The SEC announced today that it would hold a public meeting to consider amendments to Regulation AB on Wednesday, August 27:
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Sunshine Act Meeting.
Notice is hereby given, pursuant to the provisions of the Government in the Sunshine Act, Pub. L. 94-409, that the Securities and Exchange Commission will hold an Open Meeting on Wednesday, August 27, 2014 at 10:00 a.m., in the Auditorium, Room L-002.
The subject matters of the Open Meeting will be:
- The Commission will consider whether to adopt rules revising the disclosure, reporting and offering process for asset-backed securities. The revisions would require asset-backed issuers to provide enhanced disclosures, including information for certain asset classes about each asset in the underlying pool in a standardized, tagged format, and revise the shelf offering process and eligibility criteria for asset-backed securities.
- The Commission will consider whether to adopt rule amendments and new rules to implement provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act concerning nationally recognized statistical rating organizations, providers of third-party due diligence services for asset-backed securities, and issuers and underwriters of asset-backed securities under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
The duty officer has determined that no earlier notice was practicable.
At times, changes in Commission priorities require alterations in the scheduling of meeting items.
For further information and to ascertain what, if any, matters have been added, deleted, or postponed, please contact:
The Office of the Secretary at (202) 551-5400.
Kevin M. O’Neill
Deputy Secretary
Dated: August 22, 2014
http://www.sec.gov/news/openmeetings/2014/ssamtg082714.htm
Although the SEC’s proposal to amend Regulation AB (hence Reg AB II) is primarily concerned with asset-backed securities, the Commission’s action will be of interest to covered bonds issuers for two reasons:
- whether covered bonds will be defined as asset-backed securities and therefore expressly subject to Reg AB II;
- whether Reg AB II requirements will be extended to asset-backed securities sold under Rule 144A.
Covered bonds do not fall within the current definition of asset-backed security, as the SEC has recognized in several no-action letter issued to Canadian banks. Nevertheless, in those no-action letters, the SEC has required the banks to comply with specific provisions of current Regulation AB as a condition of registering covered bonds with the SEC. If those provisions are amended, the banks could be required to comply with the provisions as amended.
However, if covered bonds are defined as asset-backed securities under Reg AB II, there may be other provisions that they would be required to comply with, including possibly the proposed requirement to issue a preliminary prospectus at least five days prior to the sale of any security.
Until now, Regulation AB has applied only to asset-backed securities registered with the SEC, and 144A covered bonds have not been subject to the regulation. The extension of Reg AB II to asset-backed securities offered under Rule 144A would therefore affect Rule 144A covered bonds if covered bonds were defined to be asset-backed securities. The extension of Reg AB II to privately placed securities sold under Rule 144A would be a major departure from prior practice. If Reg AB II is not extended to 144A securities, covered bonds could still be offered in the United States under Rule 144A without complying with Reg AB II, even if covered bonds were defined as asset-backed securities under Reg AB II.
Accordingly, the outcome of the meeting on Wednesday will be of considerable interest to covered bond issuers who currently offer or plan to offer covered bonds in the United States.