Section 401(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 directs the Commission to issue final rules by Jan. 26, 2003, requiring that any public disclosure or release of "pro forma financial information" by a public company be presented in a manner that (1) does not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the "pro forma financial information," in light of the circumstances under which it is presented, not misleading; and (2) reconciles the "pro forma financial information" presented with the financial condition and results of operations of the company under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
The Commission voted to adopt rules that will satisfy the mandate of Section 401(b) by defining the category of financial information that is subject to that mandate and then taking a two-step approach to regulating the use of that financial information.
...