On December 18th, the SEC released a request for comments concerning the nature, content, and timing of earnings releases and quarterly reports made by reporting companies. The SEC is soliciting public input on how it can reduce burdens on reporting companies associated with quarterly reporting while maintaining or enhancing disclosure effectiveness and investor protections. The Commission is also investigating how the current periodic reporting system, earnings releases, and earnings guidance may create an overly short-term focus on the part of managers and other market participants. This evaluation of the existing system is driven by a need to foster more long-term investments.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has adopted rules to allow reporting companies to use the Regulation A exemption from registration. Regulation A provides an exemption from registration under the Securities Act of 1933 for offerings of securities up to $50 million in a 12-month period and was previously not available to companies that are Exchange Act reporting companies. The Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act that was enacted earlier this year requires the SEC to adopt this change and allow reporting companies to use Regulation A.

The SEC’s Division of Economic and Risk Analysis (DERA) recently analyzed XBRL exhibits submitted by issuers complying with the 2009 Interactive Data rules to file financial statement information in an XBRL format. The purpose of the analysis was to determine if IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards) filers were being consistent with their use of custom tags with US-GAAP (US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) filers during this first year of required XBRL filings.