On February 14th, the SEC extended the comment period on proposed rulemaking concerning variable annuities and variable life insurance contracts. These proposed rules and form changes, which were originally published in the Federal Register on November 30, 2018, help investors make informed investment decisions regarding these contracts. The SEC has received numerous requests for additional time from the public and believes such time will allow the public to thoroughly consider the proposals and provide useful feedback that can guide the SEC in its decision process.

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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 2019 schedule is now available from the SEC.

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Version 4.25c of all applications in the GoFiler Suite has been released. This release contains a number of improvements to Form N-CEN View, Form SDR View and Form ABS-EE View. Additionally, improvements and corrections were made to Page View and to general file recovery across all software platforms.

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On Friday, President Trump signed a bill to reopen the federal government for three weeks until February 15. As of Monday, January 28, the SEC is currently open and fully staffed with a return to normal operations. During the transition to normal operations, staff response times may be longer than ordinary. Certain SEC Divisions and Offices, including our Divisions of Corporation Finance, Trading and Markets, Investment Management and the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations, will be publishing statements regarding their transition plans at www.sec.gov in the upcoming days.

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The SEC will be closed Monday, January 21 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The EDGAR System will not receive, process or accept filings on this day. Filings with a due date of January 21 will be due the following business day.

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On January 15th, the SEC announced charges against nine defendants for participation in a previously disclosed scheme to hack into the EDGAR system for the purposes of illegal trading. Included in the defendants were a Ukranian hacker and six individual traders in California, Ukraine, and Russia. There were also two entities charged. The hacker and some of the traders were involved in a similar scheme to hack into newswire services to trade on information not yet publicly available. As a result of those activities, the hacker and his conspirators were charged in 2015.

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The XBRL US Center for Data Quality has released the eighth set of rules and is seeking comment during a public exposure period ending February 1, 2019. The Data Quality Committee rules aim to help filers limit mistakes and avoid data inconsistencies that can adversely affect analysis of reported financial information. This release includes rules for issuers using either the US-GAAP or IFRS taxonomies.

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The XBRL US Center for Data Quality has published the seventh set of rules to provide guidance and aid for issuers in identifying errors in their XBRL SEC filings. The Data Quality Committee rules aim to help filers limit mistakes and avoid data inconsistencies that can adversely affect analysis of reported financial information. The seventh release of rules includes guidance for issuers using the US-GAAP taxonomies.

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Version 4.25b of all applications in the GoFiler Suite has been released. This release brings Form ATS-N out of beta with all functionality completed. It also contains the new XBRL validation required by the EDGAR Filer Manual as well as a number of corrections and improvements to Page View and Form N-CEN View.

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The SEC will be closed Tuesday, January 1 in observance of New Year’s Day. The EDGAR System will not receive, process or accept filings on this day. Filings with a due date of January 1 will be due the following business day.

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In the event of a federal government shutdown, the SEC will proceed in accordance with its posted plan for operating during a shutdown. Should the shutdown continue beyond Wednesday, December 26, starting Thursday, December 27, the SEC will have a limited number of staff members available. The SEC will be able to respond to emergency situations involving market integrity and investor protection, including law enforcement. Certain SEC systems, including EDGAR, will be operating.

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The SEC will be closed Tuesday, December 25 in observance of Christmas Day. The EDGAR System will not receive, process or accept filings on this day. Filings with a due date of December 25 will be due the following business day. Additionally, President Trump has ordered that the federal government be closed on Monday, December 24. Because of this, the EDGAR system will not be available on December 24. December 24 will be treated as a federal holiday for filing purposes. The filing website will not be operational, and filings will not be accepted. Continue reading "Christmas Hours" »

On December 18th, the SEC released a request for comments concerning the nature, content, and timing of earnings releases and quarterly reports made by reporting companies. The SEC is soliciting public input on how it can reduce burdens on reporting companies associated with quarterly reporting while maintaining or enhancing disclosure effectiveness and investor protections. The Commission is also investigating how the current periodic reporting system, earnings releases, and earnings guidance may create an overly short-term focus on the part of managers and other market participants. This evaluation of the existing system is driven by a need to foster more long-term investments.

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The Securities and Exchange Commission has adopted rules to allow reporting companies to use the Regulation A exemption from registration. Regulation A provides an exemption from registration under the Securities Act of 1933 for offerings of securities up to $50 million in a 12-month period and was previously not available to companies that are Exchange Act reporting companies. The Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act that was enacted earlier this year requires the SEC to adopt this change and allow reporting companies to use Regulation A.

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On December 18th, the SEC adopted final rules to require companies to disclose hedging practices or policies in any proxy statement or information statement relating to the election of directors. These disclosures involve any practices or policies regarding the ability of employees or directors to engage in certain hedging transactions with respect to company equity securities. The rules implement Section 14(j) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which was enacted by Section 955 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

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