94-31527. Self-Regulatory Organizations; American Stock Exchange, Inc.; Order Granting Approval to Proposed Rule Change and Notice of Filing and Order Granting Accelerated Approval to Amendment No. 2 Relating to Amendment of the Exchange's Rules for ...  

  • [Federal Register Volume 59, Number 246 (Friday, December 23, 1994)]
    [Unknown Section]
    [Page 0]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 94-31527]
    
    
    [[Page Unknown]]
    
    [Federal Register: December 23, 1994]
    
    
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    SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
    [Release No. 34-35104; File No. SR-Amex-94-14]
    
     
    
    Self-Regulatory Organizations; American Stock Exchange, Inc.; 
    Order Granting Approval to Proposed Rule Change and Notice of Filing 
    and Order Granting Accelerated Approval to Amendment No. 2 Relating to 
    Amendment of the Exchange's Rules for the Emerging Company Marketplace
    
    December 15, 1994.
    
    I. Introduction
    
        On May 9, 1994, the American Stock Exchange, Inc. (``Amex'' or 
    ``Exchange'') submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission 
    (``SEC'' or ``Commission''), pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the 
    Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (``Act'')\1\ and Rule 19b-4 
    thereunder,\2\ a proposed rule change to amend its listing requirements 
    for the Emerging Company Marketplace and to add criteria for the 
    listing of preferred stock, warrants, debt, and units. On August 25, 
    1994, the Amex submitted Amendment No. 1 to the proposed rule change, 
    and on November 14, 1994, the Exchange submitted Amendment No. 2 to the 
    proposed rule change.\3\
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        \1\15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1) (1988).
        \2\17 CFR 240.19b-4 (1993).
        \3\See letter from Claudia Crowley, Special Counsel, Amex, to 
    Katherine Simmons, SEC, dated November 10, 1994. Amendment No. 2 
    adds maintenance standards for the continued listing of preferred 
    stock, debt, warrants, and units.
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        The proposed rule change and Amendment No. 1 were published for 
    comment in Securities Exchange Act Release No. 34615 (August 30, 1994), 
    59 FR 46455 (September 8, 1994) (``Notice of Proposed Rule Change''). 
    No comments were received on the proposal. This order approves the 
    proposed rule change, including Amendment No. 2 on an accelerated 
    basis.
    
    II. Background
    
        In March 1992, the Commission approved a rule change to amend the 
    Amex Company Guide to add a new section establishing listing criteria 
    for an Emerging Company Marketplace (``ECM'').\4\ The ECM rules 
    established quantitative listing standards that were below those 
    required for listing on the Amex's main list. In addition, the ECM 
    rules created a multi-step Amex approval process whereby candidates for 
    listing needed the approval of the Exchange staff and the separate 
    concurrence of the ECM Listing Committee (``Committee''). In evaluating 
    listing eligibility, the staff and the Committee were required to 
    consider quantitative as well as qualitative criteria.
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        \4\See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 30445 (March 5, 
    1994), 57 FR 8693 (March 11, 1992) (approving File No. SR-Amex-91-
    25) (``ECM Approval Order'').
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        In May 1994, the United States General Accounting Office (``GAO'') 
    issued a report (``GAO Report'') that examined the Amex's methodology 
    for deciding whether to approve a company's securities for ECM listing 
    and trading.\5\ The GAO Report recommended that the Amex improve the 
    ECM listing process by: (1) Publishing a more comprehensive statement 
    of the ECM qualitative listing factors, including the significance of 
    each factor to the final listing decision; (2) modifying the ECM rules 
    to define the quantitative requirements warrants must meet for listing; 
    (3) establishing an ECM rule for the listing and trading of units; and 
    (4) ensuring that the Exchange fully documents that all quantitative 
    requirements are met before a company is traded on the ECM. The 
    Commission concurred with the GAO's recommendations and noted that they 
    were consistent with the Division of Market Regulation's 
    (``Division's'') conclusions following its prior inspection of the 
    ECM.\6\
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        \5\GAO, American Stock Exchange--More Changes Needed in 
    Screening Emerging Companies for the Marketplace (May 1994).
        \6\See letter from Brandon Becker, Director, Division, to 
    Richard L. Fogel, Assistant Comptroller General, GAO, dated February 
    18, 1994, reprinted in GAO Report, supra note 5.
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    III. Description
    
    A. Numerical Listing and Maintenance Criteria
    
        Amex rules currently provide quantitative listing and maintenance 
    standards for common stock trading on the ECM.\7\ The rule change makes 
    several clarifying changes to the existing standards\8\ and adds 
    guidelines for the listing of warrants, preferred stock, debt, and 
    units, and maintenance criteria for the continued listing of these 
    securities. Each of the numerical initial listing guidelines must be 
    met before trading may commence, although, in the case of an initial 
    public offering (``IPO''), certain of these criteria may be met upon 
    the commencement of trading on the ECM.\9\
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        \7\The following is the criteria for listing common stock on the 
    ECM:
        \8\The rule change replaces the term ``Capital & Surplus'' in 
    the listing standards for common stock with the term ``Stockholders' 
    Equity.'' In addition, the rule change clarifies that the public 
    float and public shareholders requirements include both shareholders 
    of record and beneficial holders, but are exclusive of the holdings 
    of officers, directors, controlling shareholders and other 
    concentrated (i.e., 5% or greater), affiliated, or family holdings.
        \9\For example, to ascertain compliance with the public float 
    and public holder calculations in the case of an IPO, the Exchange 
    requires that the underwriter for the offering submit a letter to 
    the Exchange assuring that the distribution of the company's 
    securities in the offering will satisfy or exceed the distribution 
    requirements of the Exchange. In the case of a lesser known 
    underwriter, the Exchange may consider the prior performance of the 
    underwriter and the number of offices, brokers, and accounts of the 
    underwriter. See letter from Lois A. Schmidt, Senior Vice President, 
    Amex, to Katherine Simmons, Division, SEC, dated July 18, 1994, at 4 
    (``Listing Letter'').
    
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                  Companies    Companies not
                                                  traded in      traded in  
                                                   Nasdaq*        Nasdaq**  
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total Assets..............................  $2 million...  $4 million.  
    Stockholders' Equity......................  $1 million...  $2 million.  
    Aggregate Market Value....................  $2.5 million.  $2.5 million.
    Public Float..............................  250,000        250,000      
                                                 shares.        shares.     
    Public Shareholders.......................  300..........  300.         
    Minimum Price.............................  $1...........  $3.          
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    *The alternate listing criteria for companies traded in Nasdaq require  
      $2 million in stockholder's equity if the minimum share price is below
      $1.                                                                   
    **The alternate listing criteria for companies not traded in NASDAQ     
      require $3 million in total assets, 400,000 shares, and a minimum     
      share price of $2 if the aggregate market value of the issue is above 
      $10 million.                                                          
    
        The rule change provides that, to list preferred stock on the ECM, 
    companies must satisfy the total assets, stockholders' equity, and 
    minimum price criteria set forth in the listing standards for common 
    stock, and must have at least 100,000 preferred shares publicly held 
    with an aggregate market value of at least $2,000,000.\10\ The listing 
    of warrants is subject to all of the numerical criteria for listing 
    common stock, except for the price and market value requirements. Debt 
    securities must have a principal amount or aggregate market value of at 
    least $5 million, and must meet the assets and stockholders' equity 
    criteria for common stock. The rule change further provides that the 
    Exchange may list units comprised of one or more securities, provided 
    that each of the component parts of the unit would separately satisfy 
    the applicable ECM listing requirements.
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        \10\The new listing standards for preferred stock state that the 
    Exchange strongly recommends each preferred issue listed on the ECM 
    be structured so as to comply with the shareholder voting 
    requirements of Section 124 of the Amex Company Guide.
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        The Exchange will not consider listing warrants, convertible 
    preferred stock, or convertible debt unless the underlying common stock 
    meets the criteria for listing common stock on the ECM. The Exchange 
    also will not list warrants or convertible securities unless current 
    last sale information is available with respect to the underlying 
    security.
        The rule change provides maintenance criteria for preferred stock, 
    warrants, debt, and units listed on the ECM.\11\ In addition to 
    satisfying the total assets, equity, market value, and price criteria 
    for common stock,\12\ preferred stock will be subject to delisting if 
    it does not have at least 50,000 shares publicly held. The continued 
    listing of warrants is subject to all of the numerical maintenance 
    criteria for common stock, except for the price and market value 
    requirements. Bonds and debentures must meet the total assets and 
    stockholders' equity criteria for common stock, and must maintain a 
    principal amount or aggregate market value of at least $400,000.\13\ 
    The rule change further provides that the continued listing of units 
    comprised of one or more securities is dependent upon compliance by 
    each component part of the unit with the applicable maintenance 
    criteria.
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        \11\The ECM Rules provide that companies with a deficiency in 
    market value or price for 10 consecutive trading days shall have 90 
    days thereafter in which to comply with the continued listing 
    requirements or become subject to delisting. The ECM rules further 
    provide that the Amex must immediately commence delisting procedures 
    in accordance with Section 1010 of the Amex Company Guide when a 
    company experiences a deficiency in any other maintenance criteria. 
    The procedures contained in Section 1010 require the Amex to notify 
    the company in writing of the facts and circumstances which have 
    caused the Amex to consider delisting the company's security. The 
    notification must include the time and place when a conference will 
    be held by the Exchange's Securities Division to hear any reasons 
    why the company believes its securities should not be removed from 
    listing. If the Securities Division determines that the security 
    should be delisted, Section 1010 provides procedures for the company 
    to appeal the decision.
        \12\The following is the criteria for the continued listing of 
    all common stock on the ECM:
        \13\Warrants exercisable into common stock and debt issues 
    convertible into common stock are subject to delisting if the common 
    stock is not in compliance with the maintenance standards for common 
    stock.
    
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                     Regular      Alternate 
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total Assets................................  $2 million..  $2 million. 
    Stockholders' Equity........................  $1 million..  $2 million. 
    Aggregate Market Value......................  $500,000....  $1 million. 
    Public Float................................  250,000       250,000     
                                                   shares.       shares.    
    Public Shareholders.........................  300.........  300.        
    Minimum Price...............................  $1..........  Below $1.   
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    B. Qualitative Listing Criteria
    
        In addition to requiring that all ECM companies meet the 
    quantitative criteria described above, the ECM rules currently provide 
    that the Exchange and the ECM Listing Committee will consider 
    subjective or qualitative factors when evaluating whether a security 
    should be admitted to the ECM list. These factors include: The nature 
    of the company's business, its commercial prospects and future outlook, 
    the reputation of its management,\14\ its historical record and pattern 
    of growth, and its financial integrity. The rule change specifies that 
    these subjective criteria will be applied on an individual, case-by-
    case basis, and that different criteria may have more or less 
    significance depending upon the business characteristics of the 
    applicant. The rule change states that, as a general matter, the 
    relative maturity of a company also will influence the factors 
    considered in its evaluation.\15\ Which factors are of greatest 
    significance will likely be a function of the nature of the company's 
    business, the company's maturity, and the relative level of commercial 
    acceptance of its products or services.\16\ The Exchange states that it 
    would consider whether the company is providing a service, developing a 
    new product or technology, or exploiting existing ones, and the 
    company's plans to raise capital and expand through future contracts or 
    otherwise. The Exchange believes that the absence of a strong 
    historical record or pattern of growth should not, in and of itself, 
    preclude listing on the ECM if the company satisfies the quantitative 
    requirements and has the potential to demonstrate future success. The 
    Exchange would give added consideration to a company's historical 
    record in evaluating its suitability for listing if it were a more 
    mature company.
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        \14\The Exchange represents that it routinely screens all 
    officers, directors, principal shareholders, underwriters, 
    consultants and other significant individuals associated with each 
    company it considers for listing through a variety of regulatory and 
    commercial databases. See Notice of Proposed Rule Change at n.1.
        \15\The rule change provides, for example, that with a 
    developmental stage company, the Exchange will likely give greater 
    weight to the company's future prospects than to its historical 
    performance.
        \16\For example, the Exchange states that, due to the high cost 
    of business or product development, young companies are often 
    without positive cash flow or earnings, so that the prospects and 
    future outlook of such companies must lie at the heart of their 
    qualitative analysis.
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    C. The Approval Process
    
        To be listed on the ECM, a company must be approved by the Exchange 
    staff and the Committee. Initially, a listing application is evaluated 
    by the Exchange staff. Although all companies must meet each of the 
    numerical guidelines before trading commences, the rule change 
    specifies that the staff may present a company to the Committee for its 
    approval before the company has satisfied each of the numerical 
    guidelines.\17\ The Committee then evaluates each application based 
    upon the quantitative and qualitative factors described above. The rule 
    change states that, while the Committee will not ordinarily attach 
    conditions to an approval, in the event that it does do so, the company 
    may not commence trading until such conditions are met, or the company 
    is reconsidered and approved by the Committee.
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        \17\For example, the Exchange states that it is not unusual for 
    a company to satisfy virtually all of the numerical guidelines but 
    have a shortfall in stockholders' equity which the company plans to 
    remedy through an imminent private placement. Such an issuer might 
    consider whether or how to secure financing based upon knowledge 
    that it would be eligible to list on the ECM once the offering is 
    completed. The Exchange believes that in such a case, there is no 
    reason to defer presenting the company for the Committee's 
    consideration until after the completion of the financing 
    transaction.
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        Once a listing application is approved by the Committee, the 
    Exchange staff is responsible for ensuring that all of the numerical 
    criteria and any conditions of the Committee's approval are met before 
    trading of the security commences.\18\ The rule change specifies that 
    if a company approved by the Committee has not commenced trading within 
    two quarters\19\ of its approval by the Listing Committee, the Exchange 
    must resubmit the application to the Listing Committee for further 
    review. In addition, the rule change states that if, prior to the 
    commencement of trading, a company that was approved by the Committee 
    experiences a negative change that affects its business, the Exchange 
    staff must consult with the Chairman of the Committee. The Chairman of 
    the Committee must then determine whether the change warrants the 
    reconsideration of the full Committee.\20\
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        \18\The rule change states that, while no company may be 
    approved for listing unless it has been approved by the Committee, 
    the final determination on whether to approve any company for 
    listing will, in each case, be made at the discretion of the 
    Exchange staff.
        \19\The Amex will interpret the two quarter parameter to require 
    resubmission of any company that has not commenced trading within 6 
    months of the Committee's approval. Conversation between Jim Duffy, 
    General Counsel, Amex, and Holly Smith, Associate Director, SEC, on 
    November 30, 1994.
        \20\The Commission expects the Amex staff to consider with all 
    due care any change in the business prospects of a candidate issuer, 
    and give prompt notification to the Chairman of the Committee of any 
    information that comes to the staff's attention that may have an 
    adverse impact on the business of the candidate issuer.
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    D. Miscellaneous
    
        Finally, the rule change adds various other provisions that the 
    Exchange states reflect certain matters that were previously covered 
    only in other Exchange rules or in the ECM Listing Agreement.\21\ The 
    rule change also specifies that ECM companies are not eligible to take 
    advantage of the state securities (``blue sky'') exemptions that are 
    available to non-ECM, Amex-listed companies, and that ECM-listed 
    securities are not automatically marginable. The rule change also 
    allows ECM companies to move to the Amex's primary list if they satisfy 
    the original listing criteria for that list, but prohibits companies on 
    the primary list from transferring to the ECM.
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        \21\Section 132 of the Amex Company Guide provides that 
    companies applying for listing must enter into written agreements 
    with the Exchange and become subject to its rules, regulations and 
    policies applicable to listed companies.
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    IV. Discussion
    
        The Commission finds that the proposed rule change is consistent 
    with the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations 
    thereunder applicable to a national securities exchange, and, in 
    particular, the requirements of Section 6(b).\22\ For the reasons 
    stated below, the Commission believes the proposal is consistent with 
    Section 6(b)(5), which requires that the rules of an exchange be 
    designed to promote just and equitable principles of trade, to prevent 
    fraudulent and manipulative acts, and, in general, to protect investors 
    and the public interest.
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        \22\15 U.S.C. 78f(b) (1988).
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        The Commission believes that the rule change makes necessary 
    amendments to the ECM listing process and substantially addresses 
    problems previously identified with the existing structure. 
    Specifically, as requested by the GAO, the Amex is adding to its ECM 
    rules listing and maintenance standards for preferred stock, debt, 
    warrants, and units. The Exchange also represents, in a letter sent to 
    the Division in connection with the rule change, that certain changes 
    already have been made to the Exchange's approval process to ensure the 
    existence of adequate documentation reflecting the listing 
    decision.\23\ In addition, the rule proposal includes a description of 
    the qualitative factors considered by the Exchange staff and the 
    Committee when reviewing a company's listing application.\24\
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        \23\See Listing Letter, supra note 9.
        \24\See Notice of Proposed Rule Change.
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    A. Listing and Maintenance Criteria
    
        The development and enforcement of adequate standards governing the 
    initial and continued listing of securities on an exchange is important 
    to financial markets and the investing public. Listing standards enable 
    a self-regulatory organization to screen issuers and to provide listed 
    status only to bona fide companies with sufficient float, investor base 
    and trading interest to maintain fair and orderly markets. Once a 
    security has been approved for initial listing, maintenance criteria 
    allow an exchange to monitor the status and trading characteristics of 
    that issue to ensure that it continues to meet the exchange's standards 
    for market depth and liquidity.
        The Commission believes that the new quantitative listing and 
    maintenance criteria for ECM issuers are consistent with Section 
    6(b)(5) of the Act because they should aid the Exchange in ensuring the 
    maintenance of fair and orderly markets on the ECM, as well as provide 
    benefits and protections to investors who trade in ECM securities. The 
    Commission recognizes that the listing and maintenance standards for 
    ECM issuers are lower than those for regular Amex-listed issuers and 
    that the markets for ECM securities may not be as liquid and deep as 
    those for securities on the Amex's main list. Nevertheless, the 
    Commission believes that the ECM listing and maintenance criteria are 
    adequate to ensure that fair and orderly markets can be maintained.\25\ 
    This conclusion is reinforced by the mandatory nature of the 
    quantitative listing criteria. The Commission believes that mandatory 
    standards should help to safeguard the integrity of the exchange market 
    by ensuring that the numerical listing criteria are true minimum 
    standards and not subject to arbitrary waiver. In addition, the 
    Commission believes that the maintenance standards help the Amex to 
    determine whether an issuer should continue to trade on the ECM.\26\
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        \25\Although the Commission believes the numerical listing 
    requirements are adequate, it is concerned with the Exchange's 
    policy that allows companies to be approved for listing despite the 
    existence of outstanding ``going concern'' opinions from their 
    independent auditors. The Exchange states that, while a going 
    concern opinion will not automatically preclude a listing, the staff 
    and the Committee will consider carefully why such an opinion was 
    given and how likely it is that the qualifier will be lifted in the 
    near term. See Notice of Proposed Rule Change at n.3. The Commission 
    believes that the listing of a company with an outstanding going 
    concern opinion raises serious concerns, particularly with respect 
    to developmental companies, and expects that the Amex would not 
    normally approve such companies for listing on the ECM. In the event 
    that the Amex determines that a company with an outstanding going 
    concern opinion is subject to special circumstances that warrant 
    approval for listing, the Commission would expect the Exchange staff 
    as well as the Committee to document specifically its reasons for 
    listing such a company.
        \26\The Commission believes enforcement of an exchange's 
    maintenance standards is vital to the continued integrity of an 
    exchange's market. The Commission expects that the Amex will 
    strictly enforce the maintenance criteria contained in the ECM Rules 
    and will delist companies that fail to meet these standards. In this 
    regard, the Commission notes that the ECM Rules state that continued 
    listing is ``dependent upon'' compliance with the numerical 
    maintenance criteria. See ECM Supplement, Amex Company Guide.
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        The Commission further believes that inclusion of a security for 
    listing on the ECM should not depend solely on meeting quantitative 
    criteria, but should also entail an element of judgment given the 
    expectations of investors and the imprimatur of listing.\27\ The 
    Commission believes that, by including certain qualitative factors for 
    consideration in the approval process, the ECM rules provide the 
    Exchange with the necessary flexibility to determine whether to list an 
    issuer, while ensuring that certain minimum quantitative standards must 
    be met. The Commission believes that the rule change, including 
    provisions in the rule filing that describe the significance of the 
    qualitative factors,\28\ will provide guidance to the Exchange staff, 
    the Committee, and companies applying for listing on the ECM as to the 
    scope and relative importance of each qualitative factor.
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        \27\See, e.g., In the Matter of Silver Shield Mining and Milling 
    Company, Securities Exchange Act Release No. 6214 (March 18, 1960) 
    (``use of the facilities of a national securities exchange is a 
    privilege involving important responsibilities under the Exchange 
    Act''); In the Matter of Consolidated Virginia Mining Co., 
    Securities Exchange Act Release No. 6192 (February 26, 1960).
        \28\See Notice of Proposed Rule Change, at 46455-56.
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    B. Approval Process
    
        As described in detail above, listing on the ECM requires the 
    approval of both the Exchange's staff and the Committee. As originally 
    approved by the Commission in 1992,\29\ the Exchange's staff would 
    review applications, and if the company met the quantitative listing 
    criteria, the staff would send the application to the Committee. The 
    Committee would then use its expertise to apply the subjective criteria 
    and ensure the bona fides of ECM applicants.
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        \29\See ECM Approval Order, supra note 4.
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        Although not expressly contained in the ECM rules, the Exchange 
    interpreted the rules to permit Exchange staff to submit a company's 
    application to the Committee for review before all of the quantitative 
    initial listing criteria were met, so long as the staff ensured 
    compliance with the criteria before trading began. The Exchange also 
    interpreted the ECM rules to permit the Committee to grant issuers 
    conditional approval of their listing applications. The rule change 
    codifies these interpretations into the text of the ECM rules.
        The Commission believes, as discussed above, that enforcement of 
    mandatory minimum listing standards is necessary to safeguard the 
    integrity of the exchange market. The Commission is satisfied that the 
    approval procedures outlined above are adequate to ensure that both the 
    qualitative analysis and the quantitative requirements of the ECM rules 
    are complied with by issuers before or upon commencement of trading on 
    the ECM. No issuer may be listed on the ECM until all conditions 
    imposed by the Committee, if any, have been met. Additionally, in cases 
    where two quarters\30\ have passed since the issuer was approved by the 
    Committee, the Exchange staff must resubmit the issuer to the Listing 
    Committee for another review and approval. Similarly, where negative 
    information concerning the issuer has been disseminated after the 
    Commission's approval, the Exchange staff must seek a determination for 
    the Committee Chairman regarding whether, in his or her opinion, the 
    issuer must be resubmitted to the full Committee.
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        \30\See supra note 19.
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        The Commission believes that the requirements that a company must 
    be resubmitted to the Committee if it has not commenced trading within 
    two quarters of the Committee's approval or if there is a negative 
    change that affects its business before trading commences, are 
    necessary to maintain the integrity of the two-step approval process. 
    While the Exchange staff may determine that all of the minimum 
    numerical listing criteria are met, one of the purposes of requiring 
    the Committee's approval is to allow it to use its expertise in 
    evaluating the qualitative factors. Requiring the approval of the 
    Committee would be meaningless if such approval were given based upon 
    information that was inaccurate or incomplete, or was no longer 
    relevant by the time the company's securities started to trade on the 
    ECM.
    
    C. Miscellaneous Provisions
    
        The Commission notes that when the ECM rules were initially 
    approved, the Amex had in place procedures to ensure that ECM issuers 
    would not use the exemption from registration requirements that the 
    securities laws of most states make available to companies on the 
    Amex's main list. The Amex included in its original proposal various 
    safeguards designed to ensure that ECM issuers remained fully subject 
    to state review. For example, the ECM Listing Agreement and the letter 
    issued by the Exchange approving the listing of securities of the ECM 
    clearly stated that ECM issuers would not be able to take advantage of 
    existing exemptions in state securities registration requirements 
    accorded to regular Amex-listed securities. In addition, the text of 
    the Company Guide requires the Exchange to delist the issues of any 
    company that fails to take appropriate steps to ensure that no ECM-
    listed securities are sold on its behalf in reliance upon the exemption 
    from state securities registration which is otherwise available to 
    companies listed on the Exchange. While the Commission believes these 
    steps helped to put issuers on notice of the ``blue sky'' status of ECM 
    securities, the present rule change adds additional restrictive 
    language in the text of the ECM rules that should further serve to 
    ensure ECM issuers do not avail themselves of the ``Amex exemption'' 
    from state blue sky laws.\31\
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        \31\As the Commission noted in the original approval of the ECM, 
    if an ECM issuer relies on the Amex's exemptions under state blue 
    sky laws and the Amex does not promptly act to delist the issuer, 
    concerns would be raised regarding whether the Amex abdicated its 
    regulatory responsibility as a national securities exchange with 
    regard to the enforcement of its rules concerning the securities 
    approved for listing and trading on the exchange, in violation of 
    Sections 19(g)(1) and 19(b)(4) of the Act. See ECM Approval Order, 
    supra note 4, at n.61.
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        Finally, the Commission believes that inclusion in the rule change 
    of a 100% maintenance margin requirement for ECM-listed securities will 
    help ensure that ECM issuers are on notice of their margin treatment. 
    Amex Rule 462 (Minimum Margins) currently requires maintenance of a 
    100% margin for ECM securities, unless the Exchange determines that an 
    ECM company meets the criteria under Regulation T of the Federal 
    Reserve Board (``FRB'') for initial inclusion on the FRB's List of OTC 
    Margin Stocks.\32\
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        \32\ECM companies that the Amex finds meet the criteria for 
    initial inclusion on the FRB's List of OTC Margin Stocks are subject 
    to Amex's regular maintenance margin of 25%. See Amex Rule 
    462(b)(5).
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        The Commission finds good cause for approving Amendment No. 2 to 
    the rule change prior to the thirtieth day after publication of notice 
    of filing thereof. Amendment No. 2 adds maintenance standards for the 
    continued listing of preferred stock, debt, warrants, and units.\33\ 
    The Amex's proposed rule change was published in the Federal Register 
    for the full statutory period and no comments were received.\34\
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        \33\See supra note 3.
        \34\See Notice of Proposed Rule Change.
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    V. Solicitation of Comments
    
        Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views and 
    arguments concerning Amendment No. 2. Persons making written 
    submissions should file six copies thereof with the Secretary, 
    Securities and Exchange Commission, 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, 
    D.C. 20549. Copies of the submission, all subsequent amendments, all 
    written statements with respect to the proposed rule change that are 
    filed with the Commission, and all written communications relating to 
    the proposed rule change between the Commission and any person, other 
    than those that may be withheld from the public in accordance with the 
    provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be available for inspection and 
    copying at the Commission's Public Reference Section, 450 Fifth Street, 
    N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549. Copies of such filing will also be 
    available for inspection and copying at the principal office of the 
    Amex. All submissions should refer to File No. SR-Amex-94-14 and should 
    be submitted by January 13, 1995.
    
    VI. Conclusion
    
        It is therefore ordered, pursuant to Section 19(b)(2) of the 
    Act,\35\ that the proposed rule change (SR-Amex-94-14) is approved.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        \35\15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(2) (1988).
    
        For the Commission, by the Division of Market Regulation, 
    pursuant to delegated authority.\36\
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        \36\17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12) (1993).
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    Margaret H. McFarland,
    Deputy Secretary.
    [FR Doc. 94-31527 Filed 12-22-94; 8:45am]
    BILLING CODE 8010-01-M
    
    
    

Document Information

Published:
12/23/1994
Department:
Securities and Exchange Commission
Entry Type:
Uncategorized Document
Document Number:
94-31527
Pages:
0-0 (1 pages)
Docket Numbers:
Federal Register: December 23, 1994, Release No. 34-35104, File No. SR-Amex-94-14