On March 12, 2018, EDGAR Release 18.1 was released by the Securities and Exchange Commission. This release introduces new form types SF-1MEF and 486BXT and contains various changes and corrections to other forms.

On February 12th, the SEC released a notice to N-CEN and N-PORT filers to remind them of the temporary final rule which requires funds in larger fund groups (for example, fund groups with $1 billion or more in net assets) to maintain in their records the information that is mandated to be included in Form N-PORT in lieu of filing this form via EDGAR. The temporary final rule applies until April 1, 2019. Of key importance, the information the funds in larger fund groups maintain in their records will be subject to examination by the Commission. New Forms N-PORT and N-CEN were adopted by the SEC on October 13th, 2016 in an effort to enhance transparency and modernize reporting requirements for registered investment companies.

On January 25th, the SEC’s Office of Minority and Women Inclusion (OMWI) introduced its Diversity Assessment Report for Entities Regulated by the SEC, which is designed to help regulated entities conduct voluntary self-assessments of diversity policies and practices.

The SEC’s Office of Financial Management Filing Fees announced the release of the web-based Registration Fee Estimator 1.2. Included in this release are all effective fee-bearing form types.

The SEC announced on December 8th, 2017 that filing Form N-PORT on the EDGAR system will now not become mandatory until April 2019 for larger fund groups and April 2020 for smaller fund groups. However, these groups should still prepare and maintain N-PORT information in their records and make it available to the SEC upon request. This decision to modify Form N-PORT’s filing requirements comes as the agency continues its previously announced review and uplift of its EDGAR and other systems.

To aid filers avoid missing deadlines and reduce congestion around busy important filing dates, the SEC provides an anticipated peak filing schedule. Peak EDGAR filing times are estimated using historical data. The 2018 schedule is now available from the SEC.

In 2017, there were a number of new changes in EDGAR compliance and new developments in SEC regulations. These have a significant impact on financial record-keeping, financial reporting and capital formation. As we head into 2018, let’s recap some of the most significant changes that happened last year.

On December 11, 2017, EDGAR Release 17.4 was released by the Securities and Exchange Commission. This release introduces a change to allow (but not require) Asset Backed Securities filers to jointly submit Form 10-D and Form ABS-EE filings in a combined, single submission (a “Combined 10-D/ABS-EE”). New form types N-LIQUID and CERT were also added to EDGAR, among other changes.

The CFA’s Investor Forum 2017, developed by XBRL US and held in sponsorship with CFA Institute and CFA Society New York, recently explored numerous issues applicable to the use of XBRL in the financial data analysis and reporting industries. During the conference, Michelle Savage, Vice President of Communication for XBRL US, and Scott Theis, CEO of Novaworks, LLC and Chairman of XBRL US’s Domain Steering Committee, discussed an earnings release case study that discussed how building an XBRL taxonomy to represent the data held within the release could be beneficial to the financial and investment communities.

At CFA’s Investor Forum 2017, a panel of industry experts discussed case studies that illustrate XBRL’s use in accounting and financial reporting and the rationale behind its adoption. This panel discussed different ways in which XBRL is employed in the financial sector.

The SEC is proposing amendments to modernize and simplify certain disclosures requirements in Regulation S-K. These changes are based on the recommendations made in the staff’s Report on Modernization and Simplification of Regulation S-K, as required by Section 72003 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act). While modernizing Regulation S-K requirements and improving readability and navigability of related forms, these rules are also intended to reduce costs and burdens on registrants and discourage repetition and disclosure of immaterial information.

The recent breach at the SEC illustrates how prevalent internet cyberattacks have become. They are a ubiquitous threat, inherent to the information exchange the internet provides. Often times with little warning or even indication that the event is occurring, hackers can infiltrate secure systems and access nonpublic information that could be exploited or damaging to multiple parties. Particularly when it comes to EDGAR, a great deal of sensitive, private information is regularly exchanged between companies and the SEC. Should this information be accessed before it’s appropriate, it could lead to all sorts of undesirable consequences. Even something as simple as prior knowledge of the type of form a company is in the process of filing can result in unwanted outcomes. Therefore, it’s essential that we as filers, filing agents, and other involved parties protect ourselves from unwanted intrusions.

On September 21st, the SEC approved sets of interpretive guidelines to assist companies in their efforts to comply with the pay ratio disclosure mandate. This mandate comes from Section 953(b) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, and companies are required to begin making pay ratio disclosures in early 2018.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB), and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) opened registration for the Compliance Outreach Program for Municipal Advisors earlier this month.

On September 20th, the SEC indicated that a cybersecurity breach that occurred in 2016 may have provided the basis through which cyber threat actors achieved illicit gains. Accordingly, SEC Chairman Jay Clayton issued a statement detailing the importance of cybersecurity to the agency and market participants. The statement also reviews the SEC’s approach to cybersecurity in an effort to mitigate the risk of further incidents.