Saturday, January 29, 2022

Private Fund Reporting Requirements to be Amended

The SEC is proposing to amend Form PF for certain SEC-registered advisors to private funds.

The amendments will affect the disclosure of the fees and other compensation that are paid to a registered representative of an adviser of a private fund. In this Notice, we refer to the “proposed amendments” unless otherwise specified. The Commission is also proposing to adopt new rules under the Advisers Act that address the requirements of the proposed amendments.

The proposed amendments would also require large hedge fund advisers and private equity fund advisers to file the Form ADV with the Commission, and the Form ADV with the SEC, by February 15 of the following year, or as soon as practicable thereafter.

These advisers would file reports within one business day of events that indicate significant stress at a fund that could harm investors or signal risk in the broader financial system. The proposed amendments would provide the Commission and FSOC with more timely information to analyze and assess risks to investors and the markets more broadly.

The proposal also would decrease the reporting threshold for large private equity advisers from $2 billion to $1.5 billion in private equity fund assets under management. Lowering the threshold would result in reporting on Form PF that continues to provide robust data on a sizable portion of the private equity industry. Finally, the proposal would require more information regarding large private equity funds and large liquidity funds to enhance the information used for risk assessment and the Commission’s regulatory programs. 

"Since the adoption of Form PF in 2011, a lot has changed," said SEC Chair Gary Gensler. "The private fund industry has grown in size to $11 trillion and evolved in terms of business practices, complexity of fund structures, and investment strategies and exposures. The Commission and Financial Stability Oversight Council now have almost a decade of experience analyzing the information collected on Form PF. We have identified significant information gaps and situations where we would benefit from additional information. Among other things, today’s proposal would require certain advisers to hedge funds and private equity funds to provide current reporting of events that could be relevant to financial stability and investor protection, such as extraordinary investment losses or significant margin and counterparty default events. I am pleased to support it."

The proposal will be published on SEC.gov and in the Federal Register. The public comment period will remain open for 30 days after publication in the Federal Register.

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The attorneys at Sallah Astarita & Cox, LLC are former SEC Senior staff attorneys and counsel to brokerage firms, private funds, and investment advisors. For more information, or a telephone consultation, call 212-509-6544.