A regulatory push on multiple fronts by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) prompted The Real Estate Roundtable and 24 other national business organizations this week to submit comments to SEC Chairman Gary Gensler, above, about the need for more time to assemble meaningful stakeholder analysis as part of the rulemaking process. (Coalition letter, April 5)

SEC Proposals & CRE 

• A long list of recent, overlapping SEC proposals affecting business are cited in the coalition letter, including four rulemakings that could significantly impact the real estate industry: 

1.)  Jan. 26 – the SEC issued a proposal that would impose new reporting requirements on real estate investment and private equity advisers, including a mandate to file reports (Form PF) within one business day of certain events. (SEC News Release | Fact Sheet | Proposed Rule)

• The Roundtable’s March 21 response stated the SEC proposal “presents significant compliance and operational challenges for private real estate fund sponsors, with no added benefit to investors and no relation to the intent of Form PF in monitoring systemic risk.” (Roundtable Weekly, March 25)

2.)   Feb. 9 – the SEC also proposed new rules and amendments affecting private fund advisers. (SEC News Release | Proposed Rule | Fact Sheet)

• The Roundtable plans to submit comments by April 25 to the SEC, which stated it is aiming to increase transparency and efficiency in the $18-trillion private fund adviser marketplace. (Roundtable Weekly, Feb. 11)
  

3.)   March 9 – the SEC issued another proposal that would require publicly traded companies to disclose a cybersecurity incident within four days of determining a breach is “material,” or important to the average investor. (SEC News Release | Proposed Rule | Fact Sheet)

• The Roundtable is working on comments due by May 9 regarding the reporting requirement proposal addressing material cybersecurity incidents. (Roundtable Weekly, March 18)

4.)   March 21 – the SEC issued a proposed rule regarding the reporting and disclosure of material corporate financial risks related to climate change. (SEC News Release | Proposed Rule | Fact Sheet, March 22 and Roundtable Weekly with Roundtable Climate Proposal Fact Sheet, March 25)  

• Stakeholder input on the proposed climate disclosure rule is due to the SEC around May 20. The Roundtable is working on a comprehensive response that will include information from a Roundtable member survey due this Monday, April 11. (see related Roundtable Weekly story on the survey, above)

 Coalition Request 

• This week’s coalition letter to the SEC noted, “The hundreds-upon-hundreds of questions, and numerous catch-all requests for comment, posed in these rulemakings reflect the Commission’s recognition that it needs input from the public to properly craft the proposed rules, yet the Commission is refusing to allow the public the time it needs to answer the Commission’s questions satisfactorily.”
  
  
• The business coalition requested that the SEC should not reflexively assign a 30-day or 60-day comment period to multiple rule proposals. The coalition commented, “Exceedingly short comment periods associated with numerous concurrent potentially inter-connected rule proposals … could result in rules that hurt investors, damage the financial system, and implicate the Commission’s obligations.” (Coalition letter, April 5)

The SEC’s various rulemaking proposals affecting CRE will be discussed during The Roundtable’s April 25-26 Spring Meeting (Roundtable-level members only) in Washington, DC. 

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