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Articles 1 - 30 of 61
Full-Text Articles in Securities Law
Emerging Technologies And Perfection Of Security Interests: A Financial University Of Uncertainty, Elizabeth M. Wagenbach
Emerging Technologies And Perfection Of Security Interests: A Financial University Of Uncertainty, Elizabeth M. Wagenbach
Brooklyn Law Review
Since the founding of Bitcoin in 2009, digital assets, such as cryptocurrency, have exploded in popularity. Cryptocurrency has been associated with stories of immense profit and immense loss. The lucky transactors have been able to capitalize on the price fluctuations of cryptocurrency, while the unlucky transactors became victims of the same volatility, losing tremendous amounts of money. The novelty and ingenuity of cryptocurrency has been coupled with mass confusion to transactors and regulators alike. These early days of cryptocurrency have been characterized by a sort of regulatory tug of war that is a direct result of confusion of what cryptocurrency …
Whom Is Corporate Esg Integration For?, Ryan Brennan
Whom Is Corporate Esg Integration For?, Ryan Brennan
Brooklyn Journal of International Law
Notions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and more recently, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) have found their way into the boardrooms of the world’s largest corporations. The prominence of this trend has revived the timeless debate over the true function of for-profit business. Traditional theory calls for a corporation to maximize shareholder’s profits—a view known as “shareholder primacy.” A competing contemporary school of thought finds that corporate purpose naturally extends beyond generating return on the investment of a given shareholder to reflect social objectives and the many dependent constituents of a business. As it stands, US corporate law tracks the …
Drowning Unicorns: The Case Against More Disclosure In Private Markets, Matthew Whang
Drowning Unicorns: The Case Against More Disclosure In Private Markets, Matthew Whang
Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law
This Note traces the economic and legal factors that led to the proliferation of unicorn companies—private, venture-backed startups valued over one billion dollars—over the past decade and argues that unicorn companies should be subject to fewer security disclosures. A lighter disclosure regime fosters greater private-market illiquidity, which, in turn, better aligns an investor’s profit motive with prudential corporate management. Because they cannot flee at the first sign of trouble, shareholders are incentivized to play a more active role in overseeing management and eschew risky decisions that threaten the well-being of a company to avoid losing their investments. Given the dynamic …
Sec V. Panuwat: The Federal Pursuit Of Shadow Trading, Kayla Kershen
Sec V. Panuwat: The Federal Pursuit Of Shadow Trading, Kayla Kershen
Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law
In 2021, the SEC filed a complaint against a biopharmaceutical executive, Matthew Panuwat, for trading on material non-public information in violation of both the federal securities laws and his employer’s company policies. However, because the subject of the confidential information was not his employer, but a similarly situated peer company, Panuwat’s conduct constitutes “shadow trading.” The SEC’s enforcement, and the Northern District of California’s subsequent approval, indicate that company insiders may face liability for shadow trading. However, as written, the SEC arguably bases its attachment of federal liability on the company policies that Panuwat was bound by and violated. This …
Entire Fairness Or Bust: The Burst Of The 2020-2021 Spac Bubble, Nicole Lynch
Entire Fairness Or Bust: The Burst Of The 2020-2021 Spac Bubble, Nicole Lynch
Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) have skyrocketed in recent years as an alternative for taking private companies public through an initial public offering (IPO). SPACs are blank-check companies that raise capital through public exchanges for the “special purpose” of acquiring a privately held company. Once acquired, the private company will take the SPAC’s place on the public exchange, effectively accomplishing the same thing as a traditional IPO but without all the onerous reporting requirements and upfront costs. For these reasons, SPACs have become the next big thing in securities markets despite being around since the 1990s. Throughout 2020 and 2021, …
“Finfluencers In The Wild” A Call For Regulation Addressing The Growth Of Online Investment Advice, Mia Stefanou
“Finfluencers In The Wild” A Call For Regulation Addressing The Growth Of Online Investment Advice, Mia Stefanou
Brooklyn Law Review
Illustrated in part by the abnormal market volatility that resulted from the popularity of meme stocks in early 2021, a new era of securities trading is taking place. With increasing frequency, investors look to social media discourse for investment advice. The current regulatory regime in the United States fails to address the increasing prominence of a new type of market participant—the “finfluencer.” This new breed of advisor is the social media influencer who provides investment advice to other users online. This note discusses the global conversations surrounding the emergence of this group, examines the US governance framework, specifically the Investment …
Failed Efforts At Harmonization Of Securities Regulation, Roberta S. Karmel
Failed Efforts At Harmonization Of Securities Regulation, Roberta S. Karmel
Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law
This Article is based on a speech made by Professor Karmel at the Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial, & Commercial Law annual symposium in May 2022 titled “Commercial Law Harmonization: Past as Prologue,” analyzing the work done in the past half-century to balance commercial law. The symposium also celebrated the career of Neil B. Cohen of Brooklyn Law School for his teaching and participation in law reform efforts.
Regulatory Outlook For Derivatives Based On Sports Outcomes, Benjamin Augugliaro
Regulatory Outlook For Derivatives Based On Sports Outcomes, Benjamin Augugliaro
Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law
This Note dives into the intersection between two distinct areas: sports gambling and derivatives. ErisX had the keen idea to use sports-based futures contracts for hedging purposes, and thought that because of these hedging purposes, it would not be rubbing up against any sports gambling laws. However, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), in charge of regulating the trading of futures contracts, still presented a problem for ErisX. The CFTC prohibits futures contracts involving “gaming,” and while the purpose of these contracts are not speculative, they still involve sports. Therefore, a new CFTC body equipped to deal with sports-based contracts …
Targeted Regulation Of Proxy Voting Advice: Balancing Monitoring With Information Flow In The Age Of Esg, Jara R.Y. Jacobson
Targeted Regulation Of Proxy Voting Advice: Balancing Monitoring With Information Flow In The Age Of Esg, Jara R.Y. Jacobson
Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law
Proxy voting advice businesses have historically been guided by disjointed rules and regulations based on their relationship to other entities, but under a 2020 rulemaking they were officially brought under the auspices of the Securities and Exchange Commission. However, after a change in presidential administrations, the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2021 issued a proposed amendment which, if adopted, would rescind some of the more contentious elements of the initial 2020 rulemaking. This Note considers how, even if the 2021 proposed amendments are adopted, the Securities and Exchange Commission can simultaneously regulate and protect proxy voting advice businesses through the …
Mutual Fund Advisory Fees: Forty Years Of Failure, Stewart L. Brown Phd., Cfa
Mutual Fund Advisory Fees: Forty Years Of Failure, Stewart L. Brown Phd., Cfa
Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law
In the 1960s, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) attempted to correct an oversight in the Investment Company Act of 1940 (ICA) that allowed investment management firms to overcharge investors, namely, the absence of enforceable protections over excessive fees. Congress, in the 1970 amendments to the ICA, was influenced by the investment management industry and the resultant legislation sent ambiguous signals to the judicial system. Lacking clear guidance from Congress, in the seminal fee case Gartenberg v. Merrill Lynch, the Second Circuit fashioned a fiduciary standard favorable to the investment management industry. Under this standard, no plaintiff has ever won …
Bardy Diagnostics V. Hill-Rom: New Lessons On Material Adverse Effect Clauses, Robert T. Miller
Bardy Diagnostics V. Hill-Rom: New Lessons On Material Adverse Effect Clauses, Robert T. Miller
Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law
In Bardy Diagnostics, Inc. v. Hill-Rom, Inc., the Delaware Court of Chancery once again had to apply a Material Adverse Effect clause to determine whether an acquirer was required to close an acquisition. The case develops the law of MAEs in several important ways. First, the agreement between the parties substituted for the customary MAE objects (e.g., the company’s business, financial condition, and results of operations) a bespoke defined term. The court interpreted the definition of that term in a way that made it functionally equivalent to more customary MAE objects; then, consistent with an unacknowledged trend in Delaware law, …
In Vogue Again: The Re-Rise Of Spacs In The Ipo Market, Maria Lucia Passador
In Vogue Again: The Re-Rise Of Spacs In The Ipo Market, Maria Lucia Passador
Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law
If the capital markets described the year 2020 in a few words, it would certainly be Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPACs), which - although to a different extent - are now gaining momentum on both shores of the pond. While, in the United States, SPACs are really enjoying a new lease on life due to the pandemic, the outlook seems positive in Europe too, although data are not comparable to those registered across the Atlantic. This article focuses on SPACs in the United States prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (between January 2010 and December 2019), in order to understand their …
Freeing Cryptoassets From Howey: A Defense Of Genuine Token Offering, Kathryn A. Daly
Freeing Cryptoassets From Howey: A Defense Of Genuine Token Offering, Kathryn A. Daly
Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law
The Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) is the most powerful regulator of the U.S. securities market and serves to “protect investors; maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets; and facilitate capital formation.” The agency’s task of protecting retail investors and regulating market participants has been, at times, reduced to a binary choice between “Main Street” investors and “Wall Street” insiders. Some regulators and legislators rely on this binary to put pressure on cryptoassets, claiming that more regulation leads to more effective investor protections. This Note rejects that premise. Genuine tokens offerings (i.e., unregistered security offerings not designed to defraud investors) must be …
A Continental Rift? The United States And European Union's Contrasting Approaches To Regulating The Monopolistic Behavior Of Gatekeeper Platforms, Peter R. Enia
Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law
Over the past decade, gatekeeper platforms, such as Amazon.com, Inc. (Amazon), have created highly monopolistic business models to benefit themselves while undermining third-party merchants on digital marketplaces. To illustrate, Amazon collects third-party merchant and consumer data on its marketplace to improve its private-label brands while simultaneously selling them alongside third-party merchant products, creating a significant conflict of interest business model. To address this anticompetitive behavior, the United States (U.S.) and the European Union (E.U.) have proposed contrasting approaches. The U.S., through the Ending Platform Monopolies Act, offers a structural separation remedy, giving the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission …
How Discretionary Decision-Making Impacts The Financial Performance And Legal Disclosures Of S&P 500 Funds, Bernard S. Sharfman, Vincent Deluard
How Discretionary Decision-Making Impacts The Financial Performance And Legal Disclosures Of S&P 500 Funds, Bernard S. Sharfman, Vincent Deluard
Brooklyn Law Review
When investment funds track the S&P 500, the index becomes more than just a list of 500 companies. The focus then becomes the financial and regulatory issues that arise from the discretionary decision-making power of the Index Committee that governs the S&P 500. Based on our empirical research and analysis, this article recommends a new principal risk disclosure under SEC Form N-1A, which we refer to as “selection risk,” to be included in the statutory and summary prospectuses of investment funds that track the S&P 500. This type of risk results when the Index Committee uses its discretionary decision-making power …
A True Sense Of Security: How Kirschner V. J.P. Morgan Chase Illustrates The Failings Of The Reves Family-Resemblance Test And The Need To Recognize Some Syndicated Loans As Securities For The Sake Of The Financial System, Aidan D. Mulry
Brooklyn Law Review
Following the 2008 financial crisis, Congress implemented a number of reforms aimed at ensuring that such a man-made disaster—fueled by greed and willful ignorance—is not permitted to happen again. On the surface, these reforms appear to be a success; however, under the surface, there is currently a capital market that is effectively ignored, not only by the reforms passed in the wake of the financial crisis, but by virtually all securities regulation. This capital market, which revolves around so-called syndicated loans, is estimated to be larger than the subprime-mortgage collateralized debt obligations market was at its apex, and yet it …
Avoiding Wasteful Competition: Why Trading On Inside Information Should Be Illegal, Michael D. Guttentag
Avoiding Wasteful Competition: Why Trading On Inside Information Should Be Illegal, Michael D. Guttentag
Brooklyn Law Review
This article offers a new and compelling reason to make all trading based on inside information illegal. The value realized by trading on inside information is unusual in two respects. First, inside information is produced at little or no incremental cost and is nevertheless quite valuable. Second, profits made from trading on inside information come largely at the expense of others. When the value of something exceeds the cost to produce it, a wasteful race to be the first to capture the resulting surplus is likely to ensue. Similarly, resources expended solely to take something of value from others are …
Karmel’S Dissent: The Sec’S Use And Occasional Misuse Of Section 21(A) Reports Of Investigation, James J. Park
Karmel’S Dissent: The Sec’S Use And Occasional Misuse Of Section 21(A) Reports Of Investigation, James J. Park
Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law
Section 21(a) of the Securities Exchange Act gives the SEC the option of publishing a report of its findings after conducting an investigation. Typically, the SEC issues such reports about once a year to highlight major compliance and enforcement issues. This Article examines the SEC’s use of Section 21(a) investigative reports with special attention to its 1979 report in Spartek, where Commissioner Roberta Karmel filed a famous dissent. In that opinion, she argued that the report effectively sanctioned conduct over which the SEC did not have jurisdiction and that Spartek did not have sufficient notice of its regulatory obligations. While …
Full Of Questions And Wonder: Roberta Karmel's Legacy, Alan R. Palmiter
Full Of Questions And Wonder: Roberta Karmel's Legacy, Alan R. Palmiter
Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law
Roberta Karmel has been perhaps the keenest observer and commentator on the securities industry and its regulation for the past five decades. Her observations about securities regulation—during the SEC’s precocious adolescence and into its young adulthood—have framed the academic inquiry of all of us who have written on the subject during this period. But more valuable to us than her observations have been her questions, full of wonder and penetrating insight. We securities academics, the enterprise of securities regulation, and especially market capitalism, all owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Professor Karmel.
Qualified Opportunity Funds: Private Equity Exemptions From Public Responsibility, Audrey E. Abate
Qualified Opportunity Funds: Private Equity Exemptions From Public Responsibility, Audrey E. Abate
Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law
The historic Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), passed and signed into law in 2017, included a pilot program of a new kind of tax advantage: the Qualified Opportunity Zone. The obscure provision has since spawned novel investment vehicles, called Qualified Opportunity Funds, through which qualified individuals and entities participate in what are often significant tax advantages, including deferral of capital gains for up to ten years. Because Qualified Opportunity Funds have come into existence so recently, regulation has been slow to catch up to the ways in which this tax program is rapidly attracting capital from private equity, investment …
Proxy Advisors As Issue Spotters, Douglas Sarro
Proxy Advisors As Issue Spotters, Douglas Sarro
Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law
When institutional investors hire proxy advisors to prepare reports on matters up for vote at public company shareholder meetings, are they interested primarily in acquiring a bottom-line recommendation on how to vote, on which they can then blindly rely? Or in acquiring information that will help them make their own voting decisions? Supporters of controversial reforms introduced by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 2019 and 2020 gravitate toward the former position, arguing that reform is needed to discourage undue reliance on proxy advisor recommendations. Opponents gravitate toward the latter position, arguing that additional regulation generally is unnecessary given …
Reducing Conflicts Of Interest: A "Glass-Steagall" Split Of Advisory And Consulting Services Of Proxy Advisory Firms, Austin Manna
Reducing Conflicts Of Interest: A "Glass-Steagall" Split Of Advisory And Consulting Services Of Proxy Advisory Firms, Austin Manna
Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law
This Note explores a solution to the potential problem with proxy advisory firms that involves an inherent conflict of interest arising from the structure of two services—advisory and consulting services—offered at certain proxy advisory firms in the United States. The solution proposed in this paper applies a Glass-Steagall framework to breakup these two services of the proxy advisory firms. In theory, this would eliminate the inherent conflicts of interest.
Alternative Data And Insider Trading: Are Investment Managers Assleep At The Wheel On Big Data Use?, William Montemarano
Alternative Data And Insider Trading: Are Investment Managers Assleep At The Wheel On Big Data Use?, William Montemarano
Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law
The rapid rise of “big data” has transformed the way that professional investors make investment decisions. In addition, the intersection of the United States federal securities laws and the use of “big data” to inform securities trading lies in uncharted waters. The nuanced and factually-dependent securities laws are far behind industry practices, and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) have remained largely silent on the issue to date. This Note argues that this combination of murky laws and rapidly evolving business practices gives rise to legal and regulatory risk, and that investment managers leveraging …
The Abraham L. Pomerantz Lecture: Investor Protection In The Digital Age, Kara M. Stein
The Abraham L. Pomerantz Lecture: Investor Protection In The Digital Age, Kara M. Stein
Brooklyn Law Review
On September 24, 2019, Kara M. Stein delivered the following keynote address at the 17th annual Abraham L. Pomerantz Lecture at Brooklyn Law School. The Pomerantz Lecture is sponsored by the Brooklyn Law Review and the Center for the Study of Business Law and Regulation at Brooklyn Law School. Kara M. Stein served as Commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from August 9, 2013 until January 2, 2019. Commissioner Stein was appointed by President Barack Obama and confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate.
A Taxonomy Of Cryptocurrency Enforcement Actions, Peter J. Henning
A Taxonomy Of Cryptocurrency Enforcement Actions, Peter J. Henning
Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law
This article looks at how the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) have pursued cases involving cryptocurrencies. A number of prosecutions have been brought against defendants who misled investors into believing that they were obtaining cryptocurrencies when in fact there were simply false statements and schemes to defraud, such as Ponzi schemes. When a company has attempted to issue a cryptocurrency to investors, the SEC has relied on Section 5(a) and 5(c) of the Securities Act of 1933 to require that issuers file a registration statement with the Commission. This is not an easy process …
“Estonia’S Gift To The World”: The Implementation Of A Blockchain Protocol For Corporate Governance In New York, Sydney Lauren Abualy
“Estonia’S Gift To The World”: The Implementation Of A Blockchain Protocol For Corporate Governance In New York, Sydney Lauren Abualy
Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law
The traditional procedures of corporate governance are not designed to resolve issues related to close outcomes of corporate votes, empty voting practices, the proxy voting protocol, verification of shareholder identities, and access to corporate records. Blockchain technology allows all corporate shareholders to participate in corporate governance more conveniently, with increased transparency, on a secure network. Estonia sought to revolutionize corporate governance by facilitating the development of a blockchain based e-voting protocol for shareholders of companies listed on the Tallinn Stock Exchange to vote in shareholder meetings. After unsuccessful attempts, New York stands well behind other states, such as Delaware, in …
Revising The Debt Limit For “Small Business Debtors”: The Legislative Half-Measure Of The Small Business Reorganization Act, Michael C. Blackmon
Revising The Debt Limit For “Small Business Debtors”: The Legislative Half-Measure Of The Small Business Reorganization Act, Michael C. Blackmon
Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law
Bankruptcy law changed drastically in 2019 with the passage of several bills. This Note will examine two of them. First, the Family Farmer Relief Act of 2019 raised the debt limit of the family farmer from $4,411,400 to $10,000,000. This enables more financially distressed family farmers to be eligible for Chapter 12 relief, a reorganizational tool designed for farmers. Second, the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019 created Subchapter V – Small Business Debtor Reorganization in Chapter 11. This new Subchapter streamlined the reorganization process for small business debtors by removing roadblocks which often derail a reorganization of a small …
Unmasking The Villain: Exposing Scammers’ Identities To Defeat Harmful Calls, Katherine Teng
Unmasking The Villain: Exposing Scammers’ Identities To Defeat Harmful Calls, Katherine Teng
Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law
Since 1991, Congress has attempted to limit unwanted phone calls through legislative efforts. However, past and current laws remain ineffective as scam call complaints continue to increase while the harm of these calls remains severe. Currently, the laws affecting telecommunication regulation focus on reactive measures rather than preventative solutions. Most recently, Congress has passed the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act, which will require telecommunication companies to implement SHAKEN/STIR technology to end scam calls before they reach consumers. While this is the most progressive legislation addressing scam calls, this Note will suggest that phone numbers be registered to …
Compliance Officers: Personal Liability, Protections, And Posture, Jennifer M. Pacella
Compliance Officers: Personal Liability, Protections, And Posture, Jennifer M. Pacella
Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law
This Symposium Article will explore the evolving nature of the regulatory and enforcement landscape as it pertains to compliance officers, specifically regarding their susceptibility to personal liability. It will examine the posture of compliance officers in three contexts: i) as a possible target for enforcement activity by regulators; ii) as a quasi-professional subject to a current regime of “non-regulation”; and iii) as an employee in need of ample whistleblower protections, each of which create implications for a compliance officer’s risk of personal liability and protections as a constituent of the organization monitored. After considering the current guidance surrounding enforcement activity …
Artificial Intelligence & Artificial Prices: Safeguarding Securities Markets From Manipulation By Non-Human Actors, Daniel W. Slemmer
Artificial Intelligence & Artificial Prices: Safeguarding Securities Markets From Manipulation By Non-Human Actors, Daniel W. Slemmer
Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law
Securities traders are currently competing to use Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) in order to make more profitable decisions in the marketplace. While A.I. provides superior abilities in recognizing market patterns, its complexity can obscure its decision-making process beyond human comprehension. Problematically, the current securities laws prohibiting manipulation of securities prices rest liability for violations on a trader’s intent. In order to prepare for A.I. market participants, both courts and regulators need to accept that human concepts of decision-making will be inadequate in regulating A.I. behavior. However, the wealth of case law in the market manipulation doctrine need not be cast aside. …