The Office of the Chief Counsel of the Division of Trading and Markets of the Securities and Exchange Commission recently issued an important “No-Action” Letter providing regulatory relief for participants in certain mergers and acquisitions transactions. The letter permits persons who qualify as “M&A Brokers” to facilitate the sale of private companies without registering with the Commission as a broker-dealer, subject to a number of restrictions. While many questions and considerations remain, the M&A Broker designation has the potential to relieve some of the burdens of registration for advisors specializing in private business combinations.View full memo, SEC Offers Relief to M&A Brokers
