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Combatting the “Whisper” Leveling the Playing Field. 2001: A Lousy Year. Sarbanes-Oxley Act 2002. ● Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) ● Auditor Independence ● CEO and CFO Certification of Results ● Criminal Offenses for Fraud/Records Tampering. Breaking Up the Clubhouse.
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Sarbanes-Oxley Act 2002 ● Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) ● Auditor Independence ● CEO and CFO Certification of Results ● Criminal Offenses for Fraud/Records Tampering
Breaking Up the Clubhouse • Buy Side: Major mutual funds (Fidelity, Janus, Putnam etc.); public employee retirement systems; “Institutional Investors” • Sell Side: Investment firms (JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs); “Institutional Investors”
SEC Fair Disclosure • Regulation FD provides that when a company discloses “material” nonpublic information to certain individuals or entities — such as stock analysts or shareholders — the company must make public disclosure of that information. In this way, the new rule aims to promote the full-and-fair disclosure. • (Media Exempted)
Famous Mark Twain Quote "Never pick a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel."
Reg FD Pressure Points • CEO and CFO • Corporate Public Relations • Investor Relations • Corporate Legal • Corporate Finance • News Media
What Are The World’s Most Dangerous Questions? • “How’s Business?” • Selective Disclosure? • What is “Material?”
So What Is “Material?” • Any information that would prompt an investor to buy, sell or hold a company’s stock. • The SEC is on-guard for “selective disclosure of material information”
Did Apple benefit from (non)- disclosure of CEO Steve Jobs’ health problems?
Reg FD Violation? • Your publicly traded company reported four weeks ago…. • The Eugene Register Guard calls and asks: “What is the company’s guidance for the present quarter?” • You repeat what was contained in the quarterly release? (e.g. top line, bottom line, gross margin, cash) • Did you just violate SEC regulations?