Corporate and Financial Weekly Digest - October 1, 2010

Edited by Robert L. Kohl and David A. Pentlow

SEC/CORPORATE

SEC Publishes Final Rule Removing Rating Agency Exemption from Regulation FD

On September 29, the Securities and Exchange Commission adopted an amendment, effective upon publication in the Federal Register, to remove the specific exemption from Regulation FD for issuer disclosures made to nationally recognized statistical rating organizations and credit rating agencies, as required by Section 939B of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

Under Rule 100(b)(2)(iii) of Regulation FD as in effect prior to the SEC's final rule, the issuer or person acting on its behalf need not publicly disclose the material nonpublic information if the disclosure of such information is made to a credit rating agency that makes its credit ratings publicly available, or is made pursuant to Rule 17g-5(a)(3) to a nationally recognized statistical rating organization.