15 USC § 77f - Registration of securities

(a) Method of registration

Any security may be registered with the Commission under the terms and conditions hereinafter provided, by filing a registration statement in triplicate, at least one of which shall be signed by each issuer, its principal executive officer or officers, its principal financial officer, its comptroller or principal accounting officer, and the majority of its board of directors or persons performing similar functions (or, if there is no board of directors or persons performing similar functions, by the majority of the persons or board having the power of management of the issuer), and in case the issuer is a foreign or Territorial person by its duly authorized representative in the United States; except that when such registration statement relates to a security issued by a foreign government, or political subdivision thereof, it need be signed only by the underwriter of such security. Signatures of all such persons when written on the said registration statements shall be presumed to have been so written by authority of the person whose signature is so affixed and the burden of proof, in the event such authority shall be denied, shall be upon the party denying the same. The affixing of any signature without the authority of the purported signer shall constitute a violation of this subchapter. A registration statement shall be deemed effective only as to the securities specified therein as proposed to be offered.

(b) Registration fee

(1) Recovery of cost of services

The Commission shall, in accordance with this subsection, collect registration fees that are designed to recover the costs to the government of the securities registration process, and costs related to such process, including enforcement activities, policy and rulemaking activities, administration, legal services, and international regulatory activities.

(2) Fee payment required

At the time of filing a registration statement, the applicant shall pay to the Commission a fee at a rate that shall be equal to $92 per $1,000,000 of the maximum aggregate price at which such securities are proposed to be offered, except that during fiscal year 2003 and any succeeding fiscal year such fee shall be adjusted pursuant to paragraph (5) or (6).

(3) Offsetting collections

Fees collected pursuant to this subsection for any fiscal year—

(A) shall be deposited and credited as offsetting collections to the account providing appropriations to the Commission; and

(B) except as provided in paragraph (9), shall not be collected for any fiscal year except to the extent provided in advance in appropriation Acts.

(4) General revenues prohibited

No fees collected pursuant to this subsection for fiscal year 2002 or any succeeding fiscal year shall be deposited and credited as general revenue of the Treasury.

(5) Annual adjustment

For each of the fiscal years 2003 through 2011, the Commission shall by order adjust the rate required by paragraph (2) for such fiscal year to a rate that, when applied to the baseline estimate of the aggregate maximum offering prices for such fiscal year, is reasonably likely to produce aggregate fee collections under this subsection that are equal to the target offsetting collection amount for such fiscal year.

(6) Final rate adjustment

For fiscal year 2012 and all of the succeeding fiscal years, the Commission shall by order adjust the rate required by paragraph (2) for all of such fiscal years to a rate that, when applied to the baseline estimate of the aggregate maximum offering prices for fiscal year 2012, is reasonably likely to produce aggregate fee collections under this subsection in fiscal year 2012 equal to the target offsetting collection amount for fiscal year 2011.

(7) Pro rata application

The rates per $1,000,000 required by this subsection shall be applied pro rata to amounts and balances of less than $1,000,000.

(8) Review and effective date

In exercising its authority under this subsection, the Commission shall not be required to comply with the provisions of section 553 of title 5. An adjusted rate prescribed under paragraph (5) or (6) and published under paragraph (10) shall not be subject to judicial review. Subject to paragraphs (3)(B) and (9)—

(A) an adjusted rate prescribed under paragraph (5) shall take effect on the later of—

(i) the first day of the fiscal year to which such rate applies; or

(ii) five days after the date on which a regular appropriation to the Commission for such fiscal year is enacted; and

(B) an adjusted rate prescribed under paragraph (6) shall take effect on the later of—

(i) the first day of fiscal year 2012; or

(ii) five days after the date on which a regular appropriation to the Commission for fiscal year 2012 is enacted.

(9) Lapse of appropriation

If on the first day of a fiscal year a regular appropriation to the Commission has not been enacted, the Commission shall continue to collect fees (as offsetting collections) under this subsection at the rate in effect during the preceding fiscal year, until 5 days after the date such a regular appropriation is enacted.

(10) Publication

The Commission shall publish in the Federal Register notices of the rate applicable under this subsection and under sections 78m (e) and 78n (g)  ^[1] of this title for each fiscal year not later than April 30 of the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year to which such rate applies, together with any estimates or projections on which such rate is based.

(11) Definitions

For purposes of this subsection:

(A) Target offsetting collection amount

The target offsetting collection amount for each of the fiscal years 2002 through 2011 is determined according to the following table:

  Target offsetting Fiscal year: collection amount  2002 $377,000,000  2003 $435,000,000  2004 $467,000,000  2005 $570,000,000  2006 $689,000,000  2007 $214,000,000  2008 $234,000,000  2009 $284,000,000  2010 $334,000,000  2011 $394,000,000

(B) Baseline estimate of the aggregate maximum offering prices

The baseline estimate of the aggregate maximum offering prices for any fiscal year is the baseline estimate of the aggregate maximum offering price at which securities are proposed to be offered pursuant to registration statements filed with the Commission during such fiscal year as determined by the Commission, after consultation with the Congressional Budget Office and the Office of Management and Budget, using the methodology required for projections pursuant to section 907 of title 2.

(c) Time registration effective

The filing with the Commission of a registration statement, or of an amendment to a registration statement, shall be deemed to have taken place upon the receipt thereof, but the filing of a registration statement shall not be deemed to have taken place unless it is accompanied by a United States postal money order or a certified bank check or cash for the amount of the fee required under subsection (b) of this section.

(d) Information available to public

The information contained in or filed with any registration statement shall be made available to the public under such regulations as the Commission may prescribe, and copies thereof, photostatic or otherwise, shall be furnished to every applicant at such reasonable charge as the Commission may prescribe.

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[1]  See References in Text note below.

Source

(May 27, 1933, ch. 38, title I, § 6,48 Stat. 78; Pub. L. 89–289, § 1,Oct. 22, 1965, 79 Stat. 1051; Pub. L. 100–181, title II, § 205,Dec. 4, 1987, 101 Stat. 1252; Pub. L. 104–290, title IV, § 404,Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3441; Pub. L. 107–123, § 4,Jan. 16, 2002, 115 Stat. 2393; Pub. L. 111–203, title IX, § 991(b)(1),July 21, 2010, 124 Stat. 1951.)

Amendment of Subsection (b)

Pub. L. 111–203, title IX, § 991(b)(1), (4),July 21, 2010, 124 Stat. 1951, 1953, provided that, effective Oct. 1, 2011, subsection (b) of this section is amended as follows: (1) by striking “offsetting” each place that term appears and inserting “fee”; (2) by striking paragraphs (1), (3), (4), (6), (8), and (9); (3) by redesignating paragraphs (2), (5), (7), (10), and (11) as paragraphs (1), (2), (3), (5), and (6), respectively; (4) in paragraph (1), as so redesignated, by striking “paragraph (5) or (6).” and inserting “paragraph (2).”; (5) in paragraph (2), as so redesignated— (A) by striking “of the fiscal years 2003 through 2011” and inserting “fiscal year”; and (B) by striking “paragraph (2)” and inserting “paragraph (1)”; (6) by inserting after paragraph (3), as so redesignated, the following: “(4) Review and effective date

“In exercising its authority under this subsection, the Commission shall not be required to comply with the provisions of section 553 of title 5. An adjusted rate prescribed under paragraph (2) and published under paragraph (5) shall not be subject to judicial review. An adjusted rate prescribed under paragraph (2) shall take effect on the first day of the fiscal year to which such rate applies.”;

(7) in paragraph (5), as so redesignated, by striking “April 30” and inserting “August 31”; and (8) in paragraph (6), as so redesignated— (A) by striking “of the fiscal years 2002 through 2011” and inserting “fiscal year”; and (B) by inserting at the end of the table in subparagraph (A) the following:

“2012
$425,000,000
2013
$455,000,000
2014
$485,000,000
2015
$515,000,000
2016
$550,000,000
2017
$585,000,000
2018
$620,000,000
2019
$660,000,000
2020
$705,000,000
2021 and each fiscal year thereafter
An amount that is equal to the target fee collection amount for the prior fiscal year, adjusted by the rate of inflation.”

See Effective Date of 2010 Amendment note below.

References in Text

Sections 78m (e) and 78n (g) of this title, referred to in subsec. (b)(10), were in the original, “sections 13 (e) and 14 (g)” and were translated as meaning sections 13(e) and 14(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to reflect the probable intent of Congress.

Amendments

2002—Subsec. (b)(2) to (11). Pub. L. 107–123added pars. (2) to (11) and struck out former pars. (2) to (5), which required fee payment, set out rates for general revenue and offsetting collection fees, and required pro rata rates for amounts and balances equal to less than $1,000,000.

1996—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 104–290inserted heading and amended text of subsec. (b) generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “At the time of filing a registration statement the applicant shall pay to the Commission a fee of one-fiftieth of 1 per centum of the maximum aggregate price at which such securities are proposed to be offered, but in no case shall such fee be less than $100.”

1987—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 100–181struck out subsec. (e) which provided that no registration statement should be filed within the first 40 days following May 27, 1933.

1965—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 89–289substituted “one-fiftieth” for “one one-hundredth” and “$100” for “$25”.

Effective Date of 2010 Amendment

Pub. L. 111–203, title IX, § 991(b)(4),July 21, 2010, 124 Stat. 1953, provided that: “The amendments made by this subsection [amending this section and sections 78m and 78n of this title] shall take effect on October 1, 2011, except that for fiscal year 2012, the [Securities and Exchange] Commission shall publish the rate established under section 6(b) of the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77f (b)), as amended by this Act, on August 31, 2011.”

Effective Date of 2002 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 107–123effective Oct. 1, 2001, except that authorities provided by subsec. (b)(9) of this section to not apply until Oct. 1, 2002, see section 11 ofPub. L. 107–123, set out as a note under section 78ee of this title.

Effective Date of 1965 Amendment

Section 2 ofPub. L. 89–289provided that: “The amendment made by the first section of this Act [amending this section] shall take effect January 1, 1966.”

Transfer of Functions

For transfer of functions of Securities and Exchange Commission, with certain exceptions, to Chairman of such Commission, see Reorg. Plan No. 10 of 1950, §§ 1, 2, eff. May 24, 1950, 15 F.R. 3175, 64 Stat. 1265, set out under section 78d of this title.

Increase in Registration Fees and Deposit Into Treasury

Pub. L. 105–46, § 113,Sept. 30, 1997, 111 Stat. 1156, provided that the amount made available to the Securities and Exchange Commission, under the heading Salaries and Expenses, was to include, in addition to direct appropriations, the amount collected under the fee rate and offsetting collection authority contained in Public Law 104–208, which fee rate and offsetting collection authority was to remain in effect during the period of Pub. L. 105–46which provided continuing appropriations for fiscal year 1998.

Pub. L. 104–208, div. A, title I, § 101(a) [title V], Sept. 30, 1996, 110 Stat. 3009, 3009–61, which provided in part that on Sept. 30, 1996, the rate of fees under subsec. (b) of this section were increased from one-fiftieth of one percentum to one-thirty-third of one percentum, and such increase was to be deposited as an offsetting collection to this appropriation, to remain available until expended, to recover costs of services of the securities registration process, was from the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997, and was not repeated in subsequent appropriations acts. Similar provisions were contained in the following prior appropriation acts:

Pub. L. 104–134, title I, § 101[(a)] [title V], Apr. 26, 1996, 110 Stat. 1321, 1321–60; renumbered title I, Pub. L. 104–140, § 1(a),May 2, 1996, 110 Stat. 1327.

Pub. L. 104–99, title II, § 209,Jan. 26, 1996, 110 Stat. 37.

Pub. L. 104–56, § 119,Nov. 20, 1995, 109 Stat. 552.

Pub. L. 104–54, § 119,Nov. 19, 1995, 109 Stat. 544.

Pub. L. 104–31, § 120,Sept. 30, 1995, 109 Stat. 282.

Pub. L. 103–352, Oct. 10, 1994, 108 Stat. 3148.

Pub. L. 103–121, title I, Oct. 27, 1993, 107 Stat. 1168.

Pub. L. 102–395, title I, Oct. 6, 1992, 106 Stat. 1848.

Pub. L. 102–140, title I, Oct. 28, 1991, 105 Stat. 798.

Pub. L. 101–515, title V, Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 2139.

Pub. L. 101–162, title V, Nov. 21, 1989, 103 Stat. 1022.