Proposed Rule Changes To Simplify Registered Debt Offerings

This summer the SEC proposed rule changes to simplify disclosure requirements applicable to registered debt offerings for guarantors and issuers of guaranteed securities, as well as for affiliates whose securities collateralize a company’s securities. The proposed amendments apply to Rules 3-10 and 3-16 of Regulation S-X and are aimed at making the disclosures easier to understand and to reduce the cost of compliance for companies. The proposed rules follow the September 2015 SEC request for comment related to the Regulation S-X financial disclosure obligations for certain entities other than the reporting entity. The September 2015 request for comment specifically discussed Rules 3-10 and 3-16, which comment responses were considered in the current proposed rules. For more on the September 2015 comment request, see HERE.

In addition to the amending the contents of the rules, the SEC plans to create a new Article 13 in Regulation S-X and renumber Rules 3-10 and 3-16 to Rules 13-01 and 13-02. The proposed amendments