ADVOCATES FOR JUSTICE

Linda J. Rougeux, President

MEMO
PRIVATE PLACEMENT FOR INVESTMENT PURPOSES
SEC RULE 144A
An administrative rule under the SEC allowing, under certain circumstances, for qualified institutional investors to trade certain securities with other institutional investors without registering the trade with the SEC. The rule requires that the private placement be for investment purposes and not for resale to the general public. These securities are traded on the NASDAQ Portal Market.

The rule was designed to develop a more liquid and efficient institutional resale market for unregistered securities. Specifically, the rule allows private companies, both domestic and international, to sell unregistered securities, also known as Rule 144 securities, to qualified institution buyers (QIBs) through a broker-dealer. The rule also permits QIBs to buy and sell these securities among themselves. To be a QIB, the institution must control a securities portfolio of $100 million or more.

Among the advantages of using Rule 144A programs are (1) no public disclosure of innovative structures or sensitive information; (2) limited FINRA filing requirements; and (3) reduced potential for liability under the Securities Act. Such securities to be resold in the United States or to United States persons without registrations, the requirements of Rule 144 must be met, including the one year/two year holding period.

The securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A are securities of U.S. and foreign issuers that are not listed on a U.S. securities exchange or quoted on a U.S. automated inter-dealer quotation system.

Rule 144A provides that reoffers and resales in compliance with the rule are not distributions and that the reseller is therefore not an underwriter within the meaning of Section 2(a)(11) of the Securities Act. A reseller that is not the issuer, an underwriter, or a dealer can rely on the exemption provided by Section 4(1) of the Securities Act. Resellers that are dealers can rely on the exemption provided by Section 4(3) of the Securities Act. Eligible purchasers under Rule 144A can be entities formed solely for the purpose of acquiring restricted securities, so long as they satisfy the qualifying QIB tests. Source: SEC Release No. 33-6862 (April 23, 1990).

COMPLIANCE QUESTIONS: Is the reseller an institution and not an individual? Does the involved QIB control a securities portfolio of $100 million or more? Was the unregistered security resold to the general public?

By Linda J. Rougeux, Advocates for Justice June 2012

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