SEC Proposes Amendments To 15c2-11

As anticipated, on September 26, 2019, the SEC published proposed amendments to Securities Exchange Act (“Exchange Act”) Rule 15c2-11.  The purpose of the rule amendment is to enhance retail protection where there is little or no current and publicly available information about a company and as such, it is difficult for an investor or other market participant to evaluate the company and the risks involved in purchasing or selling its securities.  The SEC release also includes a concept release regarding information repositories and a possible regulatory structure for such entities.  The SEC believes the proposed amendments will preserve the integrity of the OTC market, and promote capital formation for issuers that provide current and publicly available information to investors.

The proposed rules entail a complete overhaul of the rule and its exceptions are complicated and, if enacted, will require the development of a new infrastructure, compliance procedures and written supervisory procedures at OTC Markets, new compliance procedures and