Form 144 Must Now Be Filed Electronically

On June 3, 2022, the SEC adopted amendments to the EDGAR filing rules, including requiring the electronic filing of Form 144.  This is not something that I would normally blog about; however, as the change will directly impact securities counsel, it is worth a short explanation.  Also, since the original amendment to require the electronic filing of Form 144 was part of a proposed Rule 144 amendment that would have eliminated tacking in calculating the holding period for variable rate convertible instruments, it is definitely newsworthy.

Form 144

Rule 144 requires the filing of a Form 144 – Notice of Proposed Sale – by affiliates when the amount to be sold under Rule 144 by the affiliate during any three-month period exceeds 5,000 shares or units or has an aggregate sales price in excess of $50,000.  A person filing a Form 144 must have a bona fide intention to sell the securities referred to in the form within a