Meeting reporting requirements
As a public company, you are now required by the SEC, under the 1934 Act
and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (see Appendix A — The SEC and Securities Regulations, page 79, for more detail) to file certain periodic reports to keep the investing public informed. This requirement will continue as long as the investor and asset tests are met. In fact, you should have discussed your obligations under the various regulations with your attorneys and accountants, even before starting thegoing-public process, to be certain that these obligations can be met.
Legal counsel should also be consulted to confirm the SEC requirements pertaining to the form, content, and timing of specific reports. Your financial public relations firm can assist with annual reports to shareholders. The table below presents an overview of the basic SEC reporting requirements for public companies.
Basic SEC reporting requirements
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Annual report to stockholders (conforming to SEC specifications).
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Form 10-K or
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It discloses, in detail, information about the company’s activities,
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10-KSB
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financial condition, and results of operations. It also contains the
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company’s audited annual financial statements.
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Quarterly report required for each of the first three quarters of the fiscal
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Form 10-Q or
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year. It includes condensed financial data and information on significant
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events. In addition, SEC rules require that the interim financial
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10-QSB
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information included in the quarterly report be subject to a review by an
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independent accountant prior to filing.
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Report filed for significant events such as: an acquisition or disposal
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of assets; a change in control; bankruptcy; a change in independent
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accountants; or resignation of directors because of disagreement with
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the registrant. In March 2004, the SEC issued final rules relating to
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additional Form 8-K disclosure requirements, which are effective on
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August 23, 2004. These rules expand the number of events that are
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Form 8-K
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reportable under Form 8-K and shorten the deadline for the filing of
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the Form 8-K for most events to four days subsequent from the day of
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the event. Among the items that are required to be reported on Form
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8-K that were not reported under the form previously are the entry
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into a material definitive agreement, creation of direct obligations or
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obligations under off-balance sheet arrangements, a commitment to a
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plan involving exit or disposal activities, and asset impairments.
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Due within 5 to 15 days of event.
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Proxy or
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Data furnished to shareholders so they can decide how to assign their
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Information
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proxies (votes).
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Statements
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Due dates vary.
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PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Roadmap for an IPO
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