DealLawyers.com Blog

October 14, 2005

Cross-Border Relief for Non-Foreign Private Issuers

In this podcast, George Casey of Shearman & Sterling discusses the SEC’s Divisions of Corporation Finance and Market Regulation jointly issued no-action and exemptive letter to Axel Springer providing relief under the tender offer rules (Axel Springer, a German stock corporation, made a cash tender offer for another German company), in particular focusing on the following questions:

– What is the significance of the SEC giving a cross-border relief in connection with an offer for a company that does not qualify as a “foreign private issuer”?
– It appears that the bidder would be permitted to pay for the tendered shares with a significant delay after the expiration of the offer period. Why was this relief necessary?
– Is the “prompt payment” relief likely to become recurring in German offers?
– The bidder will give withdrawal rights after the expiration of the offer. Why is this necessary?