What happened
In a recent client alert, we discussed the dramatic rise
in offerings of special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) and
some of the attendant litigation and enforcement risks. A raft of
recent public statements and actions by Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC) staff reflect the agency s enhanced scrutiny
of these transactions and suggest that enforcement investigations
(and ultimately actions) cannot be far behind.
In late March 2021, it was reported that the SEC s Division of
Enforcement had requested information from Wall Street banks
regarding SPAC transactions. According to the reports, Enforcement
staff requested information on topics including SPAC deal fees,
Friday, April 16, 2021
Following the increase in the number of special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) and the related business combinations between SPACs and private target businesses (commonly referred to as “de-SPAC” transactions), an increase in regulatory scrutiny, particularly from the Securities and Exchange Commission, is emerging. As discussed below, in the last week the SEC has issued two statements one related to the accounting treatment of warrants and one related to liability risk that have attracted considerable attention from SPACs and other stakeholders.
Accounting Treatment of SPAC Warrants
On April 12, the Division of Corporation Finance (Corp Fin) of the SEC issued a Staff Statement from the Acting Director, John Coates, and Acting Chief Accountant, Paul Munter, relating to the accounting treatment of warrants issued by SPACs.
When a significant volume of capital is raised from investors through nontraditional capital markets transactions, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is sure to follow.
Monday, April 5, 2021
Not far behind the dramatic increase in the use of special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) is a corresponding increase in the number of shareholder lawsuits and increased activity at the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In recent days, Reuters reported that the SEC opened an inquiry seeking information on how underwriters are managing the risks involved in SPACs,
[i] and the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance (Corp Fin) and acting chief accountant have issued two separate public statements on certain accounting, financial reporting and governance issues that should be considered in connection with SPAC-related mergers.
[ii] This increase in activity by SEC staff comes on the heels of nearly two dozen federal securities class action filings, several SEC investor alerts and earlier guidance from Corp Fin.
Surge in SPAC-Related Mergers Leads to Litigation and Regulatory Risks | McDermott Will & Emery jdsupra.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from jdsupra.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.