Revisions to the Eligibility Requirements for Primary Securities Offerings on Forms S-3 and F-3

We are adopting amendments to the eligibility requirements of Form S-3 and Form F-3 to allow certain domestic and foreign private issuers to conduct primary securities offerings on these forms without regard to the size of their public float or the rating of debt they are offering, so long as they satisfy the other eligibility conditions of the respective form, have a class of common equity securities listed and registered on a national securities exchange, and the issuers do not sell more than the equivalent of one-third of their public float in primary offerings over any period of 12 calendar months. The amendments are intended to allow more companies to benefit from the greater flexibility and efficiency in accessing the public securities markets afforded by Form S-3 and Form F-3 without compromising investor protection. The expanded form eligibility does not extend to shell companies, however, which are prohibited from using the new provisions until 12 calendar months after they cease being shell companies. In addition, we are adopting an amendment to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Securities Act to clarify that violations of the one-third restriction will also violate the requirements as to proper registration form, even though the registration statement has been declared effective previously.