In November, the federal banking agencies jointly issued a final rule that provides for an optional, simplified measure of capital adequacy, known as the community bank leverage ratio framework (CBLR), for qualifying community banking organizations. The final became effective on January 1, 2020.
Continue reading “CBLR: A win for most, but time for the rest to move on”
As the leading market for 2,000 venture-stage companies, we spend a lot of time working with smaller issuers to solve the challenges they face accessing the benefits of the public markets. For many, having access to the cost-effective capital they need to drive growth and fuel their businesses rises to the top of their priority list. Continue reading “Enhancing the Process of Online Capital Raising”
With the most sweeping re-casting of credit risk management in decades looming on the horizon, regulators, bank executives and the markets are bracing for the potential disruptive ramifications of this new set of credit loss accounting standards. In response to calls for a more cautious rollout, regulators have agreed to an implementation extension for most community banks. Continue reading “CECL is Coming: Here’s How Bank Stakeholders Can Anticipate Its Impact While Making Their Voices Heard”
The banking industry is unique in the amount of regulatory scrutiny it is subject to, much of which is in the form of self-reporting. Since legislation was passed in 1975 in response to the failure of two federally chartered institutions (United States National Bank and Franklin National Bank), every national bank, state bank, federal savings bank, federal savings association, and credit union is mandated by law to report highly standardized and detailed information about its operations to a central authority, the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC).
Many foreign issuers are unaware that there are limitations as to what can be achieved by solely listing in their home (primary) market. At a time of continued uncertainty around fiscal and monetary policies, the influence of geopolitical factors and their impact on the global economy, gaining access to the U.S. capital markets is imperative for many international companies. Now more than ever, companies must consider efficient ways to expand their global footprint and engage a U.S. audience to broaden and diversify their shareholder base. Continue reading “More Efficient Access to U.S. Capital Markets”
Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) allow employees to participate in the economic performance of a company, share in corporate profits, and save for retirement. Congress has long recognized the advantages of employee ownership by authorizing and encouraging ESOPs through favorable tax treatment.
However, current IRS regulations significantly restrict the ability of many small public companies not traded on a national securities exchange to offer ESOPs to their employees. These outdated regulations negatively impact hundreds of qualified, U.S.-based companies on the OTCQX and OTCQB markets that collectively employ over 100,000 workers. Continue reading “ESOPs: The Importance of Small Company Employee Ownership”
Since May 2016, we have fostered an active dialogue with constituents at the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) and individual state regulators with the goal of providing investors, companies, brokers and other market participants with a defined regulatory structure that recognizes the transparent current disclosure provided by OTCQX and OTCQB companies. We appreciate the hard work and diligence of NASAA members as we work to achieve important exemptions for our OTCQX and OTCQB markets under state Blue Sky laws governing secondary trading. Continue reading “Blue Sky Recognition Continues to Gain Traction”
Born out of the 2012 JOBS Act, Regulation A (Reg A) was amended to provide a streamlined pathway for companies to raise up to $50 Million while benefiting from general solicitation, ‘testing the waters’ and state Blue Sky preemption. SEC reporting companies were originally excluded from using Reg A; however, in January 2019, the SEC adopted new rules to expand Reg A to SEC-reporting companies, enabling public companies to raise capital in a similar manner to a traditional IPO via an S-1 registration or an S-3 shelf registration. Continue reading “Regulation A 2019 Progress Report”
OTC Markets Group recently announced the acquisition of QaravanSM Inc., a leading provider of innovative software and risk & performance analytics tailored to the banking industry.
We sat down with Tony Hodson, now the Senior Vice President of Market Data at OTC Markets Group, to learn more about how bank data and analytics have evolved over time. Continue reading “A Conversation with Qaravan Founder Tony Hodson”
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Cromwell Coulson
Matt Fuchs
Chris Grant
Laura Hamilton
Kristie Harkins
Liz Heese
Tony Hodson
Joe Oltmanns
Jason Paltrowitz
Bob Power
Cass Sanford
Dan Zinn
Guest Contributor