Securities Law Commons^™

The Securities Investor Protection Act Of 1970: A New Federal Role In Investor Protection, Allan Gates

Vanderbilt Law Review

It has long been a matter of common knowledge that securities, investment involves an element of financial risk. In addition to the obvious hazards of injudicious investment, such as market decline and failure of the corporate venture, there is an appreciable risk of financial loss to the investor due to the potential insolvency of his broker-dealer. Until recently it had been the policy of the federal government to restrict its protection against this latter risk to measures designed to prevent broker-dealer insolvencies and, when an insolvency did occur, to an ordering of the priorities of customer claims in bankruptcy. In …

The Taxation Of Stock Dividends And The Tax Reform Act Of 1969--Foreboding Implications And Constitutional Uncertainties, John A. Pickens

Vanderbilt Law Review

Federal income taxation of stock dividends has followed a diverse course. Since the introduction of a federal income tax on all stock dividends in 1916, five major changes have occurred in this area. The most recent of these changes is embodied in section 421 of the Tax Reform Act of 1969, which amends section 305 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954. When the 1969 Amendments are compared with the treatment of stock dividends under the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, they can be viewed, in conjunction with the regulations issued in 1969 under the 1954 Code, as initiating a …

The Williams Amendments: An Evaluation Of The Early Returns, M. Douglas Dunn

Vanderbilt Law Review

The purpose of this note is to examine the judicial interpretation of the Williams Amendments to the Securities Exchange Act. The background of the legislation is outlined to direct attention to its general purpose and to isolate its intended beneficiaries.' A discussion of the actual amendments will provide the informational base necessary for consideration of the recent cases. The critical discussion of the first few cases interpreting the amendments provides the foundation for a suggested approach in applying the available remedies to violators of the Williams Amendments.

A Rejoinder To Mr. Ferber, Henry G. Manne

Vanderbilt Law Review

No congressman would tell his constituents, "you may be losing money by SEC regulation, but that is irrelevant, since the men down there are serving a higher moral order." The truth of the matter is that there need be no conflict between good economics and good morality. The confusion arises when the attempt is made to substitute superficial ideas of morality for fundamental economic doctrine. Clearly every decision has an economic impact just as it has moral implications. But how can one judge the moral content or desirability of an act of economic regulation without knowing the effects of it?

Codification And Rule 10b-5, Lewis D. Lowenfels

Vanderbilt Law Review

One of the most interesting as well as controversial areas of the securities laws has been the growth of implied liabilities under section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule l0(b)-5 promulgated there under. Any attempt to codify the securities laws would probably include an attempt to codify this entire l0b-5 area.' Once the codifiers move into this area, however, there is a strong likelihood that codification will result in reform and revision, and the present scope as well as the future growth and development of "federal corporation law" under Rule l0b-5 will be profoundly altered.' Thus …

Introduction To Symposium On Securities, Manuel F. Cohen

Vanderbilt Law Review

Students of the securities markets, and of relevant law and regulation, will wonder whether another symposium is worthwhile. Recent years have seen a proliferation of symposia, meetings, conferences, taped messages, books, pamphlets, and other materials designed to educate the uninitiated or to provide an opportunity for debate among the sophisticated concerning the important issues of the day. This, of course, assumes that there are important issues, and merit in the continued effort at education...This symposium does not reach all the issues. It does, however, deal with certain important ones and suggests quite emphatically the need for re-examination of all. To …

Insider Trading And The Law Professors, Henry G. Manne

Vanderbilt Law Review

When Insider Trading and the Stock Market' appeared in November, 1966, I was fully prepared for a goodly amount of disagreement. I was not prepared however for the emotional, almost hostile response my book received from some members of the academic community. This is not to say that all the reviews by law professors were unsympathetic and emotional in tone. Indeed the majority of them were not, and while critical reviews outnumbered favorable ones, most were in some degree mixed, and the tone was generally scholarly, impersonal, and in many cases constructive But the response to my book in the …

Reform Of The Blue Sky Laws, James S. Mofsky

Vanderbilt Law Review

Some constructive recommendations can be made to generate meaningful reform of the blue sky laws within the states themselves. In this regard, it is important to separate those persons who would be in favor of revision as discussed in this article from those who would be opposed. As previously mentioned, corporate officials and businessmen associated with small firms directly affected by the blue sky laws would probably advocate reform, as would the investment bankers who underwrite such firms. These persons and firms must have substantial political muscle if they are to achieve significant results in the state capitols. Such strength …

The Case Against Insider Trading: A Response To Professor Manne, David Ferber

Vanderbilt Law Review

Professor Manne's article appears to be largely an attack on critics of his book Insider Trading and the Stock Market. I must confess I have not read his book. I did, however, read an earlier article by Professor Manne attacking the position of the Commission in the Texas Gulf case, and I once participated in a forum at which Professor Manne expressed his view that inside information should be something that a corporate official might sell. I disagree with Professor Manne's basic position that "[t]he debatable aspects of insider trading are capable of resolution through tools of economic analysis,"' as …

Taxation Of Preferred Stock In Corporate Reorganizations, Bruce E. Gagnon

Vanderbilt Law Review

Among the sections added to the revised version of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 was section 306, designed to close a gaping loophole which might have permitted many taxpayers to withdraw earnings and profits from a corporation through the distribution and sale of preferred stock and to receive capital gains treatment at the shareholder level rather than the dividend treatment ordinarily applicable to such distributions. In this article, Professor Gagnon argues that, as applied to corporate reorganizations, section 306 falls far from its mark. After discussing the purpose and operation of section 306 and related sections, the author suggests …

The Public Offering And A Quest For Alternatives, Bart A. Brown, Jr., Clifford A. Roe, Jr., Scott B. Crooks

Vanderbilt Law Review

The year 1969 has seen a continuation of the strong new issues market that has commanded a significant portion of the attention of the investing public over the past few years. As a result, more and more closely held companies are seeking to raise funds through public offerings of their stock and thus share in the successes of this strong market. While the market conditions have been most encouraging,there have been other developments that have made the managements of some closely held companies reconsider the relative advantages and disadvantages of going public. Recent court decisions have strictly defined the legal …

Insider Liability For Short-Swing Profits Pursuant To Mergers And Related Transactions, James P. Hemmer

Vanderbilt Law Review

This article considers the problems presented by the application of section 16(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to corporate merger transactions. Mr. Hemmer argues that the"matching across" proposal, which has been suggested by some commentators, should not be applied to the merger situation. Instead, the author advocates that the "possibility of abuse" test, which the courts have applied to conversion transactions, should also. be applicable to the corporate merger. Mr. Hemmer feels this approach will prevent the abuses for which section 16(b) was enacted and, at the same time, provide the courts with a flexible test for this …

Recent Cases, Law Review Staff

Vanderbilt Law Review

Criminal Law--Habeas Corpus-State Prison Regulation Prohibiting Prisoner from Preparing Petition for Fellow Inmates Held Invalid in Absence of Alternative Means of Assistance

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Securities Regulation--Corporation as a Director for the Purposes of Section 16(b) of the 1934 Securities Exchange Act

Texas Gulf Sulphur: Its Holdings And Implications, William N. Ozier

Vanderbilt Law Review

The purpose of this note is to analyze the holding in the Texas Gulf Sulphur case as it relates to prior law and to consider some of the problems raised by the decision. Some suggestions will also be made for possible resolution of the most disturbing questions raised by the decision.

Control Of Corporate Indemnification:A Proposed Statute, James H. Cheek, Iii

Vanderbilt Law Review

The recent unprecedented increase in the number of suits filed against corporate executives under the Federal antitrust and securities laws has again focused attention on the risks of executive liability " and the corresponding problem of attracting top men as corporate directors. Faced with this dilemma, corporations have drafted bylaws providing for the maximum identification allowed under applicable state law. The state legislatures, on the other hand, have attempted to prevent misuse of the power to indemnify, while at the same time trying to insure adequate protection for those who serve as directors. Mr. Cheek argues that the legislatures have …

The Underwriter's Duty Of "Due Diligence" Under Section 11 Of The Securities Act: Reflections On Barchris, Theodore W. Lenz

Vanderbilt Law Review

The Securities Act of 1933 seeks to protect the investing public by putting into the hands of the potential securities purchaser information upon which he can base an enlightened investing choice. The participants in a public distribution of securities--including the underwriters are required to collect, accurately and completely in a registration statement and an accompanying prospectus, the relevant facts about the company issuing the securities. Failure to do so will render the participants liable under section 11 of the Act. The Act then imposes a duty of care on the underwriter and enforces that duty by the threat of civil …

International Security Markets, Robert L. Knauss

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

I would like to concentrate on what we might call the international aspects of the European securities markets and, if nothing else, to define a couple of terms. What I want to do first is to look at the question of integration of capital markets, and what we mean by that term. Is it really easier for a French company to raise capital in Belgium than a company from the United States? Has there been any integration in the Common Market? Do foreign issuers raise capital on national securities markets in the currency of that market? I think we have …

The Problems: An Overview, Mark S. Massel

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Securities regulation -- domestic and foreign -- has a technical fascination for the lawyer, whether he be a practicing attorney, corporate counsel, government regulator, or legal scholar. The intricate detail of the primary regulations and of their subsidiary byways provide opportunities for stimulating mental gymnastics. The piecing together of the various phases provides interesting occasions for experimentation, speculation, and analyzation.

Yet, a preoccupation with securities regulation which overlooks the setting can produce mere academic exercise. The need for an appreciation of the setting is all-important in examining foreign securities regulation. In considering United States securities regulation we do not need …

Headnotes, Journal Staff

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

On April 4, 1969, the American Society of International Law (ASIL) and the Vanderbilt International Law Society held a Conference on Legal Problems of International Capital Formation. The Symposium appearing in this issue of the International directly results from this Conference.

Manuel F. Cohen, former Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, begins the Symposium with a brief overview of the development of international securities markets in Europe. Mark S. Massel then suggests the questions a businessman or lawyer should ask before making foreign investment. Lester Nurick shows how international organizations, especially the World Bank, join with private parties in …

Legal Problems Of International Capital Formation, Manuel F. Cohen

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

In the past ten or fifteen years, a revolution has been going on in the financial and securities field. This phenomenon is only an aspect of a wider revolution which is occurring throughout our society. To understand these revolutions, one must understand not only the economic issues but also the national interests and prejudices that affect governmental action. For example, securities law is moving in a slightly different direction in Canada from that in the United States. This introduction sets forth what I sense is going on in Western Europe.

Unless the people whose savings the market wishes to tap …

Securities Regulation In Selected European Countries, Mitchell Brock

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

In approaching the subject of securities regulation in selected European countries, I will not attempt to provide a detailed description of the existing arrangements in the principal European countries. I shall of course to some degree descend to the "nitty gritty" of concrete details to give to airy generalizations a local reality, but my principal objective will be to discuss the economic context, the structure of the capital markets in which the regulatory authorities are performing their functions.

This economic context is pertinent to an understanding of why the pattern of regulation differs in many respects from that existing in …

Corporate Securities As "Business Property", Thomas G. Bost

Vanderbilt Law Review

Inadequacies of the statutory definition of "capital asset" have led the courts to develop the concept of "business property," which serves to distinguish everyday business activities from investment activities.This concept is now being applied by courts in a wide variety of factual situations involving corporate securities. However, unless objective, easily ascertainable limits to the "business property" concept are found, confusion and inconsistency may mark the development of future case law. The rules developed by the American Law Institute's Discussion Draft Study of Definitional Problems in Capital Gains Taxation appear to provide these objective limits. Because they are consistent with the …

Rights And Obligations In The Mutual Fund: A Source Of Law, James M. Anderson

Vanderbilt Law Review

The proposals of this note, the thrust of statutory regulation, the trend of the case law and the direction of recent developments are all consistent. In a practical sense, the suggestions here attempt to provide a reasonable source of law for the men of the industry and for the courts in search of an authoritative system of behavioral standards. If, for example, a mutual fund has enjoyed such vigorous growth that the percentage fee now charged by the advisers has lost its relevance to the actual cost of management, the disgruntled shareholder or the apprehensive director would seek information on …

Business Associations--1964 Tennessee Survey, Daniel J. Gifford

Vanderbilt Law Review

In Denny v. Phillips & Buttorff Corp.,' the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed a judgment of the United States Court for the Middle District of Tennessee which awarded $235,000 in fees plus $6,227.98 in expenses to counsel representing minority stockholders in a suit which had been brought to force cancellation of a purchase by the Phillips & Buttorff Corp. from the instrumentalities of the controlling stockholders of such corporation of 60,000 shares of stock in Win. R.Moore Dry Goods Company for $2,700,000. The purchase of the Moore stock had apparently been used as a means …

Rule 10b-5 And The Stockholder's Derivative Action, Lewis D. Lowenfels

Vanderbilt Law Review

This article focuses upon a new, emerging private cause of action based upon section 10(b) and rule 10b-5-a stockholder's derivative action initiated on behalf of a corporation which has been defrauded in connection with the purchase or sale of securities. Five reported cases, three decided in the last three months of 1964, have sustained a stockholder's derivative suit based upon section 10(b) and rule 10b-5. The significance of these decisions becomes apparent, not only when one considers that the derivative suit has traditionally been an internal corporate matter governed exclusively by state law, but also when one focuses upon the …

Corporations -- Effect Of Statements Made In Stock Prospectus, Law Review Staff

Vanderbilt Law Review

In the case of United Funds, Inc. v. Carter Products, Inc.,' the City Circuit Court of Baltimore, Maryland, handed down a decision which" broke new legal ground." The case, involving the effect of statements made in stock prospect uses on a corporation's future actions, has provoked surprisingly little discussion by legal commentators, and none at all on the "new" ground it broke. The purpose of this comment is to examine the Carter Products decision, to attempt to place it in proper legal perspective, and finally to evaluate it as a new development in the law.

Creditors' Rights And Security Transactions -- 1962 Tennessee Survey, Forrest W. Lacey

Vanderbilt Law Review

Tanner v. Mobley presented the problem of who may bring an action to recover usury. The plaintiff in the action, brought to recover usury and purge a trust deed and note of usury, was the daughter-in-law and grantee of the maker of the note and trust deed. The note and trust deed were executed in 1952. In 1954 the property covered by the trust deed was conveyed to plaintiff in consideration of her promise to pay the note and care for the grantor. Plaintiff continued to make payments on the note for several years after the death of grantor in …

Creditors' Rights And Security Transactions -- 1961 Tennessee Survey (Ii), Forrest W. Lacey

Vanderbilt Law Review

During the period under survey there were few cases dealing with creditors' rights or security transactions. One of these, Cannon Mills, Inc.v. Spivey,' presented the question of whether the mere filing of a bill to subject the property of an insolvent debtor for the benefit of creditors created a lien lis pendens, or whether registration of the lien was necessary before it became effective. The facts were as follows. A judgment creditor with a nulla bona return filed a general creditors' bill on October 18, to subject the property of an insolvent debtor for the benefit of all his creditors. …

Public Utility Debt Ratios And The Public Interest--Reasonable Fixed Charges And Just And Reasonable Rates, Melvin G. Dakin

Vanderbilt Law Review

Mr, Dakin explores the complex and difficult field of the financing of public utilities corporations. He describes and evaluates the approaches of four commissions: the Securities and Exchange Commission which must approve the reorganization of public utilities corporations which have gone into bankruptcy, the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Power Commission, and the Michigan Public Service Commission. He concludes by suggesting that in some instances these agencies are placing too great emphasis on their conception of sound financing at the expense of the customers served by these utilities.

Business Associations -- 1961 Tennessee Survey, Kenneth L. Roberts

Vanderbilt Law Review

I. CASES

A. Disregard of Corporate Entity

B. Action in Corporate Name After Revocation of Charter

C. Effect of Merger

1. Privilege Tax

2. Statute of Limitations

D. Judicial Intervention in Internal Corporate Affairs

E. Disregard of Fictitious Corporate Records

F. Criminal Liability of Corporation for Acts of Agents

G. Corporate Venue Under Federal Anti-Trust Laws

II. STATUTES

A. Unincorporated Associations Treated as Corporations

B. Amendments to Securities Law

C. Massachusetts Trust Act

D. Industrial Development Corporation "Projects"

E. Amendments Relating to General Welfare Corporations

F. Miscellany