WSR 15-13-084
PERMANENT RULES
DEPARTMENT OF
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
(Securities Division)
[Filed June 15, 2015, 8:32 a.m., effective July 16, 2015]
Effective Date of Rule: Thirty-one days after filing.
Purpose: The amendments adopted in WAC 460-44A-502 (4)(d) remove a reference to a now outdated North American Securities Administrators Association guideline regarding cover legends, and include the suggested text of the guideline directly in the text of the rule.
Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 460-44A-502.
Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 21.20.450, 21.20.320 (9) and (17).
Adopted under notice filed as WSR 15-08-077 on March 31, 2015.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Date Adopted: June 15, 2015.
Scott Jarvis
Director
AMENDATORY SECTION (Amending WSR 14-11-005, filed 5/7/14, effective 6/7/14)
WAC 460-44A-502 General conditions to be met.
The following conditions shall be applicable to offers and sales made under WAC 460-44A-504 or 460-44A-505:
(1) "Integration." All sales that are part of the same offering under these rules must meet all of the terms and conditions of these rules. Offers and sales that are made more than six months before the start of an offering or are made more than six months after completion of an offering, will not be considered part of that offering, so long as during those six month periods there are no offers or sales of securities by or for the issuer that are of the same or a similar class as those offered or sold under these rules, other than those offers or sales of securities under an employee benefit plan.
Note:
The term "offering" is not defined in the securities acts. If the issuer offers or sells securities for which the safe harbor rule in WAC 460-44A-502(1) is unavailable, the determination as to whether separate sales of securities are part of the same offering (i.e., are considered "integrated") depends on the particular facts and circumstances. Generally, transactions otherwise meeting the requirements of an exemption will not be integrated with simultaneous offerings being made outside the United States in compliance with Securities and Exchange Commission Regulation S.
The following factors should be considered in determining whether offers and sales should be integrated for purposes of the exemptions under these rules:
(a) Whether the sales are part of a single plan of financing;
(b) Whether the sales involve issuance of the same class of securities;
(c) Whether the sales have been made at or about the same time;
(d) Whether the same type of consideration is received; and
(e) Whether the sales are made for the same general purpose.
See Securities and Exchange Commission Release No. 33-4552 (November 6, 1962).
(2) Information requirements.
(a) When information must be furnished.
If the issuer sells securities under WAC 460-44A-505 to any purchaser that is not an accredited investor, the issuer shall furnish the information specified in WAC 460-44A-502 (2)(b) to such purchaser a reasonable time prior to sale. The issuer is not required to furnish the specified information to purchasers when it sells securities under WAC 460-44A-504, or to any accredited investor.
Note:
When an issuer provides information to investors pursuant to WAC 460-44A-502 (2)(a), it should consider providing such information to accredited investors as well, in view of the anti-fraud provisions of the federal and state securities laws.
(b) Type of information to be furnished.
(i) If the issuer is not subject to the reporting requirements of section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, at a reasonable time prior to the sale of securities the issuer shall furnish to the purchaser the following information, to the extent material to an understanding of the issuer, its business, and the securities being offered:
(A) Nonfinancial statement information. If the issuer is eligible to use Regulation A, the same kind of information as would be required in Part II of Form 1-A, 17 C.F.R. Sec. 239.90. If the issuer is not eligible to use Regulation A, the same kind of information as required in Part I of a registration statement filed under the Securities Act on the form that the issuer would be entitled to use.
(B) Financial statement information.
(I) Offerings up to $2,000,000. The information required in Article 8 of Regulation S-X, 17 C.F.R. Sec. 210.8, except that only the issuer's balance sheet, which shall be dated within 120 days of the start of the offering, must be audited.
(II) Offerings up to $7,500,000. The financial statement information required in Form S-1, 17 C.F.R. Sec. 239.10. If an issuer, other than a limited partnership, cannot obtain audited financial statements without unreasonable effort or expense, then only the issuer's balance sheet, which shall be dated within 120 days of the start of the offering, must be audited. If the issuer is a limited partnership and cannot obtain the required financial statements without unreasonable effort or expense, it may furnish financial statements that have been prepared on the basis of federal income tax requirements and examined and reported on in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards by an independent public or certified accountant.
(C) If the issuer is a foreign private issuer eligible to use Form 20-F, the issuer shall disclose the same kind of information required to be included in a registration statement filed under the Securities Act of 1933 on the form that the issuer would be entitled to use. The financial statements need be certified only to the extent required by (2)(b)(i)(B)(I) or (II) of this subsection, as appropriate.
(ii) If the issuer is subject to the reporting requirements of section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, at a reasonable time prior to the sale of securities the issuer shall furnish to the purchaser the information required by Securities and Exchange Commission Regulation D, Rule 502 (b)(2)(ii) as appropriate.
(iii) Exhibits required to be filed with the administrator of securities or the securities and exchange commission as part of a registration statement or report, other than an annual report to shareholders or parts of that report incorporated by reference in a Form 10-K and Form 10-KSB report, need not be furnished to each purchaser that is not an accredited investor if the contents of material exhibits are identified and such exhibits are made available to a purchaser, upon his written request, a reasonable time prior to his purchase.
(iv) At a reasonable time prior to the sale of securities to any purchaser that is not an accredited investor in a transaction under WAC 460-44A-505, the issuer shall furnish to the purchaser a brief description in writing of any material written information concerning the offering that has been provided by the issuer to any accredited investor but not previously delivered to such unaccredited purchaser. The issuer shall furnish any portion or all of this information to the purchaser, upon his written request a reasonable time prior to his purchase.
(v) The issuer shall also make available to each purchaser at a reasonable time prior to his purchase of securities in a transaction under WAC 460-44A-505 the opportunity to ask questions and receive answers concerning the terms and conditions of the offering and to obtain any additional information which the issuer possesses or can acquire without unreasonable effort or expense that is necessary to verify the accuracy of information furnished under WAC 460-44A-502 (2)(b)(i) or (ii).
(vi) For business combinations or exchange offers, in addition to information required by Form S-4, 17 C.F.R. Sec. 239.25, the issuer shall provide to each purchaser at the time the plan is submitted to security holders, or, with an exchange, during the course of the transaction and prior to sale, written information about any terms or arrangements of the proposed transactions that are materially different from those for all other security holders. For purposes of this subsection, an issuer which is not subject to the reporting requirements of section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 may satisfy the requirements of Part I.B. or C. of Form S-4 by compliance with (b)(i) of this subsection.
(vii) At a reasonable time prior to the sale of securities to any purchaser that is not an accredited investor in a transaction under WAC 460-44A-505, the issuer shall advise the purchaser of the limitations on resale in the manner contained in subsection (4)(b) of this section. Such disclosure may be contained in other materials required to be provided by this paragraph.
(3) Limitation on manner of offering. Neither the issuer nor any person acting on its behalf shall offer or sell the securities by any form of general solicitation or general advertising, including, but not limited to, the following:
(a) Any advertisement, article, notice or other communication published in any newspaper, magazine, or similar media or broadcast over television or radio; and
(b) Any seminar or meeting whose attendees have been invited by any general solicitation or general advertising:
Provided, however, that publication by an issuer of a notice in accordance with 17 C.F.R. Sec. 230.135c or filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission by an issuer of a notice of sales on Form D (17 C.F.R. 239.500) in which the issuer has made a good faith and reasonable attempt to comply with the requirements of such form, shall not be deemed to constitute general solicitation or general advertising for purposes of this section: Provided further, that, if the requirements of 17 C.F.R. Sec. 230.135e are satisfied, providing any journalist with access to press conferences held outside of the United States, to meetings with issuer or selling security holder representatives conducted outside of the United States, or to written press-related materials released outside the United States, at or in which a present or proposed offering of securities is discussed, will not be deemed to constitute general solicitation or general advertising for purposes of this section.
(4) Limitations on resale. Securities acquired in a transaction under WAC 460-44A-501 through 460-44A-505 shall have the status of restricted securities acquired in a nonpublic offering transaction under section 4 (a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933 and RCW 21.20.320(1) and cannot be resold without registration under the Securities Act of Washington or an exemption therefrom. The issuer shall exercise reasonable care to assure that the securities are restricted and that the purchasers of the securities are not underwriters within the meaning of section 2 (a)(11) of the Securities Act of 1933, which reasonable care may be demonstrated by the following:
(a) Reasonable inquiry to determine if the purchaser is acquiring the securities for himself or for other persons;
(b) Written disclosure to each purchaser prior to sale that the securities have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, and the Washington administrator of securities has not reviewed or recommended the offering or offering circular and the securities have not been registered under the Securities Act of Washington, chapter 21.20 RCW, and, therefore, cannot be resold unless they are registered under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Act of Washington chapter 21.20 RCW or unless an exemption from registration is available; and
(c) Placement of a legend on the certificate or other document that evidences the securities stating that the securities have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Act of Washington chapter 21.20 RCW and setting forth or referring to the restrictions on transferability and sale of the securities.
(d) A written disclosure or legend will be deemed to comply with the provisions of WAC 460-44A-502 (4)(b) or (c) if it ((complies with the North American Securities Administrators Association Uniform Disclosure Guidelines on Legends, NASAA Reports CCH Para. 1352 (1989))) states:
(i) These securities have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933 or applicable state securities laws;
(ii) These securities have not been approved or disapproved by the Securities and Exchange Commission or any state securities commission nor has the Securities and Exchange Commission or any state securities commission passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of the prospectus or any alternative document. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense;
(iii) These securities are subject to restrictions on transferability and resale and may not be transferred or resold except as permitted under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the applicable state securities laws, pursuant to registration or exemption therefrom;
(iv) Investors should be aware that they will be required to bear the financial risks of this investment for an indefinite period of time.
While taking these actions will establish the requisite reasonable care, it is not the exclusive method to demonstrate such care. Other actions by the issuer may satisfy this provision. In addition, WAC 460-44A-502 (2)(b)(vii) requires the delivery of written disclosure of the limitations on resale to investors in certain instances.