TITLE 21. SECURITIES AND RETAIL FRANCHISING
REGISTRAR'S NOTICE: The
State Corporation Commission is claiming an exemption from the Administrative
Process Act in accordance with § 2.2-4002 A 2 of the Code of Virginia,
which exempts courts, any agency of the Supreme Court, and any agency that by
the Constitution is expressly granted any of the powers of a court of record.
Titles of Regulations: 21VAC5-20. Broker-Dealers,
Broker-Dealer Agents and Agents of the Issuer (amending 21VAC5-20-280).
21VAC5-45. Federal Covered Securities (adding 21VAC5-45-30).
Statutory Authority: §§ 12.1-13 and 13.1-523 of the Code
of Virginia.
Effective Date: February 1, 2017.
Agency Contact: Timothy O'Brien, Manager, Securities
Division, State Corporation Commission, Tyler Building, 9th Floor, P.O. Box
1197, Richmond, VA 23218, telephone (804) 371-9415, FAX (804) 371-9911, or
email timothy.o'brien@scc.virginia.gov.
Summary:
The amendments (i) provide for a notice filing for a
securities issuer that is using federal Regulation A for offerings up to $50
million in a 12-month period, which allows monitoring of the offerings; (ii)
require the filing of a short form with basic information about the issuer and
the offering; and (iii) establish a filing fee of $500 and a renewal fee of
$250. The amendments also clarify that high quality foreign issuers are not
subject to the prohibited business conduct rule in subdivision D 6 of 21VAC5-20-280.
AT RICHMOND, JANUARY 5, 2017
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, ex rel.
STATE CORPORATION COMMISSION
CASE NO. SEC-2016-00051
Ex Parte: In the matter of
Adopting a Revision to the Rules
Governing the Virginia Securities Act
ORDER ADOPTING AMENDED RULES
By Order to Take Notice ("Order") entered on
October 14, 2016,1 all interested persons were ordered to take
notice that the State Corporation Commission ("Commission") would
consider the adoption of revisions to Chapters 45 and 20 of Title 21 of the
Virginia Administrative Code. On October 25, 2016,2 the Division of
Securities and Retail Franchising ("Division") mailed and emailed the
Order of the proposed rules to all interested persons pursuant to the Virginia
Securities Act, § 13.1-501 et seq. of the Code of Virginia. The Order
described the proposed revisions and afforded interested persons an opportunity
to file comments and request a hearing on or before December 1, 2016, with the
Clerk of the Commission. The Order provided that requests for hearing shall
state why a hearing is necessary and why the issues cannot be adequately
addressed in written comments.
The Commission received no comments with regard to the
proposed revision to Chapter 45, regarding the notice filing requirements for
those companies that wished to take advantage of an exemption under federal law
for Regulation A, Tier 2 offerings.
The Commission received one comment from the Securities
Industry and Financial Markets Association ("SIFMA")3
requesting that the Division consider a couple of minor changes to the proposed
revision of Commission Rule 21 VAC 5-20-280 D (6) in order to further
clarify the rule's application. The Division did not object to the proposed
revisions and recommends that the regulations be adopted, as revised.
No one requested a hearing on either of the proposed
regulations.
NOW THE COMMISSION, upon consideration of the proposed
amendments to the proposed rules, the recommendation of the Division, and the
record in this case, finds that the proposed amendments should be
adopted.
Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED
THAT:
(1) The proposed rules are attached hereto, made a part
hereof, and are hereby ADOPTED effective February 1, 2017.
(2) The Commission's Division of Information Resources
forthwith shall cause a copy of this Order, together with the adopted rules, to
be forwarded to the Virginia Registrar of Regulations for appropriate
publication in the Virginia Register of Regulations.
(3) This case is dismissed from the Commission's docket, and
the papers herein shall be placed in the file for ended causes.
AN ATTESTED COPY hereof, together with a copy of the adopted
rules, shall be sent by the Clerk of the Commission in care of Ronald W.
Thomas, Director of the Division, who forthwith shall give further notice of
the adopted rules by mailing or emailing a copy of this Order Adopting Amended
Rules, to all interested persons.
_________________________________
1 Doc. Con. Cen. No 161020197.
2 The notice was published by the Virginia Registrar of
Regulations on November 14, 2016. Doc. Con. Cen. No. 161210137.
3 Although the comment was filed on December 2, 2016,
the Division received the comment by the December 1, 2016, deadline as required
by the Order. Doc. Con. Cen No. 161210095.
21VAC5-20-280. Prohibited business conduct.
A. Every broker-dealer is required to observe high standards
of commercial honor and just and equitable principles of trade in the conduct
of its business. The acts and practices described below in this
subsection are considered contrary to such standards and may constitute
grounds for denial, suspension, or revocation of registration or such other
action authorized by the Act. No broker-dealer who is registered or required to
be registered shall:
1. Engage in a pattern of unreasonable and unjustifiable delays
in the delivery of securities purchased by any of its customers or in the
payment upon request of free credit balances reflecting completed transactions
of any of its customers, or take any action that directly or indirectly
interferes with a customer's ability to transfer his account; provided that the
account is not subject to any lien for moneys owed by the customer or other
bona fide claim, including, but not limited to, seeking a judicial order or
decree that would bar or restrict the submission, delivery or acceptance of a
written request from a customer to transfer his account;
2. Induce trading in a customer's account which is excessive
in size or frequency in view of the financial resources and character of the
account;
3. Recommend to a customer the purchase, sale or exchange of
any security without reasonable grounds to believe that the recommendation is
suitable for the customer. The reasonable basis to recommend any such
transaction to a customer shall be based upon the risks associated with a particular
security, and the information obtained through the diligence and inquiry of the
broker-dealer to ascertain the customer's investment profile. A customer's
investment profile includes, but is not limited to, the customer's investment
objectives, financial situation, risk tolerance and needs, tax status, age,
other investments, investment experience, investment time horizon, liquidity
needs, and any other relevant information known by the broker-dealer or of
which the broker-dealer is otherwise made aware in connection with such
recommendation;
4. Execute a transaction on behalf of a customer without
authority to do so or, when securities are held in a customer's account, fail
to execute a sell transaction involving those securities as instructed by a
customer, without reasonable cause;
5. Exercise any discretionary power in effecting a transaction
for a customer's account without first obtaining written discretionary
authority from the customer, unless the discretionary power relates solely to
the time or price for the execution of orders;
6. Execute any transaction in a margin account without
securing from the customer a properly executed written margin agreement
promptly after the initial transaction in the account, or fail, prior to or at
the opening of a margin account, to disclose to a noninstitutional customer the
operation of a margin account and the risks associated with trading on margin
at least as comprehensively as required by FINRA Rule 2264;
7. Fail to segregate customers' free securities or securities
held in safekeeping;
8. Hypothecate a customer's securities without having a lien
thereon unless the broker-dealer secures from the customer a properly executed
written consent promptly after the initial transaction, except as permitted by Rules
of the SEC;
9. Enter into a transaction with or for a customer at a price
not reasonably related to the current market price of a security or receiving
an unreasonable commission or profit;
10. Fail to furnish to a customer purchasing securities in an
offering, no later than the date of confirmation of the transaction, either a
final prospectus or a preliminary prospectus and an additional document, which
together include all information set forth in the final prospectus, either by
(i) hard copy prospectus delivery or (ii) electronic prospectus delivery;
11. Introduce customer transactions on a "fully
disclosed" basis to another broker-dealer that is not exempt under § 13.1-514
B 6 of the Act;
12. a. Charge unreasonable and inequitable fees for services
performed, including miscellaneous services such as collection of moneys due
for principal, dividends or interest, exchange or transfer of securities,
appraisals, safekeeping, or custody of securities and other services related to
its securities business;
b. Charge a fee based on the activity, value or contents (or
lack thereof) of a customer account unless written disclosure pertaining to the
fee, which shall include information about the amount of the fee, how
imposition of the fee can be avoided and any consequence of late payment or
nonpayment of the fee, was provided no later than the date the account was
established or, with respect to an existing account, at least 60 days prior to
the effective date of the fee;
13. Offer to buy from or sell to any person any security at a
stated price unless the broker-dealer is prepared to purchase or sell at the
price and under such conditions as are stated at the time of the offer to buy
or sell;
14. Represent that a security is being offered to a customer
"at a market" or a price relevant to the market price unless the
broker-dealer knows or has reasonable grounds to believe that a market for the
security exists other than that made, created or controlled by the
broker-dealer, or by any person for whom he is acting or with whom he is
associated in the distribution, or any person controlled by, controlling or
under common control with the broker-dealer;
15. Effect any transaction in, or induce the purchase or sale
of, any security by means of any manipulative, deceptive or fraudulent device,
practice, plan, program, design or contrivance, which may include but not be
limited to:
a. Effecting any transaction in a security which involves no
change in the beneficial ownership thereof;
b. Entering an order or orders for the purchase or sale of any
security with the knowledge that an order or orders of substantially the same
size, at substantially the same time and substantially the same price, for the
sale of any security, has been or will be entered by or for the same or
different parties for the purpose of creating a false or misleading appearance
of active trading in the security or a false or misleading appearance with
respect to the market for the security; however, nothing in this subdivision
shall prohibit a broker-dealer from entering bona fide agency cross
transactions for its customers; or
c. Effecting, alone or with one or more other persons, a
series of transactions in any security creating actual or apparent active
trading in the security or raising or depressing the price of the security, for
the purpose of inducing the purchase or sale of the security by others;
16. Guarantee a customer against loss in any securities
account of the customer carried by the broker-dealer or in any securities
transaction effected by the broker-dealer with or for the customer;
17. Publish or circulate, or cause to be published or
circulated, any notice, circular, advertisement, newspaper article, investment
service, or communication of any kind which purports to report any transaction
as a purchase or sale of any security unless the broker-dealer believes that
the transaction was a bona fide purchase or sale of the security; or which
purports to quote the bid price or asked price for any security, unless the
broker-dealer believes that the quotation represents a bona fide bid for, or
offer of, the security;
18. Use any advertising or sales presentation in such a
fashion as to be deceptive or misleading. An example of such practice would be
a distribution of any nonfactual data, material or presentation based on
conjecture, unfounded or unrealistic claims or assertions in any brochure,
flyer, or display by words, pictures, graphs or otherwise designed to
supplement, detract from, supersede or defeat the purpose or effect of any prospectus
or disclosure;
19. Fail to make reasonably available upon request to any
person expressing an interest in a solicited transaction in a security, not
listed on a registered securities exchange or quoted on an automated quotation
system operated by a national securities association approved by regulation of
the commission, a balance sheet of the issuer as of a date within 18 months of
the offer or sale of the issuer's securities and a profit and loss statement
for either the fiscal year preceding that date or the most recent year of
operations, the names of the issuer's proprietor, partners or officers, the
nature of the enterprises of the issuer and any available information
reasonably necessary for evaluating the desirability or lack of desirability of
investing in the securities of an issuer. All transactions in securities
described in this subdivision shall comply with the provisions of § 13.1-507 of
the Act;
20. Fail to disclose that the broker-dealer is controlled by,
controlling, affiliated with or under common control with the issuer of any
security before entering into any contract with or for a customer for the
purchase or sale of the security, the existence of control to the customer, and
if disclosure is not made in writing, it shall be supplemented by the giving or
sending of written disclosure at or before the completion of the transaction;
21. Fail to make a bona fide public offering of all of the
securities allotted to a broker-dealer for distribution, whether acquired as an
underwriter, a selling group member, or from a member participating in the
distribution as an underwriter or selling group member;
22. Fail or refuse to furnish a customer, upon reasonable
request, information to which the customer is entitled, or to respond to a
formal written request or complaint;
23. Fail to clearly and separately disclose to its customer,
prior to any security transaction, providing investment advice for compensation
or any materially related transaction that the customer's funds or securities
will be in the custody of an investment advisor or contracted custodian, in a
manner that does not provide Securities Investor Protection Corporation
protection, or equivalent third-party coverage over the customer's assets;
24. Market broker-dealer services that are associated with
financial institutions in a manner that is misleading or confusing to customers
as to the nature of securities products or risks;
25. In transactions subject to breakpoints, fail to:
a. Utilize advantageous breakpoints without reasonable basis
for their exclusion;
b. Determine information that should be recorded on the books
and records of a member or its clearing firm, which is necessary to determine
the availability and appropriateness of breakpoint opportunities; or
c. Inquire whether the customer has positions or transactions
away from the member that should be considered in connection with the pending
transaction and apprise the customer of the breakpoint opportunities;
26. Use a certification or professional designation in connection
with the offer, sale, or purchase of securities that indicates or implies that
the user has special certification or training in advising or servicing senior
citizens or retirees in such a way as to mislead any person.
a. The use of such certification or professional designation
includes, but is not limited to, the following:
(1) Use of a certification or designation by a person who has
not actually earned or is otherwise ineligible to use such certification or
designation;
(2) Use of a nonexistent or self-conferred certification or
professional designation;
(3) Use of a certification or professional designation that
indicates or implies a level of occupational qualifications obtained through
education, training, or experience that the person using the certification or
professional designation does not have; or
(4) Use of a certification or professional designation that
was obtained from a designating or certifying organization that:
(a) Is primarily engaged in the business of instruction in
sales or marketing;
(b) Does not have reasonable standards or procedures for
assuring the competency of its designees or certificants;
(c) Does not have reasonable standards or procedures for
monitoring and disciplining its designees or certificants for improper or
unethical conduct; or
(d) Does not have reasonable continuing education requirements
for its designees or certificants in order to maintain the designation or
certificate.
b. There is a rebuttable presumption that a designating or
certifying organization is not disqualified solely for purposes of subdivision
26 a (4) of this subsection, when the organization has been accredited by:
(1) The American National Standards Institute;
(2) The Institute for Credentialing Excellence (formerly the
National Commission for Certifying Agencies); or
(3) An organization that is on the United States U.S.
Department of Education's list entitled "Accrediting Agencies Recognized
for Title IV Purposes" and the designation or credential issued therefrom
does not primarily apply to sales or marketing.
c. In determining whether a combination of words (or an
acronym standing for a combination of words) constitutes a certification or
professional designation indicating or implying that a person has special
certification or training in advising or servicing senior citizens or retirees,
factors to be considered shall include:
(1) Use of one or more words such as "senior,"
"retirement," "elder," or like words, combined with one or
more words such as "certified," "chartered," "adviser,"
"specialist," "consultant," "planner," or like
words, in the name of the certification or professional designation; and
(2) The manner in which those words are combined.
d. For purposes of this section, a certification or
professional designation does not include a job title within an organization
that is licensed or registered by a state or federal financial services
regulatory agency when that job title:
(1) Indicates seniority within the organization; or
(2) Specifies an individual's area of specialization within
the organization.
For purposes of this subdivision d, "financial services
regulatory agency" includes, but is not limited to, an agency that
regulates broker-dealers, investment advisers, or investment companies as
defined under § 3 (a)(1) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 USC
§ 80a-3(a)(1)).
e. Nothing in this regulation shall limit the commission's
authority to enforce existing provisions of law;
27. Represent that securities will be listed or that
application for listing will be made on a securities exchange or the National
Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ) system or other
quotation system without reasonable basis in fact for the representation;
28. Falsify or alter so as to make false or misleading any
record or document or any information provided to the commission;
29. Negotiate, facilitate, or otherwise execute a transaction
on behalf of an investor involving securities issued by a third party pursuant
to a claim for exemption under subsection B of § 13.1-514 of the Act
unless the broker-dealer intends to report the securities owned and the value
of such securities on at least a quarterly basis to the investor;
30. Offer or sell securities pursuant to a claim for exemption
under subsection B of § 13.1-514 of the Act without having first verified the
information relating to the securities offered or sold, which shall include,
but not be limited to, ascertaining the risks associated with investing in the
respective security;
31. Allow any person to represent or utilize its name as a
trading platform without conspicuously disclosing the name of the registered
broker-dealer in effecting or attempting to effect purchases and sales of
securities; or
32. Engage in any conduct that constitutes a dishonest or
unethical practice including, but not limited to, forgery, embezzlement,
nondisclosure, incomplete disclosure or material omissions or untrue statements
of material facts, manipulative or deceptive practices, or fraudulent course of
business.
B. Every agent is required to observe high standards of
commercial honor and just and equitable principles of trade in the conduct of
his business. The acts and practices described below in this
subsection are considered contrary to such standards and may constitute
grounds for denial, suspension, or revocation of registration or such other
action authorized by the Act. No agent who is registered or required to be
registered shall:
1. Engage in the practice of lending or borrowing money or
securities from a customer, or acting as a custodian for money, securities or
an executed stock power of a customer;
2. Effect any securities transaction not recorded on the
regular books or records of the broker-dealer which the agent represents,
unless the transaction is authorized in writing by the broker-dealer prior to
execution of the transaction;
3. Establish or maintain an account containing fictitious
information in order to execute a transaction which would otherwise be unlawful
or prohibited;
4. Share directly or indirectly in profits or losses in the
account of any customer without the written authorization of the customer and
the broker-dealer which the agent represents;
5. Divide or otherwise split the agent's commissions, profits
or other compensation from the purchase or sale of securities in this state
Commonwealth with any person not also registered as an agent for the
same broker-dealer, or for a broker-dealer under direct or indirect common
control;
6. Engage in conduct specified in subdivision A 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
10, 15, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 26, 28, 30, 31, or 32 of this section;
7. Fail to comply with the continuing education requirements
under 21VAC5-20-150 C; or
8. Hold oneself out as representing any person other than the
broker-dealer with whom the agent is registered and, in the case of an agent
whose normal place of business is not on the premises of the broker-dealer,
failing to conspicuously disclose the name of the broker-dealer for whom the
agent is registered when representing the dealer in effecting or attempting to
effect the purchases or sales of securities.
C. No person shall publish, give publicity to, or circulate
any notice, circular, advertisement, newspaper article, letter, investment
service or communication which, though not purporting to offer a security for
sale, describes the security, for a consideration received or to be received,
directly or indirectly, from an issuer, underwriter, or dealer, without fully
disclosing the receipt, whether past or prospective, of such consideration and
the amount thereof.
D. The purpose of this subsection is to identify practices in
the securities business that are generally associated with schemes to
manipulate and to identify prohibited business conduct of broker-dealers or
sales agents who are registered or required to be registered.
1. Entering into a transaction with a customer in any security
at an unreasonable price or at a price not reasonably related to the current
market price of the security or receiving an unreasonable commission or profit.
2. Contradicting or negating the importance of any information
contained in a prospectus or other offering materials with intent to deceive or
mislead or using any advertising or sales presentation in a deceptive or
misleading manner.
3. In connection with the offer, sale, or purchase of a
security, falsely leading a customer to believe that the broker-dealer or agent
is in possession of material, nonpublic information that would affect the value
of the security.
4. In connection with the solicitation of a sale or purchase
of a security, engaging in a pattern or practice of making contradictory
recommendations to different investors of similar investment objective for some
to sell and others to purchase the same security, at or about the same time,
when not justified by the particular circumstances of each investor.
5. Failing to make a bona fide public offering of all the
securities allotted to a broker-dealer for distribution by, among other things,
(i) transferring securities to a customer, another broker-dealer, or a
fictitious account with the understanding that those securities will be
returned to the broker-dealer or its nominees or (ii) parking or withholding
securities.
6. Although nothing in this subsection precludes a.
In addition to the application of the general anti-fraud provisions against
anyone [ for in connection with ] practices similar in
nature to the practices discussed below in this subdivision 6,
the following subdivisions a (1) through f (6)
specifically apply only in connection with the solicitation of a purchase or
sale of over the counter (OTC) unlisted non-NASDAQ equity securities except
those exempt from registration under 21VAC5-40-50:
a. (1) Failing to advise the customer, both at
the time of solicitation and on the confirmation, of any and all compensation
related to a specific securities transaction to be paid to the agent including
commissions, sales charges, or concessions.
b. (2) In connection with a principal
transaction, failing to disclose, both at the time of solicitation and on the
confirmation, a short inventory position in the firm's account of more than
3.0% of the issued and outstanding shares of that class of securities of the
issuer; however, [ this ] subdivision 6 of this subsection
shall apply only if the firm is a market maker at the time of the solicitation.
c. (3) Conducting sales contests in a particular
security.
d. (4) After a solicited purchase by a customer,
failing or refusing, in connection with a principal transaction, to promptly
execute sell orders.
e. (5) Soliciting a secondary market transaction
when there has not been a bona fide distribution in the primary market.
f. (6) Engaging in a pattern of compensating an
agent in different amounts for effecting sales and purchases in the same
security.
b. Although subdivisions D 6 a (1) through (6) of this
section do not apply to OTC unlisted non-NASDAQ equity securities exempt from
registration under 21VAC5-40-50, nothing in this subsection precludes
application of the general anti-fraud provisions against anyone [ for
in connection with ] practices similar in nature to the practices
discussed in subdivisions D 6 a (1) through (6) of this section [ in
connection with such securities ].
7. Effecting any transaction in, or inducing the purchase or
sale of, any security by means of any manipulative, deceptive, or other
fraudulent device or contrivance including but not limited to the use of boiler
room tactics or use of fictitious or nominee accounts.
8. Failing to comply with any prospectus delivery requirements
promulgated under federal law or the Act.
9. In connection with the solicitation of a sale or purchase
of an OTC unlisted non-NASDAQ security, failing to promptly provide the most
current prospectus or the most recently filed periodic report filed under § 13 of
the Securities Exchange Act when requested to do so by a customer.
10. Marking any order tickets or confirmations as unsolicited
when in fact the transaction was solicited.
11. For any month in which activity has occurred in a
customer's account, but in no event less than every three months, failing to
provide each customer with a statement of account with respect to all OTC
non-NASDAQ equity securities in the account, containing a value for each such
security based on the closing market bid on a date certain; however, this
subdivision shall apply only if the firm has been a market maker in the
security at any time during the month in which the monthly or quarterly
statement is issued.
12. Failing to comply with any applicable provision of the
FINRA Rules or any applicable fair practice, privacy, or ethical standard
promulgated by the SEC or by a self-regulatory organization approved by the
SEC.
13. In connection with the solicitation of a purchase or sale
of a designated security:
a. Failing to disclose to the customer the bid and ask price,
at which the broker-dealer effects transactions with individual, retail
customers, of the designated security as well as its spread in both percentage
and dollar amounts at the time of solicitation and on the trade confirmation
documents; or
b. Failing to include with the confirmation, the notice
disclosure contained under 21VAC5-20-285, except the following shall be exempt
from this requirement:
(1) Transactions in which the price of the designated security
is $5.00 or more, exclusive of costs or charges; however, if the designated
security is a unit composed of one or more securities, the unit price divided
by the number of components of the unit other than warrants, options, rights,
or similar securities must be $5.00 or more, and any component of the unit that
is a warrant, option, right, or similar securities, or a convertible security
must have an exercise price or conversion price of $5.00 or more.
(2) Transactions that are not recommended by the broker-dealer
or agent.
(3) Transactions by a broker-dealer (i) whose commissions,
commission equivalents, and mark-ups from transactions in designated securities
during each of the preceding three months, and during 11 or more of the
preceding 12 months, did not exceed 5.0% of its total commissions,
commission-equivalents, and mark-ups from transactions in securities during
those months; and (ii) who has not executed principal transactions in
connection with the solicitation to purchase the designated security that is
the subject of the transaction in the preceding 12 months.
(4) Any transaction or transactions that, upon prior written
request or upon its own motion, the commission conditionally or unconditionally
exempts as not encompassed within the purposes of this section.
c. For purposes of this section, the term "designated
security" means any equity security other than a security:
(1) Registered, or approved for registration upon notice of
issuance, on a national securities exchange and makes transaction reports
available pursuant to 17 CFR 11Aa3-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934;
(2) Authorized, or approved for authorization upon notice of
issuance, for quotation in the NASDAQ system;
(3) Issued by an investment company registered under the
Investment Company Act of 1940;
(4) That is a put option or call option issued by The Options
Clearing Corporation; or
(5) Whose issuer has net tangible assets in excess of $4
million as demonstrated by financial statements dated within no less than 15
months that the broker-dealer has reviewed and has a reasonable basis to
believe are true and complete in relation to the date of the transaction with
the person, and
(a) In the event the issuer is other than a foreign private
issuer, are the most recent financial statements for the issuer that have been
audited and reported on by an independent public accountant in accordance with
the provisions of 17 CFR 210.2-02 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; or
(b) In the event the issuer is a foreign private issuer, are
the most recent financial statements for the issuer that have been filed with
the SEC; furnished to the SEC pursuant to 17 CFR 240.12g3-2(b) under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934; or prepared in accordance with generally
accepted accounting principles in the country of incorporation, audited in
compliance with the requirements of that jurisdiction, and reported on by an
accountant duly registered and in good standing in accordance with the
regulations of that jurisdiction.
21VAC5-45-30. Federal Regulation A Tier 2 offerings.
A. An issuer planning to offer and sell securities in this
Commonwealth in an offering exempt under Tier 2 of federal Regulation A (17 CFR
230.251 through 17 CFR 230.263) and § 18(b)(3) or 18(b)(4) of the
Securities Act of 1933 (15 USC § 77a) shall submit the following at least
21 calendar days prior to the initial sale in this Commonwealth:
1. A completed Regulation A – Tier 2 notice filing form or
copies of all documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission;
2. A consent to service of process on Form U-2 if not
filing on the Regulation A – Tier 2 notice filing form; and
3. A filing fee of $500 payable the Treasurer of Virginia.
B. The initial notice filing is effective for 12 months
from the date of the filing with this Commonwealth. For each additional
12-month period in which the same offering is continued, an issuer conducting a
Tier 2 offering under federal Regulation A may renew its notice filing by
filing the following on or before the expiration of the notice filing:
1. The Regulation A – Tier 2 notice filing form marked
"renewal" or a cover letter or other document requesting renewal; and
2. A renewal fee in the amount of $250 payable to the
Treasurer of Virginia.
C. An issuer may increase the amount of securities offered
in this Commonwealth by submitting a Regulation A – Tier 2 notice filing form
marked "amendment" or other document describing the transaction.
NOTICE: The following
forms used in administering the regulation were filed by the agency. The forms
are not being published; however, online users of this issue of the Virginia
Register of Regulations may click on the name of a form with a hyperlink to
access it. The forms are also available from the agency contact or may be
viewed at the Office of the Registrar of Regulations, General Assembly
Building, 2nd Floor, Richmond, Virginia 23219.
FORMS (21VAC5-45)
Form D, Notice of Exempt Offering of Securities,
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC1972 (rev. 2/12).
Uniform
Consent to Service of Process, Form U-2 (7/1981)
Uniform
Notice of Regulation A - Tier 2 Offering (undated, filed 10/2016)
VA.R. Doc. No. R17-4869; Filed January 5, 2017, 6:02 p.m.