Yesterday, each of Nasdaq, FINRA and NYSE released Regulatory Alerts highlighting concerns surrounding fraudulent activities in Small-Cap IPOs. Each of these alerts raises similar issues, highlights the importance of the Underwriter in the process, and stresses the obligations that Underwriters have as Gatekeepers in the IPO Process. Below is a link to each of these Alerts and some relevant excerpts from them.Continue Reading Nasdaq, FINRA and NYSE Issue Warnings of Small-Cap IPO Fraud

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (Nasdaq) both took action this month to provide issuers with much needed relief in response to the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We expect that these measures will provide needed flexibility to many issuers, especially smaller reporting companies who have recently experienced significant stock price volatility and are in need of capital.
Continue Reading Exchange Relief: NYSE Provides Partial Waiver for Shareholder Approval of PIPE Transactions; Nasdaq Provides Relief Regarding Continued Listing Requirements

On July 1, 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) approved, on an accelerated basis, proposed amendments to the listing rules of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) to require Nasdaq-listed companies to disclose annually any “compensation” or “other payment” provided by third parties to directors or director-nominees in connection with their candidacy or service on the company’s board of directors. These arrangements are referred to as “golden leash” arrangements and commonly occur when an activist stockholder compensates its nominee for service on the company’s board of directors based on achieving certain criteria that are important to the activist stockholder. The new rule, Nasdaq Rule 5250(b)(3) (the “Rule”), became effective July 31, 2016.
Continue Reading SEC Approves Nasdaq’s Proposed Rule on Third Party Payments to Directors and Director-Nominees – The “Golden Leash” Disclosure

On August 26, 2014, The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (“NASDAQ”) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) certain proposed amendments to the NASDAQ Stock Market Rules (the “Amendments”) to provide for, among other things, a new all-inclusive annual listing fee (the “All-Inclusive Annual Fee”).  The Amendments were effective upon the filing with the SEC; however, NASDAQ has designated that the Amendments will become operative on January 1, 2015.  Companies that become subject to the All-Inclusive Annual Fee will pay a single annual listing fee to cover various matters which had previously been subject to an annual fee and several other separate fees.  NASDAQ’s incorporation of the All-Inclusive Annual Fee into its fee structure is expected to simplify NASDAQ’s payment process as well as promote visibility into the costs associated with listing on NASDAQ.  NASDAQ also indicated that the All-Inclusive Annual Fee program will give NASDAQ greater visibility into its revenue and allow it to continue to invest in technology and other resources available to NASDAQ-listed companies.  As part of the Amendments, NASDAQ also modified certain listing fees and clarified certain provisions of the NASDAQ Stock Market Rules.
Continue Reading NASDAQ Proposes The Adoption Of A New All-Inclusive Annual Listing Fee