Client Alert
SEC Proposes Rule to Amend "Accredited Investor" Definition to Conform with Dodd-Frank Act
February 3, 2011
Last week, the Securities and Exchange Commission proposed a rule to amend the definition of “accredited investor” under the Securities Act of 1933 to exclude the value of a person’s primary residence from their net worth for purposes of determining whether the person is an “accredited investor” under the Securities Act rules applicable to private and other limited offerings. To the extent companies have not already done so, public and private companies raising -- or planning to raise -- capital in Regulation D or other limited offerings should (i) revise their subscription and disclosure documents and (ii) take appropriate additional steps to ensure that any individual investors purchasing securities based on an exemption that relies on accredited investor status meet the revised standards, since failure to comply with the new requirement could result in the loss of the company’s registration exemption.
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