As reported in previous editions of Compliance Week, companies are reporting higher D&O premiums as insurers increase their rates to match executives’ increased liability with the SOX certification requirement. Mark Miller, a Washington D.C.-based partner at law firm Greenberg Traurig, told CW last year that “costs are going up drastically, and Sarbanes-Oxley is the catalyst.” […]
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Sarbanes-Oxley Section 301
Section 10A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78f) is amended by adding at the end the following: (m) STANDARDS RELATING TO AUDIT COMMITTEES- (1) COMMISSION RULES- (A) IN GENERAL- Effective not later than 270 days after the date of enactment of this subsection, the Commission shall, by rule, direct the national […]
Standards Related to Listed Company Audit Committees
The SEC voted on April 1 to adopt rules that would force the national exchanges and associations to delist any company that is not in compliance with the audit committee requirements established by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The new rules and amendments implement the requirements of Section 10A(m)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of […]
Correction to Disclosures Required by SOX Section 406 and 407
On March 26, the SEC made a technical correction to the rules implementing Sections 406 and 407 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 by requiring disclosures regarding audit committee financial experts and codes of ethics. On January 23, 2003, the Commission adopted rules that require disclosure of whether a company has an audit committee financial […]
How Firms Report Financial Experts Varies Widely
Pursuant to Section 407 of Sarbanes-Oxley, public companies will be required to annually disclose whether they have at least one “audit committee financial expert” on their audit committee, and if so, to disclose the name of that expert and whether the expert is independent of management. The rules define an “audit committee financial expert” as […]
12 Questions Boards of Directors Should Ask Their IROs
In response to the plethora of corporate failures in the past two years, new legislation adopted by Congress and subsequent SEC regulations have placed greater responsibility on the board of directors. And in fulfilling these new responsibilities, boards are expected to oversee corporate ethics and governance, as well as compliance. But in many cases, boards […]
Enforcement Critical To Corporate Records Programs
Corporate records management is not about policies, procedures, retention schedules and inventory and email control software. It’s about enforcement that is consistent, systematic and defendable. With the rapid and very public evaporation of the venerable Arthur Andersen company, we have seen how a multi-billion dollar firm can be put out of business because of lapses […]
QLCC An Attractive Alternative For Section 307 Compliance
Congress, in a bold and dramatic move, has placed the SEC for the first time into the uncharted waters of federal regulation of attorneys. Section 307 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and the attendant SEC rules, firmly remind attorneys appearing and practicing before the SEC in the representation of a company that they owe their professional […]
Best Practices for Ethics Hotlines
One of the many effects of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 is that thousands of public companies are now considering offering their employees an anonymous hotline. This is an important step toward minimizing losses due to fraud. The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners found in their 2002 Report to the Nation that fraud was detected […]
Can A Possible Reg. FD Violation Turn Into An 8-K Breach?
Can a possible Reg FD violation turn into an 8-K breach? This is one of the questions surrounding AFC Enterprises, the fast food company that operates Cinnabon, Popeye’s and Church’s fried chicken. Last week, AFC filed its long-awaited 10-K for 2002, restating previously-reported earnings by $27.4 million over a three-year period due to what it […]


