Yesterday, the SEC proposed rule amendments governing beneficial ownership reporting under Exchange Act Sections 13(d) and 13(g).

The proposed amendments to Regulation 13D-G would accelerate the filing deadlines for Schedules 13D beneficial ownership reports from 10 days to five days and require that amendments be filed within one business day. The amendments would also generally accelerate the filing deadlines for certain Schedule 13G beneficial ownership reports from 45 days after year-end to five business days after the end of the month in which the investor beneficially owns more than 5 percent, and require amendments to be filed five business days after the month in which a material change occurred rather than 45 days after the year in which any change occurred. The proposed amendments also would accelerate the amendment obligations for certain Schedule 13G filers upon exceeding 10 percent beneficial ownership or a 5 percent increase or decrease in beneficial ownership of a covered class, requiring that qualified institutional investors and passive investors file an amendment within five days and one business day, respectively. Note that the cut-off time for filings would be extended to 10:00 p.m. rather than 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time, similar to Section 16 reports.

The proposed amendments would also expand the application of Regulation 13D-G to certain derivative securities; clarify the circumstances under which two or more persons have formed a "group" that would be subject to beneficial ownership reporting obligations; provide new exemptions to permit certain persons to communicate and consult with one another, jointly engage issuers, and execute certain transactions without being subject to regulation as a "group;" and require that Schedules 13D and 13G be filed using a structured, machine-readable data language.