Private Placement

Private Placement

PPM.net is the world leader in private placement services

 

 

 

Private Placements

Regulation D

For virtually all entrepreneurs, the most efficient mechanism to procure equity financing under an exemption is through the use of Regulation D (Reg D), which is a limited offer and sale of their company’s stock, or securities, without registration under the Federal Securities Act of 1933. A positive outcome by complying with Regulation D is that it provides the company’s officers and directors an insurance policy of sorts regarding disclosure. PPM.net creates all of the following regulation d private placement memorandums.

Different Types of Securities

There are two common and basic types of securities that companies offer via a regulation d: equity and debt securities.

Equity Offering

Equity securities typically consist of common stock for a corporation (or units for an LLC) and convey a portion of the ownership interest (the shares) in the company to the holder of the security. Stockholders are usually entitled to receive dividends when – and if declared – as well as vote on corporate matters, and receive information about the company, including financial statements and updates on company growth.

PPM.net can help structure your private equity offering.

Debt Offering

Debt securities usually consist of bonds (debentures and more) and represent debt obligations of the company. PPM.net have a specified interest rate, including the maturity date and repayment amount to the investor(s). In a securities offering (via private placement memorandum), a company should only offer debt securities if it can demonstrate that it has the ability to repay the debt based on its past performance (what PPM.net calls “the position of power”). It is typically difficult for small companies or even start ups (though not impossible) to demonstrate the ability that they can repay the investor(s) his/her initial investment via a debt offering. Companies with an operating history have a better chance of securing debt financing for their company.

PPM.net  can help structure your private debt offering.

The Six Common Rules of Regulation D that PPM.net can Help With
The first three Reg D rules are concerned with definitions, conditions, and notification.

• Rule 501 contains the definitions of the various terms used in the rules.
• Rule 502 lists the conditions, limitations, and information requirements for the exemptions in Rules 504, 505, and 506.
• Rule 503 includes the SEC notification requirements.
• Rule 504, 505, 506 encompass the specifics of raising money under Reg D.
  • Rule 504 is generally relevant to securities sales up to $1 million. Rule 504 is maintained to be the most beneficial to the entrepreneur. More below.
  • Rule 505 applies to securities offerings from $1 million to $5 million.
  • Rule 506 is for securities offerings exceeding $5 million

Rule 504 of Regulation D

Rule 504 is viewed as the optimal road for entrepreneurs seeking less than $1 million. It is good for those who cannot afford many of the costs associated with the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) registration process. Until the entrepreneur’s company is at a point where they can afford additional expenditures, Rule 504 offers companies the following needed breaks:

• An exemption to raise up to $1 million;
• No disclosure criteria;Few general solicitation and resale restrictions;
• No limit as to the number or type of investors. (see below)
• The above Rule 504 exemptions can be utilized for almost any type of organization, including corporations, partnerships, trusts, or other entities. However, it is not applicable to companies who are currently reporting to the SEC (subject to the ’34 Act) or investment companies.

Rule 504 of Regulation D – Restrictions

Not to Exceed $1 Million. The total offering amount permitted to be procured under Rule 504 can be up to $1 million. This is the rule over a 12-month period, less the aggregate offering of all securities sold within 12 months before the start of a 504 offering. Therefore, if a company has raised $100,000 in private financing in the previous 12 months, it can still procure up to $900,000 without being accused of breaking the restrictions.

Disclosure Requirements

Overall, there are no specific disclosure requirements under Rule 504 (such as disclosing the company’s profile or model, and what people are involved). An investor (or purchaser), then, can sign a subscription agreement, purchase company stock while having little to no information about the company at hand. However, this is not always the standard and can vary from state to state. For instance, the rule is dependent on the blue-sky laws of each state in which the securities are offered, and many states often have various requisites. If a state’s blue-sky rules require disclosure, it must be provided regardless of Rule 504.

$500,000 Rule

Rule 504 stipulates that at least $500,000 of securities must be sold pursuant to a registration under a state’s securities law. As such, an offer must comply with the blue-sky laws of each individual state in which it is offered. In many states, unfortunately for entrepreneurs, this negates the ease of Rule 504 and the federal government’s initial intent, because many states’ blue-sky laws are more restrictive than Regulation D.

Caution

Entrepreneurs beware–regardless of the amount of information one is willing to disclose: Rule 504 does not dismiss the issuer from the federal requirements. Furthermore, there is no exemption from the fraud provisions, including the areas of material omissions or misstatements. The penalties for noncompliance are severe, which can include monetary fines and jail sentences.

Number of Investors

The number of investors can vary depending on the scope and value of a project, as well as the entrepreneur’s network. Depending on the type of incorporation, as well as the state the company will conduct business, restrictions apply as to the number of individuals who are allowed to invest. However, Rule 504 allows an issuer to sell securities to an unlimited amount of investors, up to, of course, $1 million in procured financing. Rule 504 is the only rule under Regulation D that permits an unlimited number of investors.

PPM.net creates regulation d 504 private placement memorandums.
Please contact us for a free consultation and quote.

Rule 505 of Regulation D (reg d)

Rule 505 of Regulation D is an exemption for limited offers and sales of securities not exceeding $5,000,000. The company can:

• Raise up to $5 million in a 12-month period;
• Security sales can be made to an unlimited number of accredited investor plus 35 additional investors;
• Disclosure documents, i.e. a private placement memorandum, must be delivered to all non-accredited investors;
• No public advertising is allowed.
• PPM.net creates regulation d 505 private placement memorandums.

Please contact us for a free consultation and quote.

Rule 506 of Regulation D (reg d)

Rule 506 of Regulation D allows a company to raise an unlimited amount of capital, as long as the company satisfies the following standards for an exemption under this rule:

• The company can raise an unlimited amount of capital;
• The company does not use general solicitation or advertising to market the securities;
• The sale of the company’s securities can be to an unlimited number of accredited investors and select few other purchasers. Unlike Rule 505 of Regulation D, all non-accredited investors, either alone or with a purchaser representative, must be “sophisticated”. This means that they must have “sufficient” knowledge and “experience” in financial and business matters to make them capable of evaluating the merits and risks of the prospective investment;
• The company, i.e. the seller of the securities, must be available to answer questions by prospective purchasers;
• Financial statement requirements as for Rule 505; and
• Purchasers receive restricted securities, which may not be freely traded in the secondary market after the offering.
• PPM.net creates regulation d 506 private placement memorandums.

Rule 506 (b)

Rule 506(b) of Regulation D is considered a “safe harbor” under Section 4(a)(2). It provides objective standards that a company can rely on to meet the requirements of the Section 4(a)(2) exemption. Companies conducting an offering under Rule 506(b) can raise an unlimited amount of money and can sell securities to an unlimited number of accredited investors. An offering under Rule 506(b), however, is subject to the following requirements:

• no general solicitation or advertising to market the securities
• securities may not be sold to more than 35 non-accredited investors (all non-accredited investors, either alone or with a purchaser representative, must meet the legal standard of having sufficient knowledge and experience in financial and business matters to be capable of evaluating the merits and risks of the prospective investment)

If non-accredited investors are participating in the offering, the company conducting the offering:

• must give any non-accredited investors disclosure documents that generally contain the same type of information as provided in registered offerings (the company is not required to provide specified disclosure documents to accredited investors, but, if it does provide information to accredited investors, it must also make this information available to the non-accredited investors as well)
• must give any non-accredited investors financial statement information specified in Rule 506 and
• should be available to answer questions from prospective purchasers who are non-accredited investors

Purchasers in a Rule 506(b) offering receive “restricted securities.” A company is required to file a notice with the Commission on Form D within 15 days after the first sale of securities in the offering. Although the Securities Act provides a federal preemption from state registration and qualification under Rule 506(b), the states still have authority to require notice filings and collect state fees.

Rule 506(b) offerings are subject to “bad actor” disqualification provisions.

Rule 506(c)

Rule 506(c) permits issuers to broadly solicit and generally advertise an offering, provided that:

• all purchasers in the offering are accredited investors
• the issuer takes reasonable steps to verify purchasers’ accredited investor status and
• certain other conditions in Regulation D are satisfied

Purchasers in a Rule 506(c) offering receive “restricted securities.” A company is required to file a notice with the Commission on Form D within 15 days after the first sale of securities in the offering. Although the Securities Act provides a federal preemption from state registration and qualification under Rule 506(c), the states still have authority to require notice filings and collect state fees.

Rule 506(c) offerings are subject to “bad actor” disqualification provisions.

 

Please contact us for a free consultation and quote.

 

Form D – What is it?

The Form D Compliance Filing is the only filing document that is required by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in Washington, DC. It is an 8 page document detailing the relevant information about the offering, the company, use of proceeds, and the principals of the company.

The Form D is an “informational only” document and is not subject to a review or approval by the SEC, and in fact, the Form D is “filed.”

Selling securities of any kind to investors without filing the Form D could subject the company to fines by the SEC. The Form D, therefore, is an integral part of raising capital properly and legally. PPM.net can assist in the filing of the Form D.

PPM.net can help assist in the filing of the Form D for your private placement.

(Some of the aforementioned information taken from www.SEC.gov).

Main Offering Documents that we Create

PPM.net can create one of the Regulation D private placement memorandums outlined above, as well as create Regulation S and Regulation A offering documents and assist in all filing. Choose a link below to view more information on:

• Convertible Securities
• Regulation D 504
• Regulation D 505
• Regulation D 506
• Regulation S
• Regulation A
• Form D

Please Contact Us for a free consultation and quote.