Politics, Legal & Regulation

December 12, 2012 @ 10:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

In an article published today on WSJ.com (Subscription), the author highlights the woes of a small businessman – in dire need of capital to expand with nowhere to go. Scott Schroeder owns a small electronics assembly business in Oregon.  His business experienced a recent surge… Read More

December 12, 2012 @ 7:01 am By JD Alois  |  

I recently got around to listening to Brian Knight’s excellent CrowdFundCast podcast that he produces periodically.  His latest podcast discusses the SEC Small Business Forum, which we’ve covered previously. Sarah is an accomplished attorney with vast experience with the securities and finance industry.  She spent… Read More

December 11, 2012 @ 3:02 pm By Business Journal  |  

Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley and a Democratic colleague want the Securities & Exchange Commission to swiftly issue rules regarding crowdfunding activities. Merkley, who’s taken a keen interest in crowdfunding, and Colorado’s Michael Bennet wrote SEC Chairwoman Mary Schapiro to request that the agencyinterpret crowdfunding rules, which President Obama signed on April 5…. Read More

December 10, 2012 @ 7:00 am By Charles Luzar  |  

RocketHub’s Crowdfunding Whitepaper may prove a little tedious for the typical entrepreneur, but if you’re looking for a deep understanding of crowdfunding’s status in the US it is required reading.  COO Jed Cohen and CFO Alon Hillel-Tuch were armed with their enthusiasm and this document at… Read More

December 8, 2012 @ 4:26 am By JDSupra  |  

Reports that U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Mary Schapiro will be leaving her post next week have raised questions as to the fate of a number of high-profile issues currently on the Commission’s docket. Chief among them is the concern that long-awaited crowdfunding… Read More

December 7, 2012 @ 6:03 pm By Bostinno  |  

Between now and whenever the SEC releases its final crowdfunding guidelines, we’re likely to hear a lot more about the potential pitfalls of letting anyone invest in private companies. Just as in the run-up to legalizing crowdfunding, lots of that talk will center around fraud…. Read More

December 7, 2012 @ 3:45 pm By Crowdfund Capital Advisors  |  

Equity and debt-based crowdfunding (aka crowdfund investing) isn’t even live yet and State regulators, rather than engage in effective and productive dialogue with our industry on how to best protect investors, has chosen to continue its misinformation campaign by describing fraud that is NOT crowdfunding,… Read More

December 7, 2012 @ 7:01 am By JD Alois  |  

An article in Investment News today alleged a grave Crowdfunding misdeed tookplace in the form of fraud by a company called Prodigy Oil and Gas LLC.  As quoted in the article; Prodigy allegedly sold at least $464,000 in unregistered securities to one Massachusetts investor, according… Read More

December 6, 2012 @ 9:54 pm By Reuters  |  

(Reuters) – A new breed of internet-based financiers are calling for action to end regulatory uncertainty they say is preventing them from getting money to the small and medium-sized businesses that need it. The so-called crowdfunding sector raises cash from members of the public to… Read More

December 5, 2012 @ 7:57 pm By WSJ.com  |  

Chairman Mary Schapiro has announced she’s leaving the SEC, and Democrats are applauding her tenure. But she shouldn’t be allowed to leave without more attention to her delay, in order to appease a lobbyist, of a new rule that would ease capital formation. Emails turned up by… Read More

December 5, 2012 @ 5:46 pm By The Economist  |  

THE unsurprising resignation of Mary Schapiro, head of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), announced on November 26th, was followed by an unsurprising flurry of statements dripping with faint praise. True, the financial markets did not collapse during her tenure, and she was more engaged… Read More

December 5, 2012 @ 3:37 pm By Charles Luzar  |  

Washington, D.C., Dec. 5, 2012 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that Robert W. Cook, Director of the SEC’s Division of Trading and Markets, plans to leave the agency. Since joining the SEC in January 2010, Mr. Cook has led the Division’s broad regulatory… Read More

December 5, 2012 @ 3:36 pm By JD Alois  |  

Washington, D.C., Dec. 5, 2012 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that General Counsel Mark D. Cahn will leave the agency at the end of the year to return to the private sector. Mr. Cahn has served as the SEC’s General Counsel since… Read More

December 5, 2012 @ 11:14 am By Mark Mohler, Crowdfunding Law  |  

I wonder whether the SEC understands that Title III investment crowdfunding is inextricably linked to social entrepreneurship.  It is essential to understanding how a balanced approach for regulation is necessary in this area.  Title III is a natural evolution of the rewards-based crowdfunding that has… Read More

December 5, 2012 @ 9:40 am By A. Brian Dengler, CFIRA  |  

Washington, DC – December 4, 2012 – Meredith Cross, who directed the SEC division overseeing the implementation of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act and Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act, says she is stepping down to return to the private sector. Ms. Cross has served as the Director of the… Read More

December 5, 2012 @ 6:05 am By TechDirt  |  

Earlier this year, the JOBS Act passed Congress with widespread bipartisan support, and was signed into law by the President. There were a few different pieces involved, but one that got plenty of attention was the opening up of crowdfunding for equity (i.e., owning actual… Read More

December 3, 2012 @ 4:12 pm By Forbes  |  

The CrowdNow that the Presidential election is over, it’s time for the country to get back to work on the economic and job growth plans that both candidates talked to as priorities during the election. This begs a basic, essential question: If a President wants… Read More

December 2, 2012 @ 11:58 am By JD Alois  |  

As reported in WSJ.com  (subscription required), emails reviewed by the Wall Street Journal indicate the outgoing SEC Chair held up ruling on General Solicitation after last minute lobbying by a “consumer lobbyist”.  This caused Schapiro to change her mind regarding one of the centerpiece items of… Read More

November 30, 2012 @ 3:15 pm By Financial Post  |  

The Ontario government appears to be throwing its support behind moves to loosen securities laws to allow equity-based crowdfunding. At a conference in Toronto Thursday morning, the minister of economic development and innovation Brad Duguid spoke about the potential benefits that crowdfunding provides for entrepreneurs… Read More

November 29, 2012 @ 3:57 pm By JD Alois  |  

This items was posted in an article on AdvisorOne which reviewed the amendments and proposals FINRA is scheduled to review during their upcoming December meeting; Other items on FINRA’s list includes a proposal to seek “essential information” from crowdfunding portals that want to apply for… Read More