Facebook Deal Sparks Broad SEC Probe

Agency examines rules for private financing after Goldman investment
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 5, 2011 12:36 PM CST
Facebook Deal Sparks Broad SEC Probe
Exterior of Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif., Monday, Jan. 3, 2011.   (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Goldman Sachs’ deal with Facebook might bring the SEC down on all manner of privately held stock purchases. The regulatory body has begun an investigation to see whether it needs to rewrite disclosure rules for privately held firms, and the very line dividing public and private firms, sources tell the Wall Street Journal. They’ll also look into the Facebook deal, and others like it, to see if they’re designed to skirt the 500-shareholder rule.

Private companies are allowed a maximum of 500 shareholders. But the Goldman deal gets around that by creating a “special purpose vehicle” that acts like a single investor, but which many Goldman clients can buy into. “These hybrid companies … are betwixt and between: not quite private and not quite public,” said a former California commissioner of corporations. “They have these shares being traded, but not the same disclosure requirements as a public company.” (More Goldman Sachs stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X