;
(5) Risk Factors. A cross-reference to the risk factors
section, including the page number where it appears in the
prospectus. Highlight this cross-reference by prominent type or
in another manner;
(6) State Legend. Any legend or statement required by the
law of any state in which the securities are to be offered. You
======END OF PAGE 54======
may combine this with any legend required by the SEC, if
appropriate;
(7) Commission Legend. A legend that indicates that
neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state
securities commission has approved or disapproved of the
securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of the
disclosures in the prospectus and that any contrary
representation is a criminal offense. You may use one of the
following or other clear, plain language:
Example A: Neither the
Securities and Exchange Commission
nor any state securities commission
has approved or disapproved of
these securities or passed upon the
adequacy or accuracy of this
prospectus. Any representation to
the contrary is a criminal offense.
Example B: Neither the
Securities and Exchange Commission
nor any state securities commission
has approved or disapproved of
these securities or determined if
this prospectus is truthful or
complete. Any representation to the
contrary is a criminal offense.
(8) Underwriting. (i) Name(s) of the lead or managing
underwriter(s) and an identification of the nature of the
underwriting arrangements;
(ii) If the offering is not made on a firm commitment
basis, a brief description of the underwriting arrangements. You
may use any clear, concise, and accurate description of the
underwriting arrangements. You may use the following
descriptions of underwriting arrangements where appropriate:
======END OF PAGE 55======
Example A: Best efforts
offering. The underwriters are not
required to sell any specific
number or dollar amount of
securities but will use their best
efforts to sell the securities
offered.
Example B: Best efforts,
minimum-maximum offering. The
underwriters must sell the minimum
number of securities offered
(insert number) if any are sold.
The underwriters are required to
use only their best efforts to sell
the maximum number of securities
offered (insert number).
(iii) If you offer the securities on a best efforts or best
efforts minimum/maximum basis, the date the offering will end,
any minimum purchase requirements, and any arrangements to place
the funds in an escrow, trust, or similar account. If you have
not made any of these arrangements, state this fact and describe
the effect on investors;
(9) Date of Prospectus. The date of the prospectus;
(10) Prospectus "Subject to Completion" Legend. If you use
the prospectus before the effective date of the registration
statement, a prominent statement that:
(i) The information in the prospectus will be amended or
completed;
(ii) A registration statement relating to these securities
has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission;
(iii) The securities may not be sold until the
registration statement becomes effective; and
(iv) The prospectus is not an offer to sell the securities
======END OF PAGE 56======
and it is not soliciting an offer to buy the securities in any
state where offers or sales are not permitted. The legend may be
in the following or other clear, plain language:
The information in this prospectus is
not complete and may be changed. We may not
sell these securities until the registration
statement filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission is effective. This
prospectus is not an offer to sell these
securities and it is not soliciting an offer
to buy these securities in any state where
the offer or sale is not permitted.
(11) If you use 230.430A of this chapter to omit pricing
information and the prospectus is used before you determine the
public offering price, the information and legend in paragraph
(b)(10) of this section.
10. By revising 229.502 to read as follows:
229.502 (Item 502) Inside Front and Outside Back Cover Pages of
Prospectus.
The registrant must furnish this information in plain
English. See 230.421(d) of Regulation C of this chapter.
(a) Table of Contents. On either the inside front or
outside back cover page of the prospectus, provide a reasonably
detailed table of contents. It must show the page number of the
various sections or subdivisions of the prospectus. Include a
specific listing of the risk factors section required by Item 503
of this Regulation S-K (17 CFR 229.503). You must include the
table of contents immediately following the cover page in any
prospectus you deliver electronically.
(b) Dealer Prospectus Delivery Obligation. On the outside
======END OF PAGE 57======
back cover page of the prospectus, advise dealers of their
prospectus delivery obligation, including the expiration date
specified by Section 4(3) of the Securities Act (15 U.S.C.
77d(3)) and 230.174 of this chapter. If you do not know the
expiration date on the effective date of the registration
statement, include the expiration date in the copy of the
prospectus you file under 230.424(b) of this chapter. You do
not have to include this information if dealers are not required
to deliver a prospectus under 230.174 of this chapter or Section
24(d) of the Investment Company Act (15 U.S.C. 80a-24). You may
use the following or other clear, plain language:
Dealer Prospectus Delivery Obligation
Until (insert date), all dealers that effect
transactions in these securities, whether or
not participating in this offering, may be
required to deliver a prospectus. This is in
addition to the dealers' obligation to
deliver a prospectus when acting as
underwriters and with respect to their unsold
allotments or subscriptions.
11. By revising 229.503 to read as follows:
229.503 (Item 503) Prospectus Summary, Risk Factors, and
Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges.
The registrant must furnish this information in plain
English. See 230.421(d) of Regulation C of this chapter.
(a) Prospectus Summary. Provide a summary of the
information in the prospectus where the length or complexity of
the prospectus makes a summary useful. The summary should be
brief. The summary should not contain, and is not required to
contain, all of the detailed information in the prospectus. If
======END OF PAGE 58======
you provide summary business or financial information, even if
you do not caption it as a summary, you still must provide that
information in plain English.
Instruction to paragraph 503(a).
The summary should not merely repeat the text of the
prospectus but should provide a brief overview of the key aspects
of the offering. Carefully consider and identify those aspects
of the offering that are the most significant and determine how
best to highlight those points in clear, plain language.
(b) Address and Telephone Number. Include, either on the
cover page or in the summary section of the prospectus, the
complete mailing address and telephone number of your principal
executive offices.
(c) Risk Factors. Where appropriate, provide under the
caption "Risk Factors" a discussion of the most significant
factors that make the offering speculative or risky. This
discussion must be concise and organized logically. Do not
present risks that could apply to any issuer or any offering.
Explain how the risk affects the issuer or the securities being
offered. Set forth each risk factor under a subcaption that
adequately describes the risk. The risk factor discussion must
immediately follow the summary section. If you do not include a
summary section, the risk factor section must immediately follow
the cover page of the prospectus or the pricing information
section that immediately follows the cover page. Pricing
information means price and price-related information that you
======END OF PAGE 59======
may omit from the prospectus in an effective registration
statement based on 230.430A(a) of this chapter. The risk
factors may include, among other things, the following:
(1) Your lack of an operating history;
(2) Your lack of profitable operations in recent
periods;
(3) Your financial position;
(4) Your business or proposed business; or
(5) The lack of a market for your common equity securities
or securities convertible into or exercisable for common equity
securities.
(d) Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges. If you register
debt securities, show a ratio of earnings to fixed charges. If
you register preference equity securities, show the ratio of
combined fixed charges and preference dividends to earnings.
Present the ratio for each of the last five fiscal years and the
latest interim period for which financial statements are
presented in the document. If you will use the proceeds from the
sale of debt or preference securities to repay any of your
outstanding debt or to retire other securities and the change in
the ratio would be ten percent or greater, you must include a
ratio showing the application of the proceeds, commonly referred
to as the pro forma ratio.
Instructions to paragraph 503(d)
1. Definitions. In calculating the ratio of earnings to
fixed charges, you must use the following definitions:
======END OF PAGE 60======
(A) Fixed charges. The term "fixed charges" means the sum
of the following: (a) interest expensed and capitalized, (b)
amortized premiums, discounts and capitalized expenses related to
indebtedness, (c) an estimate of the interest within rental
expense, and (d) preference security dividend requirements of
consolidated subsidiaries.
(B) Preference security dividend. The term "preference
security dividend" is the amount of pre-tax earnings that is
required to pay the dividends on outstanding preference
securities. The dividend requirement must be computed as the
amount of the dividend divided by (1 minus the effective income
tax rate applicable to continuing operations).
(C) Earnings. The term "earnings" is the amount resulting
from adding and subtracting the following items. Add the
following: (a) pretax income from continuing operations before
adjustment for minority interests in consolidated subsidiaries or
income or loss from equity investees, (b) fixed charges, (c)
amortization of capitalized interest, (d) distributed income of
equity investees, and (e) your share of pre-tax losses of equity
investees for which charges arising from guarantees are included
in fixed charges. From the total of the added items, subtract
the following: (a) interest capitalized, (b) preference security
dividend requirements of consolidated subsidiaries, and (c) the
minority interest in pre-tax income of subsidiaries that have not
incurred fixed charges. Equity investees are investments that
you account for using the equity method of accounting. Public
======END OF PAGE 61======
utilities following SFAS 71 should not add amortization of
capitalized interest in determining earnings, nor reduce fixed
charges by any allowance for funds used during construction.
2. Disclosure. Disclose the following information when
showing the ratio of earnings to fixed charges:
(A) Deficiency. If a ratio indicates less than one-to-one
coverage, disclose the dollar amount of the deficiency.
(B) Pro forma ratio. You may show the pro forma ratio only
for the most recent fiscal year and the latest interim period.
Use the net change in interest or dividends from the refinancing
to calculate the pro forma ratio.
(C) Foreign private issuers. A foreign private issuer must
show the ratio based on the figures in the primary financial
statement. A foreign private issuer must show the ratio based on
the figures resulting from the reconciliation to U.S. generally
accepted accounting principles if this ratio is materially
different.
(D) Summary Section. If you provide a summary or similar
section in the prospectus, show the ratios in that section.
3. Exhibit. File an exhibit to the registration statement
to show the figures used to calculate the ratios. See paragraph
(b)(12) of Item 601 of Regulation S-K (17 CFR 229.601(b)(12)).
12. By amending 229.508 by revising paragraphs (e) and (l)
to read as follows:
229.508 (Item 508) Plan of distribution.
======END OF PAGE 62======
* * * * *
(e) Underwriter's compensation. Provide a table that sets
out the nature of the compensation and the amount of discounts
and commissions to be paid to the underwriter for each security
and in total. The table must show the separate amounts to be
paid by the company and the selling shareholders. In addition,
include in the table all other items considered by the National
Association of Securities Dealers to be underwriting compensation
for purposes of that Association's Rules of Fair Practice.
Instructions to paragraph 508(e)
1. The term "commissions" is defined in paragraph (17) of
Schedule A of the Securities Act. Show separately in the table
the cash commissions paid by the registrant and selling security
holders. Also show in the table commissions paid by other
persons. Disclose any finder's fee or similar payments in the
table.
2. Disclose the offering expenses specified in Item 511 of
Regulation S-K (17 CFR 229.511).
3. If the underwriter has any arrangement with the issuer,
such as an over-allotment option, under which the underwriter may
purchase additional shares in connection with the offering,
indicate that this arrangement exists and state the amount of
additional shares that the underwriter may purchase under the
arrangement. Where the underwriter has such an arrangement,
present maximum-minimum information in a separate column to the
table, based on the purchase of all or none of the shares subject
======END OF PAGE 63======
to the arrangement. Describe the key terms of the arrangement in
the narrative.
* * * * *
(l) Stabilization and other transactions. (1) Briefly
describe any transaction that the underwriter intends to conduct
during the offering that stabilizes, maintains, or otherwise
affects the market price of the offered securities. Include
information on stabilizing transactions, syndicate short covering
transactions, penalty bids, or any other transaction that affects
the offered security's price. Describe the nature of the
transactions clearly and explain how the transactions affect the
offered security's price. Identify the exchange or other market
on which these transactions may occur. If true, disclose that
the underwriter may discontinue these transactions at any time;
(2) If the stabilizing began before the effective date of
the registration statement, disclose the amount of securities
bought, the prices at which they were bought and the period
within which they were bought. If you use 230.430A of this
chapter, the prospectus you file under 230.424(b) of this
chapter or include in a post-effective amendment must contain
information on the stabilizing transactions that took place
before the determination of the public offering price; and
(3) If you are making a warrants or rights offering of
securities to existing security holders and any securities not
purchased by existing security holders are to be reoffered to the
public, disclose in a supplement to the prospectus or in the
======END OF PAGE 64======
prospectus used in connection with the reoffering:
(i) The amount of securities bought in stabilization
activities during the offering period and the price or range of
prices at which the securities were bought;
(ii) The amount of the offered securities subscribed for
during the offering period;
(iii) The amount of the offered securities subscribed
for by the underwriter during the offering period;
(iv) The amount of the offered securities sold during the
offering period by the underwriter and the price or price ranges
at which the securities were sold; and
(v) The amount of the offered securities that will be
reoffered to the public and the public offering price.
PART 230 - GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS, SECURITIES ACT OF
1933
13. The general authority citation for Part 230 is revised
to read as follows:
Authority: 15 U.S.C. 77b, 77f, 77g, 77h, 77j, 77s, 77sss,
78c, 78d, 78l, 78m, 78n, 78o, 78w, 78ll(d), 79t, 80a-8, 80a-24,
80a-29, 80a-30, and 80a-37, unless otherwise noted.
* * * * *
14. By amending 230.421 by revising paragraph (b) and
adding paragraph (d) to read as follows:
======END OF PAGE 65======
230.421 Presentation of information in prospectuses.
* * * * *
(b) You must present the information in a prospectus in a
clear, concise and understandable manner. You must prepare the
prospectus using the following standards:
(1) Present information in clear, concise sections,
paragraphs, and sentences. Whenever possible, use short,
explanatory sentences and bullet lists;
(2) Use descriptive headings and subheadings;
(3) Avoid frequent reliance on glossaries or defined terms
as the primary means of explaining information in the prospectus.
Define terms in a glossary or other section of the document only
if the meaning is unclear from the context. Use a glossary only
if it facilitates understanding of the disclosure; and
(4) Avoid legal and highly technical business terminology.
Note to 230.421(b):
In drafting the disclosure to comply with this section, you
should avoid the following:
1. Legalistic or overly complex presentations that make
the substance of the disclosure difficult to understand;
2. Vague "boilerplate" explanations that are imprecise and
readily subject to different interpretations;
3. Complex information copied directly from legal
======END OF PAGE 66======
documents without any clear and concise explanation of the
provision(s); and
4. Disclosure repeated in different sections of the
document that increases the size of the document but does not
enhance the quality of the information.
* * * * *
(d)(1) To enhance the readability of the prospectus, you
must use plain English principles in the organization, language,
and design of the front and back cover pages, the summary, and
the risk factors section.
(2) You must draft the language in these sections so that
at a minimum it substantially complies with each of the following
plain English writing principles:
(i) Short sentences;
(ii) Definite, concrete, everyday words;
(iii) Active voice;
(iv) Tabular presentation or bullet lists for complex
material, whenever possible;
(v) No legal jargon or highly technical business
terms; and
(vi) No multiple negatives.
(3) In designing these sections or other sections of the
prospectus, you may include pictures, logos, charts, graphs, or
other design elements so long as the design is not misleading and
the required information is clear. You are encouraged to use
tables, schedules, charts and graphic illustrations of the
======END OF PAGE 67======
results of operations, balance sheet, or other financial data
that present the data in an understandable manner. Any
presentation must be consistent with the financial statements and
non-financial information in the prospectus. You must draw the
graphs and charts to scale. Any information you provide must not
be misleading.
Instruction to 230.421
You should read Securities Act Release No. 33-7497 (January
28, 1998) for information on plain English principles.
15. By revising paragraph (b)(1) of 230.461 to read as
follows.
230.461 Acceleration of effective date.
* * * * *
(b) * * *
(1) Where there has not been a bona fide effort to make the
prospectus reasonably concise, readable, and in compliance with
the plain English requirements of Rule 421(d) of Regulation C (17
CFR 230.421(d)) in order to facilitate an understanding of the
information in the prospectus.
* * * * *
16. Revise 230.481 to read as follows:
230.481 Information required in prospectuses.
Disclose the following in registration statements prepared
on a form available solely to investment companies registered
======END OF PAGE 68======
under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or in registration
statements filed under the Act for a company that has elected to
be regulated as a business development company under Sections 55
through 65 of the Investment Company Act (15 U.S.C. 80a-54 - 80a-
64):
(a) Facing Page. Indicate the approximate date of the
proposed sale of the securities to the public.
(b) Outside Front Cover Page. If applicable, include the
following in plain English as required by 230.421(d):
(1) Commission Legend. Provide a legend that indicates
that the Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or
disapproved of the securities or passed upon the accuracy or
adequacy of the disclosure in the prospectus and that any
contrary representation is a criminal offense. The legend may be
in one of the following or other clear and concise language:
Example A: The Securities and Exchange Commission has
not approved or disapproved these securities or
passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any
representation to the contrary is a criminal
offense.
Example B: The Securities and Exchange Commission has
not approved or disapproved these securities or
determined if this prospectus is truthful or
complete. Any representation to the contrary is a
criminal offense.
(2) "Subject to Completion" Legend.
(i) If a prospectus or Statement of Additional Information
will be used before the effective date of the registration
statement, include on the outside front cover page of the
prospectus or Statement of Additional Information, a prominent
======END OF PAGE 69======
statement that:
(A) The information in the prospectus or Statement of
Additional Information will be amended or completed;
(B) A registration statement relating to these securities
has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission;
(C) The securities may not be sold until the registration
statement becomes effective; and
(D) In a prospectus, that the prospectus is not an offer to
sell the securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy the
securities in any state where offers or sales are not permitted,
or in a Statement of Additional Information, that the Statement
of Additional Information is not a prospectus.
(ii) The legend may be in the following language or other
clear and understandable language:
The information in this prospectus (or Statement of
Additional Information) is not complete and may be
changed. We may not sell these securities until the
registration statement filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus (or
Statement of Additional Information) is not an offer to
sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to
buy these securities in any state where the offer or
sale is not permitted.
(iii) In the case of a prospectus that omits pricing
information under 230.430A, provide the information and legend
in paragraph (b)(2) of this section if the prospectus or
Statement of Additional Information is used before the initial
public offering price is determined.
(c) Table of Contents. Include on either the outside
front, inside front, or outside back cover page of the
======END OF PAGE 70======
prospectus, a reasonably detailed table of contents. It must
show the page number of the various sections or subdivisions of
the prospectus. Include this table of contents immediately
following the cover page in any prospectus delivered
electronically.
(d) Stabilization and Other Transactions. (1) Indicate on
the front cover page of the prospectus if the underwriter has any
arrangement with the issuer, such as an over-allotment option,
under which the underwriter may purchase additional shares in
connection with the offering, and state the amount of additional
shares the underwriter may purchase under the arrangement.
Provide disclosure in the prospectus that briefly describes any
transaction that the underwriter intends to conduct during the
offering that stabilizes, maintains, or otherwise affects the
market price of the offered securities. Include information on
stabilizing transactions, syndicate short covering transactions,
penalty bids, or any other transactions that affect the offered
security's price. Describe the nature of the transactions
clearly and explain how the transactions affect the offered
security's price. Identify the exchange or other market on which
these transactions may occur. If true, disclose that the
underwriter may discontinue these transactions at any time;
(2) If the stabilizing began before the effective date of
the registration statement, disclose in the prospectus the amount
of securities bought, the prices at which they were bought and
the period within which they were bought. In the event that
======END OF PAGE 71======
230.430A of this chapter is used, the prospectus filed under
230.497(h) or included in a post-effective amendment must
contain information on the stabilizing transactions that took
place before the determination of the public offering price shown
in the prospectus; and
(3) If you are making a warrant or rights offering of
securities to existing security holders and the securities not
purchased by existing security holders are to be reoffered to the
public, disclose in the prospectus used in connection with the
reoffering:
(i) The amount of securities bought in stabilization
activities during the offering period and the price or range of
prices at which the securities were bought;
(ii) The amount of the offered securities subscribed for
during the offering period;
(iii) The amount of the offered securities subscribed
for by the underwriters during the offering period;
(iv) The amount of the offered securities sold during the
offering period by the underwriters and the price or range of
prices at which the securities were sold; and
(v) The amount of the offered securities to be reoffered to
the public and the public offering price.
(e) Dealer Prospectus Delivery Obligations. On the outside
back cover page of the prospectus, advise dealers of their
prospectus delivery obligation, including the expiration date
specified by Section 4(3) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 77d(3)) and
======END OF PAGE 72======
230.174. If the expiration date is not known on the effective
date of the registration statement, include the expiration date
in the copy of the prospectus filed under 230.497. This
information need not be included if dealers are not required to
deliver a prospectus under 230.174 or Section 24(d) of the
Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-24). Use the
following or other clear, plain language:
Dealer Prospectus Delivery Obligation
Until (insert date), all dealers that effect
transactions in these securities, whether or not
participating in this offering, may be required to
deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the
dealers' obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting
as underwriters and with respect to their unsold
allotments or subscriptions.
(f) Electronic Distribution. Where a prospectus is
distributed through an electronic medium, issuers may satisfy
legibility requirements applicable to printed documents, such as
paper size, type size and font, bold-face type, italics and red
ink, by presenting all required information in a format readily
communicated to investors, and where indicated, in a manner
reasonably calculated to draw investor attention to specific
information.
PART 239 - FORMS PRESCRIBED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
17. The authority citation for Part 239 continues to read
in part as follows:
Authority: 15 U.S.C. 77f, 77g, 77h, 77j, 77s, 77z-2, 77sss,
78c, 78l, 78m, 78n, 78o(d), 78u-5, 78w(a), 78ll(d), 79e, 79f,
79g, 79j, 79l, 79m, 79n, 79q, 79t, 80a-8, 80a-29, 80a-30 and 80a-
======END OF PAGE 73======
37, unless otherwise noted.
* * * * *
18. By amending Form S-2 (referenced in 239.12), Item 12
to add paragraph (d) to read as follows:
[Note: The text of Form S-2 does not, and this amendment
will not, appear in the Code of Federal Regulations]
FORM S-2
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
* * * * *
Item 12. Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference.
* * * * *
(d)(1) You must state (i) that you will provide to each
person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a prospectus is
delivered, a copy of any or all of the information that has been
incorporated by reference in the prospectus but not delivered
with the prospectus;
(ii) that you will provide this information upon written or
oral request;
(iii) that you will provide this information at no cost to
the requester; and
(iv) the name, address, and telephone number to which the
request for this information must be made.
Note to Item 12(d)(1)
If you send any of the information that is incorporated by
reference in the prospectus to security holders, you also must
======END OF PAGE 74======
send any exhibits that are specifically incorporated by reference
in that information.
(2) You must (i) identify the reports and other information
that you file with the SEC; and
(ii) state that the public may read and copy any materials
you file with the SEC at the SEC's Public Reference Room at 450
Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549. State that the
public may obtain information on the operation of the Public
Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. If you are
an electronic filer, state that the SEC maintains an Internet
site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and
other information regarding issuers that file electronically with
the SEC and state the address of that site (http://www.sec.gov).
You are encouraged to give your Internet address, if available.
* * * * *
19. By amending Form S-3 (referenced in 239.13) Item 12 to
add paragraph (c) before the instruction to read as follows:
[Note: The text of Form S-3 does not, and this amendment
will not, appear in the Code of Federal Regulations]
FORM S-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
* * * * *
Item 12. Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference.
* * * * *
======END OF PAGE 75======
(c)(1) You must state (i) that you will provide to each
person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a prospectus is
delivered, a copy of any or all of the information that has been
incorporated by reference in the prospectus but not delivered
with the prospectus;
(ii) that you will provide this information upon written or
oral request;
(iii) that you will provide this information at no cost to
the requester; and
(iv) the name, address, and telephone number to which the
request for this information must be made.
Note to Item 12(c)(1)
If you send any of the information that is incorporated by
reference in the prospectus to security holders, you also must
send any exhibits that are specifically incorporated by reference
in that information.
(2) You must (i) identify the reports and other information
that you file with the SEC; and
(ii) state that the public may read and copy any materials
you file with the SEC at the SEC's Public Reference Room at 450
Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549. State that the
public may obtain information on the operation of the Public
Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. If you are
an electronic filer, state that the SEC maintains an Internet
======END OF PAGE 76======
site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and
other information regarding issuers that file electronically with
the SEC and state the address of that site (http://www.sec.gov).
You are encouraged to give your Internet address, if available.
* * * * *
20. By amending Form S-20 (referenced in 239.20) to revise
the reference in Item 1 "Item 502(f) of Regulation S-K
[229.502(f) of this chapter]" to read "Item 101(g) of Regulation
S-K [229.101(g) of this chapter]."
[Note: The text of Form S-20 does not, and this amendment
will not, appear in the Code of Federal Regulations]
21. By amending Form S-4 (referenced in 239.25) to revise
Item 2 and adding paragraph (c) to Item 11 and paragraph (d) to
Item 13 to read as follows:
[Note: The text of Form S-4 does not, and this amendment
will not, appear in the Code of Federal Regulations]
FORM S-4
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
* * * * *
Item 2. Inside Front and Outside Back Cover Pages of
Prospectus.
Provide the information required by Item 502 of Regulation S-
K. In addition, on the inside front cover page, you must state
(1) that the prospectus incorporates important business and
financial information about the company that is not included in
======END OF PAGE 77======
or delivered with the document; and
(2) that this information is available without charge to
security holders upon written or oral request. Give the name,
address, and telephone number to which security holders must make
this request. In addition, you must state that to obtain timely
delivery, security holders must request the information no later
than five business days before the date they must make their
investment decision. Specify the date by which security holders
must request this information. You must highlight this statement
by print type or otherwise.
Note to Item 2.
If you send any of the information that is incorporated by
reference in the prospectus to security holders, you also must
send any exhibits that are specifically incorporated by reference
in that information.
* * * * *
Item 11. Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference.
* * * * *
(c) You must (1) identify the reports and other information
that you file with the SEC; and
(2) state that the public may read and copy any materials
you file with the SEC at the SEC's Public Reference Room at 450
Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549. State that the
public may obtain information on the operation of the Public
Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. If you are
an electronic filer, state that the SEC maintains an Internet
======END OF PAGE 78======
site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and
other information regarding issuers that file electronically with
the SEC and state the address of that site (http://www.sec.gov).
You are encouraged to give your Internet address, if available.
* * * * *
Item 13. Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference.
* * * * *
(d) You must (1) identify the reports and other information
that you file with the SEC; and
(2) state that the public may read and copy any materials
you file with the SEC at the SEC's Public Reference Room at 450
Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549. State that the
public may obtain information on the operation of the Public
Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. If you are
an electronic filer, state that the SEC maintains an Internet
site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and
other information regarding issuers that file electronically with
the SEC and state the address of that site (http://www.sec.gov).
You are encouraged to give your Internet address, if available.
* * * * *
22. By amending Form F-2 (referenced in 239.32) to revise
Item 12 to read as follows:
[Note: The text of Form F-2 does not, and this amendment
will not, appear in the Code of Federal Regulations]
FORM F-2
======END OF PAGE 79======
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
* * * * *
Item 12. Information with respect to the Registrant.
(a) You must state (1) that you will provide to each
person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a prospectus is
delivered, a copy of any or all of the information that has been
incorporated by reference in the prospectus but not delivered
with the prospectus;
(2) that you will provide this information upon written or
oral request;
(3) that you will provide this information at no cost to the
requester; and
(4) the name, address, and telephone number to which the
request for this information must be made.
Note to Item 12(a)
If you send any of the information that is incorporated by
reference in the prospectus to security holders, you also must
send any exhibits that are specifically incorporated by reference
in that information.
(b) You must (1) identify the reports and other information
that you file with the SEC; and
(2) state that the public may read and copy any materials
you file with the SEC at the SEC's Public Reference Room at 450
======END OF PAGE 80======
Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549. State that the
public may obtain information on the operation of the Public
Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. If you are
an electronic filer, state that the SEC maintains an Internet
site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and
other information regarding issuers that file electronically with
the SEC and state the address of that site (http://www.sec.gov).
You are encouraged to give your Internet address, if available.
* * * * *
23. By amending Form F-3 (referenced in 239.33) by adding
paragraphs (d) and (e) to Item 12 before the instruction to read
as follows:
[Note: The text of Form F-3 does not, and this amendment
will not, appear in the Code of Federal Regulations]
FORM F-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
* * * * *
Item 12. Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference.
* * * * *
(d) You must state (1) that you will provide to each
person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a prospectus is
delivered, a copy of any or all of the information that has been
incorporated by reference in the prospectus but not delivered
with the prospectus;
(2) that you will provide this information upon written or
======END OF PAGE 81======
oral request;
(3) that you will provide this information at no cost to the
requester; and
(4) the name, address, and telephone number to which the
request for this information must be made.
Note to Item 12(d)
If you send any of the information that is incorporated by
reference in the prospectus to security holders, you also must
send any exhibits that are specifically incorporated by reference
in that information.
(e) You must (1) identify the reports and other information
that you file with the SEC; and
(2) state that the public may read and copy any materials
you file with the SEC at the SEC's Public Reference Room at 450
Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549. State that the
public may obtain information on the operation of the Public
Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. If you are
an electronic filer, state that the SEC maintains an Internet
site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and
other information regarding issuers that file electronically with
the SEC and state the address of that site (http://www.sec.gov).
You are encouraged to give your Internet address, if available.
* * * * *
24. By amending Form F-4 (referenced in 239.34) to revise
Item 2 and add paragraph (b) to Item 11 and paragraph (c) to Item
======END OF PAGE 82======
13 to read as follows:
[Note: The text of Form F-4 does not, and this amendment
will not, appear in the Code of Federal Regulations]
FORM F-4
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
* * * * *
Item 2. Inside Front and Outside Back Cover Pages of
Prospectus.
Provide the information required by Item 502 of Regulation S-
K. In addition, on the inside front cover page, you must state
(1) that the prospectus incorporates important business and
financial information about the company that is not included in
or delivered with the document; and
(2) that this information is available without charge to
security holders upon written or oral request. Give the name,
address, and telephone number to which security holders must make
this request. In addition, you must state that to obtain timely
delivery, security holders must request the information no later
than five business days before the date they must make their
investment decision. Specify the date by which security holders
must request this information. You must highlight this statement
by print type or otherwise.
======END OF PAGE 83======
Note to Item 2.
If you send any of the information that is incorporated by
reference in the prospectus to security holders, you also must
send any exhibits that are specifically incorporated by reference
in that information.
* * * * *
Item 11. Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference.
* * * * *
(b) You must (1) identify the reports and other information
that you file with the SEC; and
(2) state that the public may read and copy any materials
you file with the SEC at the SEC's Public Reference Room at 450
Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549. State that the
public may obtain information on the operation of the Public
Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. If you are
an electronic filer, state that the SEC maintains an Internet
site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and
other information regarding issuers that file electronically with
the SEC and state the address of that site (http://www.sec.gov).
You are encouraged to give your Internet address, if available.
* * * * *
Item 13. Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference.
======END OF PAGE 84======
* * * * *
(c) You must (1) identify the reports and other information
that you file with the SEC; and
(2) state that the public may read and copy any materials
you file with the SEC at the SEC's Public Reference Room at 450
Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549. State that the
public may obtain information on the operation of the Public
Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. If you are
an electronic filer, state that the SEC maintains an Internet
site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and
other information regarding issuers that file electronically with
the SEC and state the address of that site (http://www.sec.gov).
You are encouraged to give your Internet address, if available.
* * * * *
PART 274 - FORMS PRESCRIBED UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF
1940
25. The authority citation for Part 274 continues to read
as follows:
======END OF PAGE 85======
Authority: 15 U.S.C. 77f, 77g, 77h, 77j, 77s, 78c(b), 78l,
78m, 78n, 78o(d), 80a-8, 80a-24, and 80a-29, unless otherwise
noted.
26. Amend Form N-2 (referenced in 274.11a-1) to revise
Item 2, Item 3, and Item 14 to read as follows:
[Note: The text of Form N-2 does not, and this amendment
will not, appear in the Code of Federal Regulations.]
FORM N-2
* * * * *
Item 2. Cover Pages; Other Offering Information
1. Disclose whether any national securities exchange or
the Nasdaq Stock Market lists the securities offered, naming the
particular market(s), and identify the trading symbol(s) for
those securities, on the inside front or outside back cover page
of the prospectus unless the information appears on the front
cover page.
2. Provide the information required by paragraph (d) of
Rule 481 under the Securities Act [17 CFR 230.481(d)] in an
appropriate place in the prospectus.
3. Provide the information required by paragraph (e) of
Rule 481 under the Securities Act [17 CFR 230, 481(d)] on the
outside back cover page of the prospectus.
Item 3. Fee Table and Synopsis
* * * * *
======END OF PAGE 86======
3. In the case of a business development company, include the
information required by Item 101(e) of Regulation S-K [17 CFR
229.101(e)] (concerning reports and other information filed with
the SEC).
* * * * *
Item 14. Cover Page
1. The outside cover page must contain the following
information:
* * * * *
(e) the statement required by paragraph (b)(2) of Rule 481
under the Securities Act [17 CFR 230.481(b)(2)].
* * * * *
By the Commission.
Jonathan G. Katz
Secretary
January 28, 1998
_______________________________
1 17 CFR 230.421.
2 17 CFR 230.461.
3 17 CFR 230.481.
4 17 CFR 230.400 et seq.
5 17 CFR 229.101.
6 17 CFR 229.501.
7 17 CFR 229.502.
8 17 CFR 229.503.
9 17 CFR 229.508.
10 17 CFR 229.10 et seq.
11 17 CFR 228.10 et seq.
======END OF PAGE 87======
12 17 CFR 239.12.
13 17 CFR 239.13.
14 17 CFR 239.25.
15 17 CFR 239.20.
16 17 CFR 239.32.
17 17 CFR 239.33.
18 17 CFR 239.34.
19 17 CFR 239.14.
20 We proposed this package of rules in January 1997. See
Release No. 33- 7380 (January 14, 1997), 62 FR 3512 (January
21, 1997).
21 15 U.S.C. 77a et seq.
22 15 U.S.C. 78a et seq.
23 See the Forms 10-Q of Pfizer, Inc. (File No. 1-3619) for
fiscal 1997.
24 See the 1996 Form 10-K filed by Baltimore Gas and Electric
Company (File No. 1-1910) and the Boddie-Noell Properties, Inc.
registration statement filed December 2, 1997 (File No. 333-
39803).
25 See Securities Act Release No. 6900 (June 17, 1991).
26 Rule 421(c), 17 CFR 230.421(c).
27 Item 501 of Regulation S-K, 17 CFR 229.501, and Item 501 of
Regulation S-B, 17 CFR 228.501.
28 The North American Securities Administrators Association,
Inc.'s Disclosure Reform Task Force recommended that the
suggested legend include a reference to the state securities
commissions. We have changed the legend to reflect this
suggestion.
29 See Securities Act Release No. 6900 for our interpretive
advice on limited partnership offerings.
30 Item 502 of Regulation S-K, 17 CFR 229.502, and Item 502 of
Regulation S-B, 17 CFR 228.502.
31 We are also amending Forms S-2, S-3, S-4, F-2, F-3, and F-4.
======END OF PAGE 88======
Along with the list of reports incorporated by reference, you
will include information on (1) how investors may obtain a copy
of these reports, and (2) how they may obtain copies of the
other reports you file with the SEC.
32 Item 503 of Regulation S-K, 17 CFR 229.503, and Item 503 of
Regulation S-B, 17 CFR 228.503.
33 See the amendments to Rule 481 under Regulation C, 17 CFR
230.481.
34 The proposed amendments to Form N-1A are included in
Investment Company Act Release No. 22528 (February 27, 1997) and
the proposed profile rule is in Investment Company Act Release
No. 22529 (February 27, 1997).
35 We are also adopting amendments to Rule 481 to require plain
English legends in fund prospectuses.
36 The Commission proposed to allow mutual funds a transition
period of six months after the effective date of the proposed
rules before they would need to comply with the new prospectus
disclosure requirements. See Investment Company Act Release
Nos. 22528 and 22529 (February 27, 1997).
37 If you file a registration statement under Rule 462(b), you
must comply with new requirements only if they applied to
the earlier offering.
38 15 U.S.C. 77j(a)(3).
39 You may read and copy the comment letters and the staff's
summary of these letters in our Public Reference Room at 450
Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549. Ask for File No. S7-
3-97.
40 For example, see the Investment Company Institute's comment
letter, dated March 24, 1997.
41 See Gould v. American Hawaiian Steamship Company, 331 F.
Supp. 981 (D. Del. 1971); Kohn v. American Metal Climax, Inc.,
322 F. Supp. 1331 (E.D. Pa. 1970), modified, 458 F.2d 255 (3d
Cir. 1972).
42 See Rule 461 of Regulation C, 17 CFR 230.461.
43 PSA The Bond Market Trade Association, in their comment
letter dated March 24, 1997, for example, estimated that costs
"could increase by up to 50 percent."
44 For example, one participant indicated that they spent 12
percent less time answering investors' questions, while another
======END OF PAGE 89======
spent 20 percent less time.
45 Four of the six participants spent 10 percent longer; the
initial public offering issuer spent 15 percent longer; and one
participant took "significantly longer." For the participant
that took significantly longer, we received two estimates_one
from the company of 75 percent longer and one from the firm's
legal counsel of 200 percent longer.
46 This estimate is based on responses to a survey of nine
plain English pilot program participants and on a summary of the
results of an informal survey of pilot participants conducted by
the American Society of Corporate Secretaries. See Public
Comment letter dated March 24, 1997.
47 The Division of Corporation Finance collected Item 511 of
Regulation S-K expense information from approximately 1500
registration statements filed between January 1 and December 31,
1995. Assuming legal costs averaged $150/hour and accounting
costs averaged $75/hour, the survey indicates that approximately
48 percent of burden hours are for legal and technical writing,
while 52 percent are accounting-related. Because the rule and
amendments apply predominately to legal and technical writing, we
apply the increased burden to those hours.
48 We do not anticipate that the plain English requirements
will change the burden hours or cost for preparing Form N-2.
Consequently, we do not include Form N-2 in the table.
49 We anticipate that some firms will comply, in part, with the
plain English requirements using in-house counsel, which will
lower hourly costs.
50 In 1997, registrants filed 7,531 filings. At $7,200 per
filing, the total increase in cost would be approximately $54
million.
51 Four of the six participants believed that once they
developed plain English formats, it would take them less time to
write a document in plain English than in the conventional
language. One participant predicted that writing documents in
plain English would require no additional time after the initial
effort. The other participant did not comment directly.
52 These estimates are based on the number of such filings made
in calendar year 1997.
53 See American Society of Corporate Secretaries Public Comment
letter dated March 24, 1997.
54 See Baltimore Gas and Electric Company Public Comment letter
dated March 26, 1997.
======END OF PAGE 90======
55 One of the six participants indicated that writing in plain
English shortened their document by 5 percent; one by 10 to 15
percent; one by 15 percent; and one by 35 percent.
Interestingly, the pilot participant who spent 75 percent more
time on its plain English prospectus shortened its prospectus the
largest amount_35 percent. One found no appreciable difference,
and one estimated that plain English increased document length by
one percent.
56 The staff randomly selected prospectuses filed in 1997 to
estimate document length.
57 The Division of Corporation Finance collected Item 511 of
Regulation S-K expense information from approximately 1500
registration statements filed between January 1 and December 31,
1995. Printing expenses averaged $63,200 per filing. Assuming
five-percent cost savings, public companies would save $3,160 per
filing or a total of about $24 million in printing and mailing
costs on 7,531 filings per year.
58 See Report of the Task Force on Disclosure Simplification
(March 1996).
59 Securities Act Release No. 33-7380.
60 A summary of comments is available, along with the comment
letters, in Public File No. S7-3-97. The file is available for
inspection and copying in the Commission's Public Reference Room,
450 Fifth Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549.
61 17 CFR 230.157.
62 17 CFR 240.0-10.
63 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.
64 Regulations S-K, S-B, and C do not impose reporting burdens
directly on public companies. For administrative convenience,
each of these regulations is currently assigned one burden hour.
The burden hours imposed by the disclosure regulations are
currently included in the estimates for the forms that refer to
the regulations.
65 Regulations S-K and S-B will continue to show an estimated
burden hour of one.
======END OF PAGE 91======