Final Report of SEC Government-Business Forum

The final report from the Forum session held last fall in Austin, Texas was recently published.  The recommendations were consistent with those of prior such gatherings. We summarize the principal recommendations.  First, the Forum recommends amendment of the accredited investor definition in order to expand the categories of qualification to include, regardless of net worth or net income, certain persons holding FINRA licenses or CPA or CFA designations, knowledgeable employees, and persons that have passed a sophistication test.  Second, the Forum recommends amendments to Regulation A to mandate blue sky preemption for secondary trading of Regulation A Tier 2 securities, allow at-the-market offerings, allow reporting companies to use Regulation A, increase the offering threshold to $75 million, and require portals conducting Regulation A offerings to be registered.  Third, the Forum notes that the SEC ought to lead a joint effort with FINRA to provide clear guidance to participants in Regulation Crowdfunding offerings.  Fourth, the Forum recommends various changes to Regulation Crowdfunding, including, among other things, raising the investor’s investment limitations and to increase the offering limit.  Fifth, the Forum recommends exempting small or intermittent finders from broker-dealer registration requirements.