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Securities Act of 1933

The Securities Act of 1933 has two basic objectives:

The full text of this Act is available at: http://www.law.uc.edu/CCL/sldtoc.html.

Purpose of Registration

A primary means of accomplishing these goals is the disclosure of important financial information through the registration of securities. This information enables investors to make informed judgments about whether to purchase a company's securities.

The Registration Process

In general, securities sold in the U.S. must be registered. The registration forms companies file provide essential facts about the securities and the company issuing them. In general, registration forms call for:

All companies, both domestic and foreign, must file their registration statements electronically. These statements and the accompanying prospectuses become public shortly after filing, and investors can access them using EDGAR. Registration statements are subject to examination for compliance with disclosure requirements.

Not all offerings of securities must be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Some exemptions from the registration requirement include: