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TITLE 71
CHAPTER 1. OKLAHOMA SECURITIES ACT
ARTICLE 1. SECURITIES COMMISSION
§ 1. Short Title
Sections 1 through 17, 101, 102, 201 through 204, 301 through 307, 401
through 413, 501, and 701 through 703 of this title shall be known and may be cited as the
Oklahoma Securities Act.
§ 2. Definitions
As used in this act, unless the context otherwise requires:
(a)
"Commission" means the Oklahoma Securities
Commission.
(b)
"Department" means the Department of
Securities.
(c)
"Administrator" means the Securities
Administrator appointed by the Oklahoma Securities Commission.
(d)
"Agent" means any
individual other than a broker-dealer who represents a broker-dealer or issuer in
effecting or attempting to effect purchases or sales of securities.
A partner, officer, member or director of a broker-dealer or issuer, or
a person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions, is an agent only if
the person otherwise comes within this definition.
(e) "Broker-dealer" means
any person engaged in the business of effecting transactions in securities for the account
of others or for his or her own account. "Broker-dealer" does not include:
(1) an agent;
(2) an issuer;
or
(3) any other person
the Administrator, by rule or order, designates.
A depository institution shall not be considered
to be a broker-dealer because the depository institution engages in any one or more of the
activities specified in Section 3(a)(4)(B)(i)-(vi) and Section 3(a)(4)(B)(viii)-(x) or
Section 3(a)(5)(C) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 under the conditions described
in connection with such laws.
(f) "Commodity" means, except as otherwise
specified by the Administrator by rule, regulation or order, any agricultural, grain or
livestock product or by-product, any metal or mineral, any gem or gemstone (whether
characterized as precious, semi-precious or otherwise), any fuel (whether liquid, gaseous
or otherwise), any foreign currency, and all other goods, articles, products or items of
any kind; provided that the term commodity shall not include:
(1) a numismatic coin whose fair market value is at least
fifteen percent (15%) higher than the value of the metal it contains;
(2) real property or any timber, agricultural or livestock
product grown or raised on real property and offered or sold by the owner or lessee of
such real property; or
(3) any work of art offered or sold by art dealers, at public
auction or offered or sold through a private sale by the owner thereof.
(g) "Depository institution" means:
(1) a person that is organized, chartered, or holding an
authorization certificate under the laws of a state or of the United States which
authorizes the person to receive deposits, including a savings, share, certificate, or
deposit account, and which is supervised and examined for the protection of depositors by
an official or agency of a state or the United States; or
(2) a trust company or other institution that is authorized by
federal or state law to exercise fiduciary powers of the type a national bank is permitted
to exercise under the authority of the Comptroller of the Currency and is supervised and
examined by an official or agency of a state or the United States.
The term does not include an insurance company or other organization
primarily engaged in the insurance business or a Morris Plan bank, industrial loan
company, or a similar bank or company unless its deposits are insured by a federal agency.
(h) "Federal covered security" means any
security described as a covered security in Section 18(b) of the Securities Act of 1933.
(i) "Financial or institutional investor"
means any of the following, whether acting for itself or others in a fiduciary capacity:
(1) a depository institution;
(2) an insurance company;
(3) a separate account of an insurance company;
(4) an investment company as defined in the Investment Company
Act of 1940;
(5) an employee pension, profit-sharing, or benefit plan if the
plan has total assets in excess of Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000.00) or its investment
decisions are made by a named fiduciary, as defined in the Employee Retirement Income
Security Act of 1974, that is either a broker-dealer registered under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, an investment adviser registered or exempt from registration under
the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, a depository institution, or an insurance company;
(6) a qualified institutional buyer as defined in Rule 144A
adopted by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (17 C.F.R. 230.144A); or
(7) any other institutional buyer.
(j) "Fraud," "deceit," and "defraud"
are not limited to common-law deceit.
(k) "Guaranteed" means guaranteed as to payment
of principal, interest, or dividends.
(l) "Investment adviser" means any person who,
for compensation, engages in the business of advising others, either directly or through
publications or writings, as to the value of securities or as to the advisability of
investing in, purchasing, or selling securities, or who, for compensation and as a part of
a regular business, issues or promulgates analyses or reports concerning securities.
"Investment adviser" does not include:
(1) a depository institution;
(2) a lawyer, accountant, engineer, or teacher whose performance
of these services is solely incidental to the practice of their profession or;
(3) any person who:
(A) does not exercise investment discretion with respect to the
assets of clients or maintain custody of the assets of clients for the purpose of
investing those assets, except when the person is acting as a bona fide fiduciary in a
capacity such as an executor, trustee, personal representative, estate or trust agent,
guardian, conservator, or person serving in a similar fiduciary capacity;
(B) does not accept or receive, directly or indirectly, any
commission, fee, or other remuneration contingent upon the purchase or sale of any
specific security by a client of such person; and
(C) does not advise on the purchase or sale of specific
securities;
(4) a professional geologist, professional engineer or
professional geophysicist and professional petroleum landman who is engaged in the
business of exploring for and/or producing oil and gas or other valuable minerals as an
ongoing business when giving advice, analyses, interpretations or reports that relate to
securities covered by Section 2(v)(17) of this title;
(5) a broker-dealer whose performance of these services is
solely incidental to the conduct of its business as a broker-dealer and who receives no
special compensation for them;
(6) a publisher of any newspaper, news column, newsletter, news
magazine, or business or financial publication or service of general, regular, and paid
circulation, whether communicated in hard copy form or by electronic means;
(7) an investment adviser representative; or
(8) such other persons not within the intent of this paragraph
as the Administrator may by rule or order designate.
(m) "Investment adviser representative" means
any partner, officer, director of, or a person occupying a similar status or performing
similar functions for, an investment adviser, or other person employed by, supervised by,
representing, or associated with an investment adviser, except clerical or ministerial
personnel, who:
(1) makes any recommendation or otherwise renders advice
regarding securities;
(2) manages accounts or portfolios of clients;
(3) determines or has final authority as to which
recommendations or advice regarding securities should be given; or
(4) supervises employees who perform any of the acts described
in this subsection.
(n) "Issuer" means any person who issues or
proposes to issue any security, except that with respect to certificates of deposit,
voting-trust certificates, or collateral-trust certificates, or with respect to
certificates of interest or shares in an unincorporated investment trust not having a
board of directors or persons performing similar functions or of the fixed, restricted
management, or unit type, the term "issuer" means the person or persons
performing the acts and assuming the duties of depositor or manager pursuant to the
provisions of the trust or other agreement or instrument under which the security is
issued.
(o) "Nonissuer" means not directly or
indirectly for the benefit of the issuer.
(p) "Person" means an individual, a
corporation, a partnership, a limited liability company, an association, a joint-stock
company, a trust where the interests of the beneficiaries are evidenced by a security, an
unincorporated organization, a government, or a political subdivision of a government.
(q) "Principal" means any person
associated with an applicant for registration as a broker-dealer who is actively engaged
in the management of the applicant's securities business, including supervision,
solicitation, conduct of business or training of persons associated with an applicant for
any of these functions. Such persons shall include, but are not limited to the following:
(1) Sole proprietors;
(2) Officers;
(3) Partners;
(4) Managers of offices of supervisory jurisdiction;
(5) Directors of corporations; or
(6) Any person occupying a similar status, position, or
performing similar functions, or any person directly or indirectly controlling the
registrant.
(r) "Promoter" includes:
(1) a person who, acting alone or in concert with one or more
persons, takes the entrepreneurial initiative in founding or organizing the business or
enterprise of an issuer;
(2) an officer or director owning securities of an issuer or a
person who owns, beneficially or of record, ten percent (10%) or more of a class of
securities of the issuer if the officer, director, or person acquires any of those
securities in a transaction within three (3) years before the filing by the issuer of a
registration statement under this act and the transaction is not an arms-length
transaction; or
(3) a member of the immediate family of a person within
paragraph (1) or (2) of this subsection if the family member receives securities of the
issuer from that person in a transaction within three (3) years before the filing by the
issuer of a registration statement under this act and the transaction is not an
arms-length transaction.
For purposes of this subsection, "immediate family" means a
spouse of a person within paragraph (1) or (2) of this subsection, an emancipated child
residing in such persons household, or an individual claimed as a dependent by such
person for tax purposes.
(s) "Registration statements" means the
documentation provided to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission or the
Department in connection with the registration of securities under the Securities Act of
1933 or this title and includes any amendment thereto and any report, document, exhibit or
memorandum filed as part of such statement or incorporated therein by reference.
(t) (1) "Sale" or "sell"
includes every contract of sale of, contract to sell, or disposition of, a security or
interest in a security for value.
(2) "Offer" or "offer
to sell" includes every attempt or offer to dispose of, or solicitation of an
offer to buy, a security or interest in a security for value.
(3) Any security given or delivered with, or as a bonus on
account of, any purchase of securities or any other thing is considered to constitute part
of the subject of the purchase and to have been offered and sold for value.
(4) A purported gift of assessable stock is considered to
involve an offer and sale.
(5) Every sale or offer of a warrant or right to purchase or
subscribe to another security of the same or another issuer, as well as every sale or
offer of a security which gives the holder a present or future right or privilege to
convert into another security of the same or another issuer, is considered to include an
offer of the other security.
(6) The terms defined in this subsection do not include:
(A) any bona fide pledge or loan;
(B) any stock dividend, whether the corporation distributing the
dividend is the issuer of the stock or not, if nothing of value is given by stockholders
for the dividend other than the surrender of a right to a cash or property dividend when
each stockholder may elect to take the dividend in cash or property or in stock; or
(C) any act incident to a judicially approved reorganization in
which a security is issued in exchange for one or more outstanding securities, claims, or
property interests, or partly in such exchange and partly for cash.
(u) "Securities Act of 1933," "Securities
Exchange Act of 1934," "Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935,"
"Investment Company Act of 1940" and "Investment Advisers Act of
1940" mean the federal statutes of those names as amended heretofore or
hereafter.
(v) "Security" means
any:
(1) note;
(2) stock;
(3) treasury stock;
(4) bond;
(5) debenture;
(6) evidence of indebtedness;
(7) certificate of interest or participation in any
profit-sharing agreement;
(8) collateral-trust certificate;
(9) preorganization certificate or subscription;
(10) transferable share;
(11) investment contract;
(12) voting-trust certificate;
(13) certificate of deposit for a security;
(14) contract or option on a contract for the future delivery of
any commodity offered or sold to the public and not regulated by the Commodity Futures
Trading Commission, provided that such contract or option shall not be subject to the
provisions of Section 301 of this title, if sold or purchased on the floor of a bona fide
exchange or board of trade and offered and sold to the public by a broker-dealer or agent
registered pursuant to this title;
(15) investment of money or money's worth including goods
furnished and/or services performed in the risk capital of a venture with the expectation
of some benefit to the investor where the investor has no direct control over the
investment or policy decision of the venture;
(16) in general, any interest or instrument commonly known as a
"security," or any certificate of interest or participation in, temporary or
interim certificate for, receipt for, guarantee of, or warrant or right to subscribe to or
purchase, any of the foregoing; or
(17) interest in oil, gas, or mineral
leases, except that transactions involving leases or interest therein, between parties,
each of whom is engaged in the business of exploring for or producing oil and gas or other
valuable minerals as an ongoing business, and the execution of oil and gas leases by land,
mineral, and royalty owners in favor of a party or parties engaged in the business of
exploring for or producing oil and gas or other valuable minerals shall be deemed not to
involve a security.
(w) "Security" does not
include any insurance or endowment policy or annuity contract under which an insurance
company promises to pay money either in a lump sum or periodically for life or some other
specified period.
(x) "State" means any state, territory, or
possession of the United States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
(y) "Underwriter" means any person who has
purchased from an issuer or from any other person with a view to, or offers or sells for
an issuer or for any other person in connection with, the distribution of any security, or
participates or has a direct or indirect participation in any such undertaking, or
participates or has a participation in the direct or indirect underwriting of any such
undertaking. "Underwriter" does not include a person whose interest is limited
to a commission from an underwriter or broker-dealer not in excess of the usual and
customary distributor's or seller's commission.
§ 3. Securities Commission and Department of Securities
There are hereby created the Oklahoma Securities Commission and the
Department of Securities. The Commission shall be the policy making and governing
authority of the Department, shall appoint the Administrator and shall be responsible for
the enforcement of this act.
§ 4. Members -- appointment -- liability
(a) The Oklahoma Securities Commission shall
consist of four (4) members to be appointed by the Governor by and with the advice and
consent of the Senate. One member will be a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association
appointed from a list of five nominees submitted by the Oklahoma Bar Association; one
member shall be an active officer of a bank or trust company operating in the State of
Oklahoma appointed from a list of five nominees submitted by the Oklahoma Bankers
Association; and one member shall be a certified public accountant appointed from a list
of five nominees submitted by the Oklahoma Society of Certified Public Accountants; and
one member shall be engaged in the securities industry and shall be appointed for a
six-year initial term from a list of five nominees submitted by the Oklahoma Securities
Industry Association; provided, that the State Bank Commissioner of Oklahoma shall be and
he is hereby made an ex officio member of said Commission.
(b) Except for appointment of the member engaged in
the securities industry as provided for in subsection (a) of this section, no person may
be appointed to or by the Commission while he is registered as a broker-dealer, agent,
investment adviser, or investment adviser representative under this act, or while he is an
officer, director, or partner of any person so registered, or while he is an officer,
director, or partner of an issuer which has a registration statement effective under this
act, or while he is occupying a similar status or performing similar functions.
(c) It is unlawful for any member of the Commission,
the Administrator, or any other officer or employee of the Department to use for personal
benefit any information which is filed with or obtained by the Administrator and which is
not made public. No provision of this act authorizes any member of the Commission, the
Administrator or any other officer or employee of the Department to disclose any such
information except among themselves or when necessary or appropriate in a proceeding or
investigation under this act or in connection with a proceeding or investigation conducted
by any state, federal or foreign law enforcement agency, securities agency or
self-regulatory organization. No provision of this act either creates or derogates from
any privilege which exists at common law or otherwise when documentary or other evidence
is sought under a subpoena directed to any member of the Commission, the Administrator or
any other officer or employee of the Department.
(d) Except on proof of corruption, no Commissioner
shall for his acts or his failure to act be civilly liable to any investor, applicant for
registration, or any other person.
§ 5. Terms of office - Vacancies
The Governor shall biennially appoint Commission members to serve for a
staggered term of six (6) years. Upon the expiration of initial terms, the term of each
member shall be six (6) years from the date of his appointment and qualification, and
until his successor shall qualify. Vacancies shall be filled by the Governor for the
unexpired term. Members shall be eligible for reappointment.
§ 6. Chairman--Quorum--Meetings--Reports
The Oklahoma Securities Commission shall select a chair and is hereby
authorized to adopt rules for conducting its proceedings. Any three members shall
constitute a quorum for transacting Commission business. The Commission shall meet
bimonthly on such date as it may designate and may meet at such other times as it may deem
necessary, or when called by the chair or by any two members. Complete minutes of each
meeting shall be kept and filed in the Department of Securities and shall be available for
public inspection during reasonable office hours. The Commission shall report annually to
the Governor, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and to the President Pro
Tempore of the Senate. The report shall contain the minutes of each meeting held during
the year, legislative recommendations, a summary of violations of the Oklahoma Securities
Act and action taken thereon, a list of securities registered with the Commission and such
other data and information as may be deemed necessary or appropriate. The Commission is
hereby authorized to publish such report, and the Administrator may sell copies of such
report at such price as is reasonably sufficient to defray the expenses of the Department
in preparing, publishing, and disseminating the same. Each member of the Commission shall
have unrestricted access to all offices and records under the jurisdiction of the
Department. The Commission, or a majority thereof, may exercise any power or perform any
act authorized for the Administrator under the provisions of the Oklahoma Securities Act.
§ 7. Mileage and per diem - Repealed by Laws 1985
§ 8. Appointment of Securities Administrator--Authority
The Commission shall appoint a full-time Administrator, who shall serve
at the pleasure of the Commission. He shall administer the act under the supervision of
the Commission and in accordance with its policies.
§ 9. Qualifications--Salary of Administrator
The Administrator shall be a person of good moral character, at least
thirty (30) years of age, a resident taxpayer of Oklahoma, and thoroughly familiar with
corporate organization, investment banking, investment trusts, the sale of securities, and
the statistical details of the manufacturing industries and commerce of this state. In
addition, the Administrator shall:
(1) be a graduate of an accredited law school and a member
of the Oklahoma Bar Association, or shall have had ten (10) years' experience as a
certified public accountant; and
(2) have at least three (3) years' work experience
involving some aspect of the securities industry. The Commission may also require
additional qualifications. The salary of the Administrator shall be fixed by
the Commission from appropriations made by the Legislature.
§ 10. Deputy Administrator
The Administrator, with the approval of the Commission, may designate a
Deputy Securities Administrator, who shall possess the same qualifications, including
bond, required for the Administrator and who shall perform all the duties required to be
performed by the Administrator when the Administrator is absent or unable to act for any
reason.
§ 11. Bonds
Before assuming office, the Administrator shall give a bond in the sum
of Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000.00) payable to the State of Oklahoma, to be approved by
the Attorney General of the State of Oklahoma, conditioned that he will faithfully execute
the duties of his office. The Administrator may by rule or order require any employee of
the Department to be bonded on the same condition and in the same or such lesser amount as
he determines. The expense of all such bonds shall be paid from funds available to the
Department.
§ 12. Department of Securities
(a)
The internal administrative organization of the Department of
Securities shall be determined by the Oklahoma Securities Commission in such manner as to promote the
efficient and effective enforcement of the Oklahoma Securities Act. The Department shall include, but not be
limited to, divisions relating to:
(1)
registration of broker-dealers, agents, investment advisers,
and investment adviser representatives;
(2)
registration of securities;
(3)
investigation and enforcement; and
(4)
investor education.
(b)
Within the division of investor education, the Department may provide the
following services at the discretion of the Administrator:
(1)
informing investors of all rights and remedies available under the Oklahoma
Securities Act;
(2)
informing investors of the availability of private dispute resolution,
including arbitration and mediation, as an alternative to other courses of
action;
(3)
acting as a liaison between investors and the other divisions of the
Department; and
(4)
acting as a liaison between investors and issuers of securities,
broker-dealers or investment advisers subject to the jurisdiction of the
Department under the Oklahoma Securities Act.
Nothing in this subsection shall authorize any employee of the Department to
represent the interests of, or to serve as counsel for, investors in any
proceeding or action to include an administrative or civil proceeding brought
by the Department or the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, a
proceeding brought by the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., or
an arbitration or mediation proceeding. Further, no employee of
the Department may advise any person about the value of securities or as to
the advisability of investing in, purchasing or selling securities, or as to
the value or merits of pursuing a particular course of action.
(c)
Employees of the division of investor education shall not be exempt from the
provisions of the Open Records Act and Section 411 of this title.
§ 13. Personnel
The Administrator shall prepare in writing a manual of necessary
employee positions for the Department, including job classifications, personnel
qualifications, duties, maximum and minimum salary schedules, and other personnel
information, which shall be approved by the Commission. The Administrator may select,
appoint, and employ such accountants, auditors, examiners, clerks, stenographers, and
other personnel as he deems necessary for the proper administration of the Oklahoma
Securities Act, and may fix their compensation and the salary of the Deputy Administrator.
The Deputy Administrator and other employees of the Department shall serve at the pleasure
of the Administrator, except as otherwise provided by the requirements of the Merit System
of Personnel Management.
§ 14. Office Space
The Securities Commission and the Securities Department shall be
assigned offices in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, by the Office of Public Affairs, and all
records of the Commission and Department shall be kept in those offices, unless and until
transferred to the Records Management Division of the Oklahoma Department of Libraries.
§ 15. Transfer of powers, duties and functions - Repealed
by Laws 1980
§ 16.
The Department of Securities attorney, paralegal,
legal secretary, accountant, investigator,
examiner, chief financial officer, network administrator, business manager, and
investor education coordinator positions
shall be in the unclassified service and are in no way subject to any of the provisions of
the Merit System of Personnel Administration or of the rules promulgated by the Office of
Personnel Management except those relating to leave regulations.
§ 17.
(a) Neither the Administrator nor any employee of
the Department of Securities, during their respective terms of employment, shall serve as
a director, officer, shareholder, member, partner, agent or employee of any person who,
during the period of such Administrator's or employee's employment with the Department:
(1) was licensed or applied for registration as a
broker-dealer, agent, investment adviser or investment adviser representative under this
title; or
(2) applied for or secured the registration of
securities under said title.
(b) Nothing in subsection (a) of this section shall
prohibit the holding, purchasing or selling of any securities by the Administrator or any
employee of the Department in accordance with regulations adopted by the Oklahoma
Securities Commission for the purpose of protecting the public interest and avoiding
conflicts of interest.
(c) Nothing contained in subsection (a) of this
section shall prohibit the holding, purchasing or selling of any securities of any issuer
described in paragraph (2) of subsection (a) of this section by the Administrator if
either:
(1) the Administrator together with his or her spouse,
or minor children, owns less than one percent (1%) of any class of outstanding securities
of any such issuer so long as such securities are not purchased in an initial public
offering; or
(2) such securities are held or purchased through a
management account or trust administered by a bank or trust company authorized to do
business in this state that has sole investment discretion regarding the holding,
purchasing or selling of such securities and the Administrator or employee did not,
directly or indirectly, advise, counsel or command the holding, purchasing or selling of
any securities or furnish any information relating to any such securities to such bank or
trust company and further, such account or trust does not at any time have more than ten
percent (10%) of its total assets invested in the securities of any one issuer or hold
more than five percent (5%) of the outstanding securities of any class of securities of
any one issuer.
ARTICLE 2. FRAUDULENT PRACTICES
§ 101. Sales and purchases
It is unlawful for any person, in connection with the offer, sale, or
purchase of any security, directly or indirectly
(1) to employ any device, scheme, or artifice to defraud,
(2) to make any untrue statement of a material fact or to omit
to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in the light of
the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading,
(3) to engage in any act, practice, or course of business which
operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit upon any person.
§ 102. Advisory activities
(a) It is unlawful for any person who receives any
consideration from another person primarily for advising the other person as to the value
of securities or their purchase or sale, whether through the issuance of analyses or
reports or otherwise:
(1) to employ any device, scheme, or artifice to
defraud the other person; or
(2) to engage in any act, practice, or course of business which
operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit upon the other person.
(b) In the solicitation of advisory clients, it is
unlawful for any person to make any untrue statement of a material fact, or omit to state
a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in light of the
circumstances under which they are made, not misleading.
(c) Except as may be permitted by rule or order, it is
unlawful for any investment adviser that is registered or required to be registered under
this title, or is exempt from registration pursuant to subparagraph (B) of paragraph (2)
of subsection (c) of Section 201 of this title, to enter into, extend, or renew any
investment advisory contract unless it provides in writing:
(1) that the investment adviser shall not be
compensated on the basis of a share of capital gains upon or capital appreciation of the
funds or any portion of the funds of the client;
(2) that no assignment of the contract may be made by
the investment adviser without the consent of the other party to the contract; and
(3) that the investment adviser, if a partnership or
limited liability company, shall notify the other party to the contract of any change in
the membership of the partnership or limited liability company within a reasonable time
after the change.
Paragraph (1) of this subsection does not prohibit an investment
advisory contract which provides for compensation based upon the total value of a fund
averaged over a definite period, or as of definite dates or taken as of a definite date.
"Assignment," as used in paragraph (2) of this subsection, includes any direct
or indirect transfer or hypothecation of an investment advisory contract by the assignor
or of a controlling block of the assignor's outstanding voting securities by a security
holder of the assignor; but, if the investment adviser is a partnership or limited
liability company, no assignment of an investment advisory contract is considered to
result from the death or withdrawal of a minority of the members of the investment adviser
having only a minority interest in the business of the investment adviser, or from the
admission to the investment adviser of one or more members who, after admission, will be
only a minority of the members and will have only a minority interest in the business.
(d) It is unlawful for any investment adviser that is
registered or required to be registered under this title, or is exempt from registration
pursuant to subparagraph (B) of paragraph (2) of subsection (c) of Section 201 of this
title, to take or have custody of any securities or funds of any client if:
(1) the Administrator by rule prohibits custody; or
(2) in the absence of rule, the investment adviser
fails to notify the Administrator that the investment adviser has or may have custody.
ARTICLE 3. BROKER-DEALERS, AGENTS AND INVESTMENT ADVISERS
§ 201.
Registration requirement
(a) (1) It is unlawful for any person to
transact business in this state as a broker-dealer or agent unless the person is so
registered under this act or unless the person is exempt from registration as provided in
paragraph (2) or (3) of this subsection.
(2) A person shall be exempt from registration as a
broker-dealer if the person has no place of business in this state and:
(A) effects transactions in this state exclusively with or
through:
(i) the issuers of the securities involved in the transactions,
(ii) other broker-dealers, or
(iii) financial or institutional investors, whether acting for themselves or as
trustees;
(B) is licensed under the securities act of a state in which
that person maintains a place of business and offers and sells securities in this state to
a person who is an existing customer of the broker-dealer and whose principal place of
residence is not in this state; or
(C) during any period of twelve (12) consecutive months, does
not direct more than fifteen offers and sales in this state to persons other than those
specified in division (iii) of subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2) of this subsection,
whether or not the offeror or any of the offerees is then present in this state, so long
as that person is licensed under the laws of a state in which he or she maintains a place
of business.
(3) An individual shall be exempt from
registration as an agent if the individual:
(A) is representing a broker-dealer exempt under paragraph (2)
of this subsection;
(B) is representing an issuer in effecting transactions in a
security exempted by paragraph (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (7), (8), or (9) of Section 401(a)
of this title;
(C) is representing an issuer in effecting transactions exempted
by paragraphs (1) through (18), (21) or (22) of Section 401(b) of this title or
transactions in securities that are federal covered securities under Section 18(b)(4)(D)
of the Securities Act of 1933, except when:
(i) a commission is to be paid to such individual, or
(ii) such individual is or has been within the past five (5)
years subject to the following in connection with a violation of a state or federal
securities law or regulation: an order denying, suspending or revoking registration or a
cease and desist order of the Administrator; any similar order, judgment, or decree by
another state securities agency, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, or
any self-regulatory securities organization; or an order of any court of competent
jurisdiction temporarily, preliminarily or permanently enjoining such person;
(D) is representing an issuer in effecting transactions with
existing employees, partners, members or directors of the issuer, or a subsidiary or
affiliate of the issuer as those terms may be defined by rule or order, if no commission
or other remuneration is paid or given, directly or indirectly, for soliciting any person
in this state; or
(E) is representing a broker-dealer in effecting in this state
only those transactions described in Section 15(h) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
and satisfies the conditions set forth in Section 15(h) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934.
(b) It is unlawful for any broker-dealer or issuer to employ an
agent unless the agent is registered or is exempt from registration. The registration of
an agent is not effective during any period when the agent is not associated with a
particular broker-dealer registered under this act or a particular issuer. When an agent
begins or terminates a connection with a broker-dealer or issuer, or begins or terminates
those activities which make the person an agent, the agent as well as the broker-dealer or
issuer shall promptly notify the Administrator.
(c) (1) It is unlawful for any person to
transact business in this state as an investment adviser unless registered under this act
or unless exempt from registration as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection.
(2) Subject to paragraph (3) of this subsection, a person shall
be exempt from registration as an investment adviser if:
(A) the persons only clients in this state are investment
companies as defined in and registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or
insurance companies;
(B) the person is licensed as an investment adviser under the
laws of another state, has no place of business within this state, and the persons
only clients in this state are other investment advisers, broker-dealers, or financial or
institutional investors, whether acting for themselves or as trustees;
(C) the person has no place of business located within this
state and during any period of twelve (12) consecutive months, has no more than five
clients, other than those clients specified in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph, who are
residents of this state;
(D) the person is registered under Section 203 of the Investment
Advisers Act of 1940 as an investment adviser or is not registered under Section 203 of
the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 because that person is excepted from the definition of
an investment adviser under Section 202(a)(11) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940;
however, such exemption shall not apply to such a person if such person fails or refuses
to pay the notice filing fee required by paragraph (5) of subsection (a) of Section 412 of
this title and such failure or refusal to pay is not promptly remedied in accordance with
this title or an order or other administrative action of the Administrator; or
(E) the person is a full-time employee of this state, any
county, municipality or school district of this state; or any other political subdivision
of this state; or any agency or corporate or other instrumentality of any such political
subdivision; and such person's activities as an investment adviser are required as part of
such person's employment with such entity and limited to providing advice to such entity.
(3) The exemption from registration provided by subparagraph (B)
of paragraph (2) of this subsection shall not be available to any person who acts as an
investment adviser to this state, any county, municipality or school district of this
state, or any other political subdivision of this state; any agency or corporate or other
instrumentality of any such entity; or any pension fund for the benefit of employees of
any such entity.
(d) (1) It is unlawful for any person to
transact business in this state as an investment adviser representative unless registered
under this act or unless such person is exempt from registration as provided in paragraph (3) of
this subsection. It is unlawful for any person required to be registered as an investment
adviser under this act, or any person exempt from registration as an investment adviser
under this act, to employ, supervise, be represented by or be associated with an
investment adviser representative unless the investment adviser representative is
registered under this act or unless the investment adviser representative is exempt from
registration as provided in paragraph (3) of this subsection.
(2) It is unlawful for an investment adviser representative of
an investment adviser exempt from registration under subparagraph (D) of paragraph (2) of
subsection (c) of this section to transact business in this state as an investment adviser
representative as defined by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission in Rule
203A-3 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940,
if such person has a place of business located within this state unless registered under
this act or unless the person is exempt from registration as provided in subparagraphs (B)
or (C) of paragraph (3) of this subsection.
(3) Subject to paragraph (4) of this
subsection, a person shall be exempt from registration as an investment adviser
representative if:
(A) the person is employed by, supervised by, represents or is
associated with an investment adviser required to be registered as an investment adviser
under Section 203 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, or with an investment adviser
who is not registered under Section 203 of the Investment
Advisers Act of 1940 because that person is excepted from the definition of an
investment adviser under Section 202(a)(11) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and
such investment adviser representative has no place of business located within this state.
However, such exemption shall not apply to such a person if his or her affiliated
investment adviser fails or refuses to pay the fifty-dollar-fee for investment adviser
representatives as required under subsection (a) of Section 202.1 of this title and such
failure or refusal to pay is not promptly remedied in accordance with this title or an
order or other administrative action of the Administrator;
(B) the person is licensed as an investment adviser
representative under the laws of another state, has no place of business within this
state, and the persons only clients in this state are investment advisers,
broker-dealers, or financial or institutional investors, whether acting for themselves or
as trustees; or
(C) the person has no place of business located within this
state and during any period of twelve (12) consecutive months, has no more than five
clients, other than those clients specified in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph, who are
residents of this state.
(4) The exemption from registration provided by subparagraph (B)
of paragraph (3) of this subsection shall not be available to any person who acts as an
investment adviser representative to this state, any county, municipality or school
district of this state, or any other political subdivision of this state; any agency or
corporate or other instrumentality of any such entity; or any pension fund for the benefit
of employees of any such entity.
(5) The registration of an investment adviser representative is
not effective during any period when the person is not associated with a particular
investment adviser registered or exempt from registration under this act. When an
investment adviser representative begins or terminates a connection with an investment
adviser, or begins or terminates those activities which make the person an investment
adviser representative, the investment adviser representative as well as the investment
adviser shall promptly notify the Administrator.
(e) Every registration
as a broker-dealer, agent, investment adviser or investment adviser
representative and every exemption from registration as an
investment adviser representative under this section expires on December 31 each year and
may be renewed annually upon written application, as specified by the Administrator by
rule or order, and payment of the fee set forth in Section 412 of this title without
furnishing any further information unless specifically required by the Administrator.
Application for renewals must be made no later than December 31 in each year; otherwise,
the requirements for initial registration must be satisfied.
(f) For purposes of this section, "place of business"
means:
(1) A place or office at which the investment adviser or
investment adviser representative regularly provides investment advisory services,
solicits, meets with, or otherwise communicates with clients; and
(2) Any other location that is held out to the general public as
a location at which the investment adviser representative provides investment advisory
services, solicits, meets with, or otherwise communicates with clients.
§ 202. Registration procedure
(a) (1) A broker-dealer, agent, investment adviser or investment
adviser representative required to be registered under this title may obtain an initial or
renewal registration by filing in such form and in such manner as prescribed by rule or
order of the Administrator an application, the filing fee set forth in Section 412 of this
title and any other information determined to be necessary by the Administrator.
(2) If financial reports required do not coincide with
registration dates, such reports for the registrant's preceding fiscal year shall be
acceptable unless the Administrator by rule or order otherwise prescribes. The
Administrator may by rule or order require an applicant for initial registration to
publish an announcement of the application in one or more specified newspapers published
in this state.
(b) If no denial order is in effect and no proceeding is pending
pursuant to the provisions of Section 204 of this title, registration becomes effective at
noon of the forty-fifth day after a complete application is filed and proper payment is
made. The Administrator may specify, by rule or order, an earlier effective date, and may
defer, by order, the effective date until noon of the forty-fifth day after the filing of
any amendment.
(c) When an application is denied or withdrawn, the Administrator
shall retain the fee.
(d) A registered broker-dealer or investment adviser may file an
application for registration of a successor, whether or not the successor is then in
existence, for the unexpired portion of the year. There shall be no filing fee.
(e) The Administrator, by rule, may require a minimum capital for
registered broker-dealers and investment advisers.
§202.1 Investment adviser notice filing
(a) Unless otherwise exempt from registration as an investment
adviser pursuant to paragraph (2) of subsection (c) of Section 201 of this title, it is
unlawful for any person who is exempt from registration as an investment adviser pursuant
to subparagraph (D) of paragraph (2) of subsection (c) of Section 201 of this title to
transact business in this state as an investment adviser unless such person files with the
Administrator such documents filed with the United States Securities and Exchange
Commission as the Administrator may, by rule, prescribe; and submits the notice filing fee
set forth in paragraph (5) of subsection (a) of Section 412 of this title plus Fifty
Dollars ($50.00) for each investment adviser representative who is exempt from
registration under subsection (d) of Section 201 of this title and who is transacting
business in this state as an investment adviser representative. Every notice filing
under this section shall be effective from its date of filing and expire on December 31
each year, and may be renewed annually as of January 1 of each year thereafter as the
Administrator prescribes by rule. For purposes of this subsection, "date of
filing" shall mean the date all of the required documentation has been submitted to
the Administrator and payment of the proper fees is made.
(b) If the information contained in any document filed with the
Administrator under this section is or becomes inaccurate or incomplete in any material
respect, the investment adviser shall promptly file a correcting amendment unless
notification of the correction has been given pursuant to the provisions subsection (b) of
Section 201 of this title.
(c) The Administrator may suspend the activities of an
investment adviser transacting business in this state if there has been a violation of the
provisions of this section that has not been promptly remedied in accordance with this
title or an order or other administrative action of the Administrator.
§ 203. Post-registration provisions
(a) Every registered broker-dealer and investment adviser shall
make and keep such accounts, correspondence, memoranda, papers, books, and other records
as the Administrator, by rule, prescribes. Said records shall be preserved for such period
as the Administrator may, by rule, prescribe.
(b) Every registered broker-dealer and investment adviser shall
file such financial or operating reports as the Administrator, by rule, prescribes. A
filing fee as required by Section 412 of this title shall be submitted with each report,
except that no more than two such fees shall be required annually.
(c) If the information contained in any document filed with the
Administrator is or becomes inaccurate or incomplete in any material respect, the
registrant shall promptly file a correcting amendment unless notification of the
correction has been given pursuant to the provisions of Section 201(b) of this title.
(d) All the records referred to in subsection (a) of this section
are subject at any time or from time to time to such reasonable periodic, special, or
other examinations without notice by representatives of the Administrator, within or
without this state, as the Administrator deems necessary or appropriate in the public
interest or for the protection of investors. The Administrator may copy records or require
a person to copy records and provide the copies to the Administrator to the extent and in
a manner reasonable under the circumstances. For the purpose of avoiding unnecessary
duplication of examinations, the Administrator may cooperate with the securities
administrators of other states, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, and
any national securities exchange or national securities association registered pursuant to
the provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
(e) With respect to investment advisers that are registered or
required to be registered under this title or are exempt from registration pursuant to
subparagraph (B) of paragraph (2) of subsection (c) of Section 201 of this title, the
Administrator may require that certain information be furnished or disseminated to clients
or prospective clients as necessary or appropriate in the public interest or for the
protection of investors and advisory clients.
§ 204. Denial, revocation, suspension, cancellation, and withdrawal
of registration
(a) The Administrator may issue a final order denying effectiveness
to, or suspending or revoking the effectiveness of, any registration, or
condition or limit registration of an applicant or registrant, or impose any
sanction authorized by Section 406 of this title if the Administrator finds that the order
is in the public interest and that the applicant or registrant or, in the case of a
broker-dealer or investment adviser, any partner, officer, or director, any person
occupying a similar status or performing similar functions, or any person directly or
indirectly controlling the broker-dealer or investment adviser:
(1) has filed an application for registration which as of its
effective date, or as of any date after filing in the case of an order denying
effectiveness, was incomplete in any material respect or contained any statement which
was, in light of the circumstances under which it was made, false or misleading with
respect to any material fact;
(2) has willfully violated or willfully failed to comply with
any provision of the Oklahoma Securities Act or a predecessor act or any rule or order
under this act or a predecessor act;
(3) has been convicted, within the past ten (10) years, of any
misdemeanor involving a security or any aspect of the securities business, or any felony;
(4) is permanently or temporarily enjoined by any court of
competent jurisdiction from engaging in or continuing any conduct or practice involving
any aspect of the securities business;
(5) is the subject of an order of the Administrator denying,
suspending, or revoking registration as a broker-dealer, agent, investment adviser, or
investment adviser representative or is the subject of an order of the Administrator
issued pursuant to Section 406 of this title;
(6) is the subject of an order or other adjudication or
determination entered within the past five (5) years by the securities administrator of
any other state or by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission or by any other
governmental securities agency denying, suspending or revoking registration as a
broker-dealer, agent, investment adviser or investment adviser representative or the
substantial equivalent of those terms as defined in the Oklahoma Securities Act, or is the
subject of an order or other adjudication or determination entered within the past five
(5) years by the securities administrator of any other state or by the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission or by any other governmental securities agency barring
the person from association with any other broker-dealer or investment adviser, or is the
subject of an order suspending or expelling the person from a national or international
securities exchange or national or international securities association, or is the subject
of an order or other adjudication or determination of or by the National Association of
Securities Dealers, Inc., or any other self-regulatory organization, suspending,
canceling, revoking, or barring the person from membership in said organization or barring
the person from association with any other member of said organization, or is the subject
of a United States Post Office fraud order; but:
(A) the Administrator may not institute a revocation or
suspension proceeding under this subsection more than one (1) year from the date of the
order relied on; and
(B) may not enter an order under this subsection on the basis of
an order under another state act unless that order was based on facts which, but for the
situs would currently constitute a ground for an order under this section;
(7) is the subject of a cease and desist order entered after
notice and opportunity for hearing by the Administrator, the securities agency or
administrator of another state, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission or
the Commodity Futures Trading Commission;
(8) has engaged in dishonest or unethical practices in the
securities business;
(9) is insolvent, either in the sense that liabilities exceed
assets or in the sense that the person cannot meet obligations as they mature; but the
Administrator may not enter an order against a broker-dealer or investment adviser under
this paragraph without a finding of insolvency as to the broker-dealer or investment
adviser;
(10) is not qualified on the basis of such factors as training,
experience and knowledge of the securities business, except as otherwise provided in
subsection (c) of this section; or
(11) has willfully violated any rule of a national or
international securities exchange or a national or international securities association
with respect to any customer or transaction in this state;
(12) has failed to exercise reasonable supervision of its agents
if a broker-dealer or a designated principal, or of its investment adviser representatives
if an investment adviser to ensure compliance with the Oklahoma Securities Act;
(13) has failed to pay the proper filing fee; but the
Administrator may enter only a denial order under this paragraph, and shall vacate any
such order when the deficiency has been corrected; or
(14) refuses to allow or
otherwise impedes the Administrator from conducting an examination under
subsection (d) of Section 203 of this title, refuses access to any registrant's
office to conduct such examination, or refuses to provide copies of the records
referred to in subsection (a) of Section 203 of this title.
(b) The Administrator may not institute a suspension or revocation
based solely on material facts actually known by the Administrator unless an
investigation or proceeding is instituted within one (1) year after the
Administrator actually knew the material facts.
(c) The Administrators determination that an applicant or
registrant lacks qualification under paragraph (10) of subsection (a) of this section is
limited by the following provisions:
(1) The Administrator may not enter an order against a
broker-dealer on the basis of the lack of qualification of any person other than the
broker-dealer if the broker-dealer is an individual; or an agent of the broker-dealer.
(2) The Administrator may not enter an order against an
investment adviser on the basis of the lack of qualification of any person other than the
investment adviser if the investment adviser is an individual or an investment adviser
representative of the investment adviser.
(3) The Administrator may not enter an order solely on the basis
of lack of experience if the applicant or registrant is qualified by training or knowledge
or both.
(4) The Administrator shall consider that an agent who will work
under the supervision of a registered broker-dealer need not have the same qualifications
as a broker-dealer.
(5) The Administrator shall consider that an investment adviser
is not necessarily qualified solely on the basis of experience as a broker-dealer or
agent.
(6) The Administrator may by rule provide for an examination,
which may be written or oral or both, to be taken by any class of or all applicants.
(d) (1) If the Administrator makes written
findings of fact to support the conclusion that the public interest will be harmed by
delay in issuing an order pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, the Administrator
may by order summarily postpone or suspend registration pending final determination of any
proceeding under this section.
(2) Upon the entry of the summary order, the Administrator shall
promptly notify the applicant or registrant, as well as the employer or prospective
employer if the applicant or registrant is an agent or investment adviser representative:
(A) that the summary order has been entered and the reasons
therefor;
(B) that the person subject to the summary order, if desiring a
hearing, must make written request for a hearing to the Administrator within fifteen (15)
days after service of the notice is effective;
(C) that within fifteen (15) days after receipt by the
Administrator of a written request the matter will be set for hearing to determine whether
the summary order should be modified, vacated or extended pending final determination of
any proceeding under subsection (a) of this section; and
(D) that a hearing shall be commenced within fifteen (15) days
of the matter being set for hearing.
(3) The summary order shall remain in effect until the
conclusion of the hearing on the summary order unless the Administrator or the
Administrator's designee extends the summary order pending a final determination of any
proceeding under subsection (a) of this section. If no hearing is requested
within thirty (30) days after service of the summary order and none is
ordered by the Administrator, the summary order becomes final by operation of
law. If a request for hearing
on the summary order is timely made and if the hearing is not commenced by the
Administrator within the time limit set forth herein, the summary order shall dissolve and
a final order shall not be issued pursuant to subsection (a) of this section except upon
reasonable notice and opportunity for a hearing.
(e) If the Administrator finds that any registrant or applicant for
registration is no longer in existence or has ceased to do business as a broker-dealer,
agent, investment adviser or investment adviser representative, or is subject to an
adjudication of mental incompetence or to the control of a committee, conservator, or
guardian, or cannot be located after reasonable search, the Administrator may by order
cancel the registration or application.
(f) Withdrawal from registration as a broker-dealer, agent,
investment adviser or investment adviser representative becomes effective sixty
(60) days
after receipt of an application to withdraw or within such shorter period of time as the
Administrator may determine, unless a revocation or suspension proceeding is pending when
the application is filed or a proceeding to revoke or suspend or to impose conditions upon
the withdrawal is instituted within sixty (60) days after the application is filed. If a
proceeding is pending or instituted, withdrawal becomes effective at such time and upon
such conditions as the Administrator by order determines. If no proceeding is pending or
instituted and withdrawal automatically becomes effective, the Administrator may
nevertheless institute a proceeding under paragraph (2) of subsection (a) of this section
within one (1) year after withdrawal became effective and enter an order as of the last
date on which registration was effective.
(g) Except as provided in paragraph (1) of subsection (d) of this
section or unless the right to notice and hearing is waived by the person against whom the
final order is to be issued, no order may be issued under this section without notice and
opportunity for hearing as required by the Administrative Procedures Act. If the person to
whom such notice is addressed does not request a hearing within fifteen (15) days after
the service of said notice is effective, a final order as provided in subsection (a) of
this section may be issued.
ARTICLE 4. REGISTRATION OF SECURITIES
§ 301. Registration requirement
It is unlawful for any person to offer or sell any security in this
state unless:
(1) it is registered under this act or the security or
transaction is exempted under Section 401 of this title; or
(2) it is a federal covered security.
§ 302. Registration by notification
(a) The following securities may be registered by notification,
whether or not they are also eligible for registration by coordination under Section 303
of this title:
(1) any security whose issuer and any predecessors have been in
continuous operation for at least five (5) years if:
(A) there has been no default during the current fiscal year or
within the three (3) preceding fiscal years in the payment of principal, interest, or
dividends on any security of the issuer (or any predecessor) with a fixed maturity or a
fixed interest or dividend provision; and
(B) the issuer and any predecessors during the past three (3)
fiscal years have had average net earnings, determined in accordance with generally
accepted accounting principles:
(i) which are applicable to all securities without a fixed
maturity or a fixed interest or dividend provision outstanding at the date the
registration statement is filed and equal at least five percent (5%) of the amount of such
outstanding securities (as measured by the maximum offering price or the market price on a
day, selected by the registrant, within thirty (30) days before the date of filing the
registration statement, whichever is higher, or book value on a day, selected by the
registrant, within ninety (90) days of the date of filing the registration statement to
the extent that there is neither a readily determinable market price nor a cash offering
price); or
(ii) which, if the issuer and any predecessors have not had any
security of the type specified in division (i) of this subparagraph outstanding for three
full fiscal years, equal at least five percent (5%) of the amount (as measured in division
(i) of this subparagraph) of all securities which will be outstanding if all the
securities being offered or proposed to be offered (whether or not they are proposed to be
registered or offered in this state) are issued;
(2) any security (other than a certificate of interest or
participation in an oil, gas or mining title or lease or in payments out of production
under such a title or lease) registered for nonissuer distribution if:
(A) any security of the same class has ever been registered
under this act or a predecessor act; or
(B) the security being registered was originally issued pursuant
to an exemption under this act or a predecessor act.
(b) A registration statement under this section shall contain the
following information and be accompanied by the following documents in addition to the
information specified in Section 305(b) of this title and the consent to service of
process required by Section 413(g) of this title:
(1) a statement demonstrating eligibility for registration by
notification;
(2) with respect to the issuer and any significant subsidiary:
its name, address, and form of organization; the state (or foreign jurisdiction) and the
date of its organization; and the general character and location of its business;
(3) with respect to any person on whose behalf any part of the
offering is to be made in a nonissuer distribution: his name and address; the amount of
securities of the issuer held by him as of the date of the filing of the registration
statement; and a statement of his reasons for making the offering;
(4) a description of the security being registered;
(5) the information and documents specified in paragraphs (8),
(10), and (12) of Section 304(b) of this title; and
(6) in the case of any registration under Section 302(a)(2) of
this title which does not also satisfy the conditions of Section 302(a)(1) of this title,
a balance sheet of the issuer as of a date within four (4) months prior to the filing
of the registration statement, and a summary of earnings for each of the two (2)
fiscal years preceding the date of the balance sheet and for any period between the close
of the last fiscal year and the date of the balance sheet, or for the period of the
issuer's and any predecessors' existence if less than two (2) years.
(c) If no stop order is in effect and no proceeding is pending
under Section 306 of this title, a registration statement under this section
automatically becomes effective at two o'clock Central Standard Time in the afternoon of
the second full business day after the filing of the registration statement or the last
amendment, or at such earlier time as the Administrator determines.
§ 303. Registration by coordination
(a) Any security for which a registration statement has been filed
under the Securities Act of 1933 in connection with the same offering may be registered by
coordination.
(b) A registration statement under this section shall contain the
following information and be accompanied by the following documents in addition to the
information specified in Section 305(b) of this title, the consent to service of process
required by Section 413(g) of this title, and the fees set forth in Section 412 of this
title:
(1) one copy of the registration statement filed with the United
States Securities and Exchange Commission and all amendments thereto and two copies of the
latest form of prospectus filed under the Securities Act of 1933 as of the date of filing
hereunder;
(2) if the Administrator by rule or otherwise requires, a copy
of the articles of incorporation and bylaws (or their substantial equivalents) currently
in effect, a copy of any agreements with or among underwriters, a copy of any indenture or
other instrument governing the issuance of the security to be registered, and a specimen
or copy of the security;
(3) if the Administrator requests, any other information, or
copies of any other documents, filed under the Securities Act of 1933; and
(4) an undertaking to forward all future amendments to the
federal prospectus, other than an amendment which merely delays the effective date of the
registration statement, promptly and in any event not later than the first business day
after the day they are forwarded to or filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
whichever first occurs.
(c) A registration statement under this section automatically
becomes effective at the moment the federal registration statement becomes effective if
all the following conditions are satisfied:
(1) no stop order is in effect and no proceeding is pending
under Section 306 of this title;
(2) the registration statement has been on file with the
Administrator for at least ten (10) days; and
(3) a statement of the maximum and minimum proposed offering
prices and the maximum underwriting discounts and commissions has been on file for two (2)
full business days or such shorter period as the Administrator permits by rule or
otherwise and the offering is made within those limitations.
(d) The registrant shall promptly notify the Administrator in
writing, which may be by a facsimile transmission, of the date and time when the federal
registration statement became effective and the content of the price amendment, if any,
and shall promptly file a post-effective amendment containing the information and
documents in the price amendment. "Price amendment" means the final federal
amendment which includes a statement of the offering price, underwriting and selling
discounts or commissions, amount of proceeds, conversion rates, call prices, and other
matters dependent upon the offering price.
(e) Upon failure to receive the required notification or
post-effective amendment with respect to the price amendment, the Administrator may enter
a stop order, without notice or hearing, retroactively denying effectiveness to the
registration statement or suspending its effectiveness until compliance with subsection
(d) of this section. The Administrator shall promptly notify the registrant (and promptly
confirm by letter, telegram or facsimile transmission when notifying by telephone) of the
issuance of the order. If the registrant proves compliance with the requirements of
subsection (d) of this section as to notice and post-effective amendment, the stop order
is void as of the time of its entry.
(f) The Administrator may by rule or otherwise waive either or
both of the conditions specified in paragraphs (2) and (3) of subsection (c) of this
section.
(g) If the federal registration statement becomes effective
before all the conditions in subsections (c) and (d) of this section are satisfied and
they are not waived, the registration statement automatically becomes effective as soon as
all the conditions are satisfied. If the registrant advises the Administrator of the date
when the federal registration statement is expected to become effective, the Administrator
shall promptly advise the registrant, at the registrant's expense, whether all the
conditions are satisfied and whether the Administrator then contemplates the institution
of a proceeding under Section 306 of this title; but this advice by the Administrator does
not preclude the institution of such a proceeding at any time.
(h) The Administrator by rule or order may waive or modify the
application of a requirement of this section if a provision or an amendment, repeal, or
other alteration of the securities registration provisions of the Securities Act of 1933,
or the regulations adopted under that act, render the waiver or modification appropriate
for further coordination of state and federal registration.
§ 304. Registration by qualification
(a) Any security may be registered by qualification.
(b) A registration statement under this section shall contain the
following information and be accompanied by the following documents in addition to the
information specified in Section 305(b) of this title and the consent to service of
process required by Section 413(g) of this title, and the fees set forth in Section 412 of
this title:
(1) with respect to the issuer and any significant subsidiary:
its name, address, and form of organization; the state or foreign jurisdiction and date of
its organization; the general character and location of its business; a description of its
physical properties and equipment; and a statement of the general competitive conditions
in the industry or business in which it is or will be engaged;
(2) with respect to every director and officer of the issuer, or
person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions: name, age, and business
experience during the past five (5) years; the amount of securities of the issuer held by
the person as of a specified date within thirty (30) days of the filing of the
registration statement; the amount of the securities covered by the registration statement
to which the person has indicated an intention to subscribe; and a description of any
material interest in any material transaction with the issuer or any significant
subsidiary effected within the past three (3) years or proposed to be effected;
(3) with respect to persons covered by paragraph (2) of this
subsection: the remuneration paid during the past twelve (12) months and estimated to be
paid during the next fiscal year, directly or indirectly, by the issuer (together with all
predecessors, parents, subsidiaries, and affiliates) to all those persons in the
aggregate;
(4) with respect to any person owning of record, or beneficially
if known, ten percent (10%) or more of the outstanding shares of any class of equity
security of the issuer: the information specified in paragraph (2) of this subsection
other than his occupation;
(5) with respect to every promoter if the issuer was organized
within the past three (3) years: the information specified in paragraph (2) of this
subsection, any amount paid to the promoter and option or options extended or other
benefits within that period or intended to be paid to the promoter, and the consideration
for any such payment;
(6) with respect to any person on whose behalf any part of the
offering is to be made in a nonissuer distribution: name and address; the amount of
securities of the issuer held by the person as of the date of the filing of the
registration statement; a description of any material interest in any material transaction
with the issuer or any significant subsidiary effected within the past three (3) years or
proposed to be effected; and a statement of the reasons for making the offering;
(7) the capitalization and long-term debt (on both a current and
a pro forma basis) of the issuer and any significant subsidiary, including a
description of each security outstanding or being registered or otherwise offered, and a
statement of the amount and kind of consideration (whether in the form of cash, physical
assets, services, patents, goodwill, or anything else) for which the issuer or any
subsidiary has issued any of its securities within the past two (2) years or is obligated
to issue any of its securities;
(8) the kind and amount of securities to be offered; the
proposed offering price or the method by which it is to be computed; any variation
therefrom at which any proportion of the offering is to be made to any person or class of
persons other than the underwriters, with a specification of any such person or class; the
basis upon which the offering is to be made if otherwise than for cash; the estimated
aggregate underwriting and selling discounts or commissions and finders' fees (including
separately cash, securities, contracts, or anything else of value to accrue to the
underwriters or finders in connection with the offering) or, if the selling discounts or
commissions are variable, the basis of determining them and their maximum and minimum
amounts; the estimated amounts of other selling expenses, including legal, engineering,
and accounting charges; the name and address of every underwriter and every recipient of a
finder's fee; a copy of any underwriting or selling-group agreement pursuant to which the
distribution is to be made, or the proposed form of any such agreement whose terms have
not yet been determined; and a description of the plan of distribution of any securities
which are to be offered otherwise than through an underwriter;
(9) the estimated cash proceeds to be received by the issuer
from the offering; the purposes for which the proceeds are to be used by the issuer; the
amount to be used for each purpose; the order or priority in which the proceeds will be
used for the purposes stated; the amounts of any funds to be raised from other sources to
achieve the purposes stated; the sources of any such funds; and, if any part of the
proceeds is to be used to acquire any property (including goodwill) otherwise than in the
ordinary course of business, the names and addresses of the vendors, the purchase price,
the names of any persons who have received commissions in connection with the acquisition,
and the amounts of any such commissions and any other expense in connection with the
acquisition (including the cost of borrowing money to finance the acquisition);
(10) a description of any stock options or other security
options outstanding, or to be created in connection with the offering, together with the
amount of any such options held or to be held by every person required to be named in
paragraph (2), (4), (5), (6), or (8) of this subsection and by any person who holds or
will hold ten percent (10%) or more in the aggregate of any such options;
(11) the dates of, parties to, and general effect concisely
stated of, every management or other material contract made or to be made otherwise than
in the ordinary course of business if it is to be performed in whole or in part at or
after the filing of the registration statement or was made within the past two (2) years,
together with a copy of every such contract; and a description of any pending litigation
or proceeding to which the issuer is a party and which materially affects its business or
assets (including any such litigation or proceeding known to be contemplated by
governmental authorities);
(12) a copy of any prospectus, pamphlet, circular, form letter,
advertisement, or other sales literature intended as of the effective date to be used in
connection with the offering;
(13) a specimen or copy of the security being registered; a copy
of the issuer's articles of incorporation and bylaws, or their substantial equivalents, as
currently in effect; and a copy of any indenture or other instrument covering the security
to be registered;
(14) a signed or conformed copy of an opinion of counsel as to
the legality of the security being registered (with an English translation if it is in a
foreign language), which shall state whether the security when sold will be legally
issued, fully paid, and nonassessable, and, if a debt security, a binding obligation of
the issuer;
(15) the written consent of any accountant, engineer, appraiser,
or other person whose profession gives authority to a statement made by him, if any such
person is named as having prepared or certified a report or valuation (other than a public
and official document or statement) which is used in connection with the registration
statement;
(16) a balance sheet of the issuer as of a date within four (4)
months prior to the filing of the registration statement; a profit and loss statement and
analysis of surplus for each of the three (3) fiscal years preceding the date of the
balance sheet and for any period between the close of the last fiscal year and the date of
the balance sheet, or for the period of the issuer's and any predecessors' existence if
less than three (3) years; and, if any part of the proceeds of the offering is to be
applied to the purchase of any business, the same financial statements which would be
required if that business were the registrant; and
(17) such additional information as the Administrator requires
by rule or order.
(c) A registration statement under this section becomes effective
when the Administrator so orders.
(d) The Administrator shall by rule or order require as a condition
of registration under this section that a prospectus containing any designated part of the
information specified in subsection (b) of this section and other information which is
deemed informative to an offeree, under such rules and regulations as adopted by the
Administrator, be sent or given to each person to whom an offer is made before or
concurrently with:
(1) the first written offer made to the person (otherwise than
by means of a public advertisement) by or for the account of the issuer or any other
person on whose behalf the offering is being made, or by any underwriter or broker-dealer
who is offering part of an unsold allotment or subscription taken as a participant in the
distribution;
(2) the confirmation of any sale made by or for the account of
any such person;
(3) payment pursuant to any such sale; or
(4) delivery of the security pursuant to any such sale,
whichever first occurs.
§ 304.1. Registration by Oklahoma issuers
(a) In order to encourage capital formation by Oklahoma issuers,
and since the Department has the ability to closely monitor issuers maintaining operations
solely or primarily in this state, any security may be registered under the provisions of
this section if the following conditions are met:
(1) The issuer is formed under the laws of this state.
(2) (A) Both at the time of registration under this section
and immediately following termination of an offering made pursuant to this section, the
issuer:
(i) maintains its principal office and a majority of its
full-time employees in this state; and
(ii) undertakes to continue to maintain its principal offices
and a majority of its full-time employees in this state for at least three (3) years from
the date of registration hereunder.
(B) Failure to maintain the principal offices and a majority of
full-time employees in this state for three (3) years from the date of registration shall
not void the registration, but shall subject the issuer to a penalty equal to two hundred
percent (200%) of the fee the issuer would have paid to register under Section 302, 303 or
304 of this title.
(3) At least eighty percent (80%) of the net proceeds of the
sale of the securities registered hereunder shall be used in this state. As used herein
net proceeds shall mean the gross proceeds of the offering less sales commission and
offering expenses.
(4) A prospectus as filed with the Administrator as part of the
registration statement shall be delivered to each offeree prior to the purchase or the
commitment, written or oral, to purchase the securities.
(b) To register securities under this section, a registration
statement including the following shall be filed with the Department:
(1) One copy of the registration statement filed with the United
States Securities and Exchange Commission, if any, including all amendments thereto and
one copy of the prospectus and all amendments thereto.
(2) One copy of the prospectus which shall be in such form as
designated by rule or order of the Administrator.
(3) A copy of the certificate of incorporation and bylaws or
partnership or trust agreement or other controlling agreement among securities holders of
the issuer currently in effect, certified by the proper official of the issuer.
(4) A copy of any agreements with any underwriter,
broker-dealer, or agent concerning the offer or sale of the securities.
(5) The fees set forth in Section 412 of this title.
(6) The consent to service of process required by Section 413(g)
of this title.
(7) Any other documents requested by the Administrator.
§ 305. Provisions applicable to registration generally
(a) A registration statement may be filed by the issuer, any other
person on whose behalf the offering is to be made, or a registered broker-dealer. The
securities of an investment company entitled to rely upon the notice filing provisions of
Section 305.2 of this title are not eligible for registration under this act unless
required by the Administrator pursuant to subsection (c) of Section 305.2 of this title.
(b) Every registration statement shall:
(1) specify the amount of securities to be offered in this
state;
(2) specify the states in which a registration statement or
similar document in connection with the offering has been or is to be filed;
(3) specify any adverse order, judgment or decree entered in
connection with the offering by the regulatory authorities in each state or by any court
or the Securities and Exchange Commission; and
(4) contain an undertaking by the applicant to promptly file
correcting amendments with the Administrator pursuant to such rules as he may prescribe,
at any time when the information contained in any document required to be filed with the
Administrator is or becomes inaccurate or incomplete in any material respect.
(c) Any document filed pursuant to the provisions of the Oklahoma
Securities Act may be incorporated by reference in the registration statement to the
extent that the document is currently accurate.
(d) The Administrator may permit, by rule or otherwise, the
omission of any item of information or document from any registration statement.
(e) In the case of a nonissuer distribution, information may not be
required pursuant to the provisions of Section 304 of this title or subsection (i) of this
section unless it is known to the person filing the registration statement or to the
persons on whose behalf the distribution is to be made, or can be furnished by them
without unreasonable effort or expense.
(f) The Administrator, by rule or order, may require as a condition
of registration by qualification or coordination that the proceeds from the sale of the
registered security be escrowed until the issuer receives a specified amount.
The Administrator, by rule or order, may determine the conditions of
any escrow required pursuant to the provisions of this section, but he may not reject a
depository solely because of location in another state.
(g) The Administrator, by rule or order, may require as a condition
of registration that any security registered by qualification or coordination be sold only
on a specified form of subscription or sale contract, and that a signed or conformed copy
of each contract be filed with the Administrator or preserved for any period up to three
(3) years specified in the rule or order.
(h) A registration statement may not be made effective until all of
the documents described above are submitted to the Administrator, unless waived by the
Administrator pursuant to subsection (d) of this section, and proper payment of fees is
made. Every registration statement is effective for one (1) year from its effective date.
Registration statements relating to securities other than securities of an investment
company that is registered, or that has filed a registration statement, under the
Investment Company Act of 1940, may be effective for any longer period during which the
security is being offered or distributed in a nonexempted transaction by or for the
account of the issuer or other person on whose behalf the offering is being made or by any
underwriter or broker-dealer who is offering part of an unsold allotment or subscription
taken as a participant in the distribution, except during the time a stop order is in
effect pursuant to the provisions of Section 306 of this title. All outstanding securities
of the same class as a registered security are considered to be registered for the purpose
of any nonissuer transaction:
(1) if the registration statement is effective; and
(2) between the thirtieth day after the entry of any stop order
suspending or revoking the effectiveness of the registration statement pursuant to the
provisions of Section 306 of this title, if the registration statement did not relate in
whole or in part to a nonissuer distribution and one (1) year from the effective date of
the registration statement.
A registration statement may not be withdrawn for one (1) year from its
effective date if any securities of the same class are outstanding. A registration
statement may be withdrawn otherwise only at the discretion of the Administrator.
(i) So long as a registration statement is effective, the
Administrator may require the person who filed the registration statement to file reports
not more often than quarterly, to keep reasonably current the information contained in the
registration statement and to disclose the progress of the offering. A filing fee shall be
submitted with each report.
(j) The Administrator shall, as deemed prudent and necessary for
the protection of the public, make or cause to be made examinations without notice of
accounts, correspondence, memoranda and other records, within or without this state, of
issuers registered under this act. The Administrator may copy records or require a
registered issuer to copy records and provide the copies to the Administrator to the
extent and in a manner reasonable under the circumstances. For the purpose of avoiding
unnecessary duplication or examination, the Administrator, insofar as it is practicable in
administering this subsection, may cooperate with the securities administrators of other
states and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
§ 305.1. Fees - Repealed by Laws 1987, H. 1473.
§ 305.2. Provisions applicable to federal
covered securities
(a) Prior to the offer in this state of the securities of an
investment company that is registered, or that has filed a registration statement, under
the Investment Company Act of 1940, the issuer must file a notice with the Administrator.
A separate notice shall be filed for each class of an issuer's securities offered in this
state. Each notice shall be for an indefinite amount of securities. A notice shall be
effective upon the date of receipt by the Administrator and shall remain in effect for a
period of one (1) year, or such shorter period as the Administrator provides by rule or
order. A notice describing a single class of an issuer's securities filed after June 30,
1999, may be renewed annually. A notice, or renewal thereof, shall be accompanied by the
filing fee set forth in subsection (c) of Section 412 of this title. The Administrator
may, by rule or order, prescribe notice filing and renewal requirements, and the
requirements for filing of reports of the dollar amount of securities sold or offered to
be sold to persons located in this state.
(b) With respect to any security that is a federal covered security
under Section 18(b)(3) or (4) of the Securities Act of 1933, the Administrator, by rule or
order, may require the filing of any document filed with the United States Securities and
Exchange Commission, together with a consent to service of process and the fee required by
Section 412 of this title.
(c) The Administrator may issue a stop order suspending the offer
and sale of a federal covered security, except a federal covered security under Section
18(b)(1) of the Securities Act of 1933, if the Administrator finds that:
(1) the order is in the public interest, and
(2) there is a failure to comply with any condition established
under this section.
The Administrator may also require the registration by qualification of the securities
of an investment company that is registered, or that has filed a registration statement,
under the Investment Company Act of 1940, for which the investment company did not pay the
filing fee required by subsection (c) of Section 412 of this title. Each such registration
shall be effective for one (1) year. Investment companies required by the Administrator to
register securities must file a separate registration application for each class of
securities to be registered. The application for such registration shall include the Form
U-1, a copy of the federal registration statement and the examination and filing fees set
forth in subsection (b) of Section 412 of this title. In addition, the application shall
include the maximum examination and filing fees set forth in subsection (b) of Section 412
of this title for each twelve-month period, or part thereof, for which the investment
company was required but did not pay the appropriate investment company notice filing fee.
(d) The Administrator, by rule or order, may waive any or all of
the provisions of this section.
§ 306. Denial, suspension, and revocation of registration statement
(a) The Administrator may issue a stop order denying effectiveness
to, or suspending or revoking the effectiveness of, any registration statement if the
Administrator finds that:
(1) the order is in the public interest; and
(2) (A) the registration statement as of
its effective date or as of any earlier date in the case of an order denying
effectiveness, or any report under Section 305(i) of this title is incomplete in any
material respect or contains any statement which was, in the light of the circumstances
under which it was made, false or misleading with respect to any material fact;
(B) any provision of the Oklahoma Securities Act or any rule,
order, or condition lawfully imposed under said act has been willfully violated, in
connection with the offering, by:
(i) the person filing the registration statement,
(ii) the issuer, any partner, officer, or director of the
issuer, any person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions, or any
person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by the issuer, but only if the
person filing the registration statement is directly or indirectly controlled by or acting
for the issuer, or
(iii) any underwriter;
(C) the security registered or sought to be registered is the
subject of any administrative stop order or similar order or a permanent or temporary
injunction of any court of competent jurisdiction entered under any other federal or state
act applicable to the offering; provided, however:
(i) the Administrator may not institute a proceeding against an
effective registration statement under this subparagraph more than one (1) year from the
date of the order or injunction relied on, and
(ii) may not enter an order under this subparagraph on the basis
of an order or injunction entered under any other state act unless that order or
injunction was based on facts which would currently constitute a ground for a stop order
under this section;
(D) the issuer's enterprise or method of business includes or
would include activities which are illegal where performed;
(E) the offering has worked or tended to work a fraud upon
purchasers or would so operate;
(F) the offering has been or would be made or is being made with
unreasonable amounts of underwriters' and sellers' discounts, commissions, or other
compensation, or promoters' profits or participation, or unreasonable amounts or kinds of
options, profits, compensation, or remuneration paid directly or indirectly to any
officer, director, employee, contractor or agent;
(G) when a security is sought to be registered by notification,
it is not eligible for such registration;
(H) when a security is sought to be registered by coordination
there has been a failure to comply with the undertaking required by Section 303(b)(4)
of this title; or
(I) an order has been issued by a court of competent
jurisdiction under subsection (e) of this section or Section 406 of this title
against the issuer of any security registered or sought to be registered under the
Oklahoma Securities Act.
The Administrator may not institute a stop order proceeding against an
effective registration statement on the basis of a fact or transaction known to the
Administrator when the registration statement became effective unless the proceeding is
instituted within the next thirty (30) days.
(b) (1) If the Administrator makes written
findings of fact to support the conclusion that the public interest will be harmed by
delay in issuing an order pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, the Administrator
may by order summarily postpone or suspend the effectiveness of the registration statement
pending final determination of any proceeding under this section.
(2) Upon the entry of the summary order, the Administrator shall
promptly notify each person specified in subsection (c) of this section:
(A) that the summary order has been entered and the reasons
therefor;
(B) that the person subject to the summary order, if desiring a
hearing, must make written request for a hearing to the Administrator within fifteen (15)
days after service of the notice is effective;
(C) that within fifteen (15) days after receipt by the
Administrator of a written request the matter will be set down for hearing to determine
whether the summary order should be modified, vacated or extended pending final
determination of any proceeding under subsection (a) of this section; and
(D) that a hearing shall be commenced within fifteen (15) days
of the matter being set for hearing.
(3) The summary order shall remain in effect until the
conclusion of the hearing on the summary order unless the Administrator or the
Administrator's designee extends the summary order pending a final determination of any
proceeding under subsection (a) of this section. If no hearing is requested
within thirty (30) days after service of the summary order and none is
ordered by the Administrator, the summary order becomes final by operation of
law. If a request for hearing
on the summary order is timely made and if the hearing is not commenced by the
Administrator within the time limit set forth herein, the summary order shall dissolve and
a final order shall not be issued pursuant to subsection (a) of this section except upon
reasonable notice and opportunity for a hearing.
(c) Except as provided in paragraph (1) of subsection (b) of this
section or unless the right to notice and hearing is waived by the person against whom the
stop order is issued, no stop order may be issued under this section without notice and
opportunity for hearing as required by the Administrative Procedures Act. If the person to
whom notice is addressed does not request a hearing within fifteen (15) days after the
service of said notice is effective, a final order as provided in subsection (a) of this
section may be issued.
(d) The Administrator may vacate or modify a stop order if the
Administrator finds that the conditions which prompted its entry have changed or that it
is otherwise in the public interest to do so.
(e) The Administrator may apply to the district court of Oklahoma
County or the district court of any other county where service can be obtained for an
order appointing a conservator of, and directing the conservator to rehabilitate, any
issuer upon one or more of the following grounds. That the issuer:
(1) is impaired or insolvent, or is in imminent danger of
becoming impaired or insolvent;
(2) has ceased transacting business for a period of one (1)
year;
(3) is insolvent and has commenced voluntary liquidation or
dissolution, or is attempting to commence or prosecute any action or proceeding to
liquidate its business or affairs, or to dissolve its corporate charter, or to procure the
appointment of a receiver, trustee, custodian, or sequestrator;
(4) has refused to comply with any lawful order of the
Administrator;
(5) has refused to submit its books, records and accounts
relating to its financial affairs to reasonable examination by the Administrator;
(6) has transferred or attempted to transfer substantially its
entire property or business, to the detriment of its stockholders; or
(7) has willfully violated its charter or any law of this state.
The conservator may, if all reasonable efforts to rehabilitate the
issuer fail, apply to the court for any order directing liquidation and dissolution of any
such issuer.
§ 307. Investment certificate issuers
(a) In addition to all other applicable registration provisions
specified in the Oklahoma Securities Act, investment certificate issuers are subject to
the provisions of this section. As used in this section:
(1) "Investment certificate" means thrift
certificates, certificates of deposit, savings obligations and similar certificates or
obligations issued and sold by an investment certificate issuer as defined in paragraph
(2) of this subsection; and
(2) "Investment certificate issuer" means any
financial institution or person, other than a federally or state chartered bank, bank
holding company, trust company or savings and loan association, or any credit union, which
accepts investor funds or deposits in exchange for the issuance of investment
certificates; provided, however, the term "investment certificate issuer" shall
not include a financial institution or person which, as of November 1, 1985, issued only
the following securities:
(i) investment certificates exempt under the provisions of
subsection (a) or (b) of Section 401 of this title,
(ii) investment certificates registered by coordination under
Section 303 of this title, and/or
(iii) any other security as to which the Administrator, by rule
or order, finds that registration is not necessary or appropriate for the protection of
investors.
Nothing contained in this act shall be construed as precluding an
investment certificate issuer from qualifying for and relying upon any of the exemptions
from the provisions of Sections 301 and 402 of this title as contained in Section 401 of
this title.
(b) In addition to other powers conferred by the Oklahoma
Securities Act, the Administrator shall have power to require an investment certificate
issuer to:
(1) Cause its books and records to be made available at its
offices and to provide to the Department a trial balance within five (5) days of the
commencement of any examination. Such books and records shall be audited at least once
each year by an independent certified public accountant in accordance with generally
accepted auditing standards, and the report thereof, including financial statements
prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, furnished to the
Administrator in such form as he may require;
(2) Observe methods and standards, including classification
standards of loans, which the Administrator may prescribe by rule adopted and promulgated
pursuant to the Oklahoma Administrative Procedures Act, subsection A of Section 303
of Title 75 of the Oklahoma Statutes, for determining the value of various types of
assets;
(3) Maintain its accounting systems and procedures in accordance
with such regulations as adopted and promulgated by the Administrator pursuant to the
Oklahoma Administrative Procedures Act, subsection A of Section 303 of Title 75 of the
Oklahoma Statutes, provided, the accounting system required shall have due regard to the
size of the investment certificate issuer;
(4) Charge off the whole or any part of an asset, the value of
which, at the time of the Administrator's action, has deteriorated for reasons set forth
by the Administrator by rule adopted and promulgated pursuant to the Oklahoma
Administrative Procedures Act, subsection A of Section 303 of Title 75 of the Oklahoma
Statutes; and
(5) Write down an asset to market value as prescribed by the
Administrator by rule adopted and promulgated pursuant to the Oklahoma Administrative
Procedures Act, subsection A of Section 303 of Title 75 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
(c) Every investment certificate issuer shall obtain from the
Administrator a written acknowledgment, issued in accordance with procedures adopted and
promulgated pursuant to the Oklahoma Administrative Procedures Act, subsection A of
Section 303 of Title 75 of the Oklahoma Statutes, that the investment certificate issuer
engages in the business of accepting investor funds or deposits in exchange for the
issuance of investment certificates. Any investment certificate issuer who obtains such an
acknowledgment shall be subject to this section and shall possess all the rights, powers
and privileges and shall be subject to all of the duties, restrictions and limitations
contained herein. No company or person who fails to obtain such acknowledgment within
ninety (90) days of the effective date of the adoption by the Administrator of procedures
governing the issuance of a written acknowledgment shall possess or exercise, unless
expressly given and possessed or exercised under other laws, any of the benefits, rights,
powers or privileges which are herein conferred on investment certificate issuers. Any
company or person who fails to obtain a written acknowledgment as described herein may not
engage in the business of issuing investment certificates.
(d) Any officer, director or employee of an investment certificate
issuer found by the Administrator to be dishonest, reckless, unfit to participate in the
conduct of the affairs of the institution, or practicing a continuing disregard or
violation of laws, rules, regulations or orders which are likely to cause substantial loss
to the company or likely to seriously weaken the condition of the company shall be removed
immediately from office by the board of directors of the investment certificate issuer of
which he is an officer, director or employee, on the written order of the Administrator;
provided, that said investment certificate issuer or officer, employee, or director may
within ten (10) days file a notice of protest for said removal with the Commission, and as
soon as possible thereafter, the Commission will review the order of said Administrator
and make such findings as it deems proper, and that, pending said time, the said officer,
employee or director shall not perform any of the duties of his office.
(e) After the effective date of this act, an investment certificate
issuer shall not, without the consent of the Administrator:
(1) Make a loan to any of its stockholders owning twenty-five
percent (25%) or more of the stock of the investment certificate issuer, or its officers
or directors;
(2) Make a loan to any employee in excess of Ten Thousand
Dollars ($10,000.00); or
(3) Make a loan to or other investment in or purchase any asset
from any company in which any of its officers, directors or stockholders may have any
direct or indirect interest, unless made in an arm's length transaction.
(f) After the effective date of this act, an investment certificate
issuer shall not without the consent of the Administrator:
(1) Lend money in excess of ten percent (10%) of its
shareholders' equity to any person, association, partnership or corporation liable for
such obligations; provided, however, that this limitation does not apply to the purchase
of investment securities; or
(2) Engage in, or acquire any interest in, any business
prohibited to a bank chartered under the laws of the State of Oklahoma.
(g) The shareholders' equity of an investment certificate issuer
shall not be less than ten percent (10%) of the investment certificates outstanding.
Provided, an investment certificate issuer lawfully incorporated and operating in this
state on or before November 1, 1985, with less than the above specified shareholders'
equity shall, at the beginning of each fiscal year thereafter, increase its shareholders'
equity by a minimum of one-fourth (1/4) the difference between its shareholders' equity on
November 1, 1985, and the above specified amount until such time as its shareholders'
equity equals or exceeds the amount specified above. For purposes of computing the
shareholders' equity, the reserve against bad debts shall be included.
(h) Every investment certificate issuer shall maintain a reserve
against bad debts in an amount required by the Administrator by rule adopted and
promulgated pursuant to the Oklahoma Administrative Procedures Act, subsection A of
Section 303 of Title 75 of the Oklahoma Statutes, but in no event shall the reserve
against bad debts be less than two percent (2%) of total loans outstanding.
(i) If the Administrator finds the capital of an investment
certificate issuer to be impaired according to the standard set forth in subsection (g) of
this section, the Administrator may:
(1) Give notice of such impairment to the directors and
shareholders of such investment certificate issuer and levy an assessment in a designated
amount upon the holders of record of such investment certificate issuer's stock to remedy
an impairment of capital. Upon receipt of an order to levy an assessment, the directors
shall cause to be sent to all holders of stock, at their addresses as listed on the books
of the investment certificate issuer, a notice of the amount of the assessment and a copy
of this subsection. If an assessment is not paid within ninety (90) days after the order
is mailed, the Administrator, at his discretion, may offer the shares of the defaulting
stockholders for sale at public auction at a price which shall not be less than the amount
of the assessment and the cost of the sale; or
(2) Apply to the district court of any county where the assets
of the investment certificate issuer are located for an order appointing a conservator of,
and directing him to rehabilitate, the investment certificate issuer. If all reasonable
efforts to rehabilitate the investment certificate issuer fail, the Administrator may
apply to the court for an order directing the appointment of a liquidator to dissolve any
such issuer and liquidate its assets. All rights and interests of the stockholders in the
stock, property and assets of such investment certificate issuer are thereby terminated
except the right of stockholders to the balance of the proceeds of liquidation, if any,
after all other valid claims, including interest, against the assets of the investment
certificate issuer and the proceeds of liquidation have been satisfied. The conservator or
liquidator appointed under this subsection shall meet qualifications established by the
Administrator by rule adopted and promulgated pursuant to the Oklahoma Administrative
Procedures Act, subsection A of Section 303 of Title 75 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
(j) Whenever the capital or reserve of any investment certificate
issuer shall be impaired according to the standards set forth in subsections (g) and (h)
of this section, the investment certificate issuer shall make no new loans, renew any
investment certificates or sell new investment certificates without the consent of the
Administrator.
(k) (1) It shall be unlawful for any
investment certificate issuer to issue investment certificates while insolvent.
(2) Every officer, director, principal stockholder, or every
other person who materially participates or aids in the issuance of an investment
certificate in violation of this subsection, or who directly or indirectly controls any
such person, shall be liable jointly and severally, unless the officer, director,
principal stockholder, or any other person who so participates, aids, or controls,
sustains the burden of proof that the person did not know, and could not have known, of
the existence of the facts by reason of which liability is alleged to exist. There shall
be contribution as in cases of contract among the several persons so liable.
(3) The rights and remedies provided for in this subsection are
in addition to any other rights or remedies provided for in Title 71 of the Oklahoma
Statutes, or that may exist at law or in equity.
(l) The Administrator may as often as the Administrator deems it
prudent and necessary for the protection of the public, make or cause to be made
examinations of the books, records, papers, assets and liabilities of every kind and
character owned by, or relating to, every investment certificate issuer. Any investment
certificate issuer so examined shall pay to the Administrator the charges incurred in such
examination as specified in Section 412 of this title.
(m) Every investment certificate issuer shall make and file with
the Administrator reports at such times and in such form as the Administrator may
prescribe by rule or order. Such reports shall be verified by the oath of either the
president, the vice-president, or the secretary and attested by the signature of two or
more of the directors. Each such report shall exhibit in detail, as may be required by the
Administrator, the resources and liabilities of the investment certificate issuer at the
close of business on the day to be specified by the Administrator.
(n) Every investment certificate issuer whose investor funds or
deposits are not insured by an agency of the government shall disclose on the face of each
investment certificate in ten-point type the following:
"This certificate is not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation or any other agency of the government."
ARTICLE 5. GENERAL PROVISIONS
§ 401.
Exemptions
(a) The following securities are exempt from Sections 301, 305.2
and 402 of this title:
(1) Subject to the provisions of the
Oklahoma Bond Oversight and Reform Act, any security, including a revenue obligation,
issued or guaranteed by the United States, any state, any political subdivision of a
state, or any agency or corporate or other instrumentality of one or more of said
entities, or any certificate of deposit for any of said entities; however, notwithstanding
the provisions of Section 106(c) of the Secondary Mortgage Market Enhancement Act of 1984,
Public Law 98-440, any security that is offered and sold pursuant to Section 4(5) of the
Securities Act of 1933 or that is a mortgage related security as that term is defined in
Section 3(a)(41) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 shall not be exempt from Sections
301 and 402 of this title by virtue of such Secondary Mortgage Market Enhancement Act but
may be exempt based upon the availability of the exemptions from registration provided for
in this section;
(2) Any security issued or guaranteed by
Canada, any Canadian province, any political subdivision of any such province, any agency
or corporate or other instrumentality of one or more of the entities named in this
paragraph, or any foreign government with which the United States currently maintains
diplomatic relations if the security is recognized as a valid obligation by the issuer or
guarantor;
(3) Any security issued by and
representing an interest in or a direct obligation of or guaranteed by a depository
institution if the deposit or share accounts of the depository institution are insured by
the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund,
or a successor to an applicable agency authorized by federal law;
(4) Any membership or equity interest in, or any retention
certificate or like security given in lieu of a cash patronage dividend issued by, a
cooperative operated as a not for profit membership cooperative under the laws of any
state if not traded to the public;
(5) Any security issued or guaranteed by any railroad, other
common carrier, public utility, or holding company which is:
(A) subject to the jurisdiction of the Interstate Commerce
Commission; or
(B) a registered holding company under the Public Utility
Holding Company Act of 1935 or a subsidiary of such a company within the meaning of said
act; or
(C) regulated with respect of its rates and charges by a
governmental authority of the United States or any state; or
(D) regulated with respect to the issuance or guarantee of the
security by a governmental authority of the United States, any state, Canada or any
Canadian province;
(6) Any security issued by any person
operating not for profit but exclusively for religious, educational, benevolent,
charitable, fraternal, social, athletic, or reformatory purposes, or as a chamber of
commerce or trade or professional association provided the Administrator is provided with
a notice at such time and in such form as provided by rule or order;
(7) Any commercial paper which arises
out of a current transaction or the proceeds of which have been or are to be used for
current transactions, and which evidences an obligation to pay cash within nine (9) months
of the date of issuance, exclusive of days of grace, or any renewal or such paper which is
likewise limited, or any guarantee of such paper or of any such renewal;
(8) Any security issued to an employee,
officer or director in connection with a stock purchase, option, savings, pension, thrift,
profit-sharing or similar benefit plan or trust in each case designed for the
participation of such persons; and
(9) Any qualified charitable gift annuity contract issued by a
qualified charitable organization pursuant to the Oklahoma Charitable Gift Annuity Act.
(b) The following transactions are exempted from Sections 301,
305.2 and 402 of this title:
(1) Any isolated nonissuer transaction,
whether effected through a broker-dealer or not;
(2) Any nonissuer transaction in an
outstanding security of a class outstanding in the hands of the public for not less than
one hundred eighty (180) days preceding the transaction if a nationally recognized
securities manual designated by the Administrator by rule or order, or a document filed
with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission that is publicly available
through that agencys Electronic Data Gathering Retrieval System (EDGAR), contains:
(A) the names of the issuer's officers and directors;
(B) a balance sheet of the issuer as of a date within eighteen
(18) months prior to the transaction; and
(C) an income statement for either the fiscal year preceding
that date or the most recent year of operations.
The Administrator may impose, by rule or order, additional requirements
as a condition of the exemption established in this paragraph as necessary for the
protection of investors. In addition, the Administrator may promulgate rules specifying
application of this exemption;
(3) Any nonissuer transaction in a security that has a fixed
maturity or a fixed interest or dividend provision and there has been no default during
the current fiscal year or within the three (3) preceding fiscal years, or during the
existence of the issuer and any predecessors if less than three (3) years, in the payment
of the principal, interest or dividends on the security;
(4) Any nonissuer transaction effected
by or through a registered broker-dealer pursuant to an unsolicited order or offer to buy;
(5) Any transaction between the issuer or other person on whose
behalf the offering is made and an underwriter, or among underwriters;
(6) Any transaction in a bond or other evidence of indebtedness
secured by a real estate mortgage or, deed of trust, personal property security agreement,
or by an agreement for the sale of real estate or personal property, if the entire
mortgage, deed of trust, or agreement, together with all the bonds or other evidences of
indebtedness secured thereby, is offered and sold as a unit;
(7) Any transaction by an executor, administrator, sheriff,
marshal, receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, guardian, or conservator;
(8) Any transaction executed by a bona fide secured party
without a purpose of evading the provisions of the Oklahoma Securities Act;
(9) An offer or sale to a financial or
institutional investor or to a broker-dealer;
(10) (A) Any sale by an issuer to
not more than twenty-five purchasers, other than those designated in paragraph (9) of this
subsection, wherever located during any period of twelve (12) consecutive months whether
or not the offeror or any of the offerees are then present in this state, if:
(i) the issuer reasonably believes that all purchasers, other
than those designated in paragraph (9) of this subsection, are purchasing for investment
(ii) no commission is paid or given directly or indirectly as
consideration for any such solicitation or sale, other than for those transactions
involving those purchasers designated in paragraph (9) of this subsection; and
(iii) no public advertising or solicitation is used in any such
solicitation or sale.
The Administrator may by rule or order, as to any security or
transaction or any type of security or transaction, withdraw or further condition this
exemption, or increase or decrease the number of purchasers permitted, or waive the
conditions in clauses (i), (ii) and/or (iii) of this subparagraph with or without the
substitution of a limitation on commissions.
(B) Any sale by an issuer in this state exempted
from Section 5 of the Securities Act of 1933 pursuant to Section 4(6) thereof; or by
virtue of a rule or regulation adopted by the United States Securities and Exchange
Commission pursuant to Section 4(2) of such act; or pursuant to Rules 501 through 508 of
Regulation D adopted by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission
(17 C.F.R. 230.501 through 230.508), provided that:
(i) offering expenses do not exceed those allowed
for securities registered pursuant to the provisions of this title, except that such
limitation shall not apply to sales of securities effected in reliance on Rule 506 of
Regulation D (17 C.F.R. 230.506);
(ii) no general advertising or general solicitation is
used; and
(iii) the issuer files with the Administrator a notice
at such time and in such form as is designated by the Administrator by rule.
(C) Any offer made pursuant to subparagraph (A) or (B) of this
paragraph in which no sale results from such offer.
(D) The Administrator may by rule or order define terms used in
this section insofar as the definitions are not inconsistent with the provisions of this
act;
(11) Any
offer or sale of a preorganization certificate or subscription if:
(A) no commission or other remuneration is paid or given
directly or indirectly for soliciting any prospective subscriber;
(B) the number of subscribers does not exceed ten; and
(C) no payment is made by any subscriber;
(12) Any transaction pursuant to an
offer to existing security holders of the issuer if:
(A) no commission or other remuneration, other than a standby
commission, is paid or given directly or indirectly for soliciting any security holder in
this state; or
(B) the issuer first files a notice specifying the terms of the
offer and the Administrator, by order, does not disallow the exemption within the next ten
(10) full business days;
(13) (A) An offer, but not a sale, of a
security not exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933 if:
(i) a registration or offering statement or similar document as
required under the Securities Act of 1933 has been filed, but is not effective;
(ii) a registration statement has been filed under this act, but
is not effective; and
(iii) no stop order of which the offeror is aware has been
entered by the Administrator or the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, and
no examination or public proceeding which may culminate in that kind of order is known by
the offeror to be pending.
(B) An offer, but not a sale, of a security exempt from
registration under the Securities Act of 1933 if:
(i) a registration statement has been filed under this act, but
is not effective; and
(ii) no stop order of which the offeror is aware has been
entered by the Administrator and no examination or public proceeding that may culminate in
that kind of order is known by the offeror to be pending; and
(14) Any offer to sell or sale of securities by an industrial
foundation organized pursuant to the laws of Oklahoma, provided that the issuer has first
been approved by the Oklahoma Industrial Finance Authority as and has been certified by
such Authority to the Oklahoma Department of Securities to be an industrial foundation,
which approval and certification shall be conclusive as to the nature and purpose of such
industrial foundation;
(15) Any offer to sell or sale of
securities issued by any person who is operating not for profit but exclusively for
religious, educational, benevolent, charitable, fraternal, social, athletic, or
reformatory purposes or as a chamber of commerce or trade or professional association, if
such transactions are made by members of the issuer who receive no commission or other
remuneration paid or given directly or indirectly for any solicitation or sale and
provided a notice is filed with the Administrator at such time and in such form as
specified by rule or order;
(16) (A)
Any sale from or in this
state to not more than thirty-two persons of a unit consisting of interests in oil, gas or
mining titles or leases or any certificate of interest or participation, or conveyance in
any form of an interest therein, or in payments out of production pursuant to such titles
or leases, whether or not offered in conjunction with, or as an incident to, an operating
agreement or other contract to drill oil or gas wells or otherwise exploit the minerals on
the particular leases, whether or not the seller or any buyers are then present in this
state, if:
(i) the seller reasonably believes that all buyers are
purchasing for investment;
(ii) no commission is paid or given directly or indirectly for
the solicitation of any such sale excluding any commission paid or given by and between
parties each of whom is engaged in the business of exploring for or producing oil and gas
or other valuable minerals;
(iii) no public advertising or public solicitation is used in
any such solicitation or sale; and
(iv) sales are effected only to persons the seller has
reasonable cause to believe are capable of evaluating the risk of the prospective
investment and able to bear the economic risk of the investment; but the Administrator, by
rule or order, as to any specific transaction, may withdraw or further condition this
exemption or decrease the number of sales permitted or waive the conditions in divisions
(i), (ii) and (iii), with or without substitution of a limitation on remuneration.
(B) For the purpose of the foregoing transactional exemption, no
units by the issuer or associates shall be integrated, however this exemption cannot be
combined or used in conjunction with any other transactional exemption;
(17) A transaction involving the
distribution of the securities of an issuer to the security holders of another person in
connection with a merger, consolidation, exchange of securities, sale of assets,
reclassification of securities, or other reorganization to which the issuer, or its parent
or subsidiary, and the other person, or its parent or subsidiary, are parties, if:
(A) the securities to be distributed are registered under the
Securities Act of 1933 before the vote by security holders on the transaction; or
(B) the securities to be distributed are not required to be
registered under the Securities Act of 1933, written notice of the transaction and a copy
of the materials, if any, by which approval of the transaction will be solicited from such
security holders is given to the Administrator at least ten (10) full business days before
the vote by security holders on the transaction and the Administrator does not commence a
proceeding to deny the exemption within the next ten (10) full business days; however,
such notice shall not be required if the sole purpose of the transaction is to change an
issuers domicile solely within the United States;
(18) Any transaction pursuant to an
offer to existing security holders of a bank:
(A) which bank, prior to the offer:
(I) owned a majority of the outstanding voting stock of the
issuer; or
(ii) was majority-owned by the issuer; or
(B) which offer has the objective of causing, subsequent to the
consummation of the transactions contemplated by the offer:
(I) some or all of the outstanding voting stock of the bank to
be owned by the issuer; and
(ii) the issuer to be majority-owned by former security holders
of the bank;
if no commission is paid or given for soliciting any security holder in
this state, and if the issuer files, at least ten (10) full business days prior to the
offer, a notice accompanied by any disclosure document to be utilized in connection with
such offer, and if the Administrator does not commence a proceeding to deny the exemption
within the next ten (10) full business days. The Administrator, by rule or order, as to
any security or transaction or any type of security or transaction, may further condition
the availability of this exemption;
(19) A nonissuer transaction by a broker-dealer or
agent registered under the provisions of Section 202 of this title in a security of a
class outstanding for not less than ninety (90) days if the issuer or a registered
broker-dealer has, for not less than ninety (90) days before the transaction, filed and
maintained with the Administrator information in such form as the Administrator by rule
specifies, substantially comparable to the information which the issuer would be required
to file pursuant to Section 12(b) or Section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
if the issuer were to have a class of its securities registered pursuant to Section 12 of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and the issuer or registered broker-dealer has paid
the fee set forth in Section 412 of this title;
(20) A transaction by an issuer:
(A) involving a security of the same class as a security of the
issuer that is listed or approved for listing upon notice of issuance on a national
securities exchange registered pursuant to Section 6 of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 or designated or approved for designation upon notice of issuance as a national
market system security by the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., provided
that such exchange or national market system shall be approved by rule or order of the
Administrator;
(B) involving any security of the same issuer that is of senior
or substantially equal rank, or that differs only in terms of voting rights, from the
security listed on such exchange or national market system; or
(C) any warrant, option or right to purchase or subscribe to any
security described in subparagraphs (A) or (B) of this paragraph.
The Administrator may impose by rule or order additional requirements
or conditions on the exemptions provided by this paragraph;
(21) A nonissuer transaction involving
a security issued and outstanding and listed or approved for listing upon notice of
issuance on a national securities exchange registered pursuant to Section 6 of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or designated or approved for designation upon notice of
issuance as a national market system security by the National Association of Securities
Dealers, Inc., or involving any security of the same issuer that is of senior or
substantially equal rank, or that differs only in terms of voting rights, from the
security listed on such exchange or national market system, or any warrant, option or
right to purchase or subscribe to any such security provided that such exchange or
national market system shall be approved by rule or order of the Administrator, subject to
any additional requirements or conditions imposed by the Administrator; and
(22) A transaction or type of
transaction as to which the Administrator, by rule or order, finds that registration is
not necessary or appropriate for the protection of investors.
The Administrator may, as to any transaction, waive the conditions of
any exemption provided by this subsection.
(c) The Oklahoma Securities Act, except Section 101 and paragraph
(2) of subsection (a) of Section 408 of this title, shall not apply to any company defined
in or coming within the provisions of Sections 181 through 188, inclusive, of
Title 17 of the Oklahoma Statutes, nor to the issuance of any security as defined
herein of any such company. The Oklahoma Securities Act shall not repeal or modify the
provisions of Section 188 of Title 17 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
(d)
The Administrator may issue a final order denying or revoking
any exemption specified in paragraph (6) or (8) of subsection (a) of this section or in
subsection (b) of this section with respect to a specific security or transaction. Except
as provided in subsection (e) of this section or unless the right to notice and hearing is
waived by the person against whom the final order is to be issued, no order may be issued
under this section without notice and opportunity for hearing as required by the
Administrative Procedures Act. If the person to whom notice is addressed does not request
a hearing within fifteen (15) days after the service of the notice is effective, a final
order as provided in this subsection may be issued.
(e) (1) If the Administrator makes written
findings of fact to support the conclusion that the public interest will be harmed by
delay in issuing such an order pursuant to subsection (d) of this section, the
Administrator, by order, may summarily deny or revoke any of the specified exemptions
pending final determination of any proceeding pursuant to subsection (d).
(2) Upon the entry of the summary order, the Administrator shall
promptly notify all interested parties:
(A) that the summary order has been entered and the reasons
therefor;
(B)
that the person subject to the summary
order, if desiring a hearing, must make written request for a hearing to the Administrator
within fifteen (15) days after service of the notice is effective;
(C)
that within fifteen (15) days
after receipt by the Administrator of a written request the matter will be set for hearing
to determine whether the summary order should be modified, vacated or extended pending
final determination of any proceeding pursuant to subsection (d) of this section; and
(D)
that a hearing shall be commenced within fifteen (15) days
of the matter being set for hearing.
(3)
The summary order shall remain
in effect until the conclusion of the hearing on the summary order unless the
Administrator or the Administrator's designee extends the summary order pending a final
determination of any proceeding pursuant to subsection (d) of this section. If no hearing
is requested and none is ordered by the Administrator, the summary order will remain in
effect until it is modified or vacated by the Administrator or the Administrator's
designee. If a request for hearing on the summary order is timely made and if the hearing
is not commenced by the Administrator within the time limit set forth herein, the summary
order shall dissolve and a final order shall not be issued pursuant to subsection (d) of
this section except upon reasonable notice and opportunity for a hearing. No order
pursuant to this subsection may operate retroactively. No person may be considered to have
violated Section 301 or 402 of this title by reason of any offer or sale effected after
the entry of an order pursuant to this subsection if the person sustains the burden of
proof that the person did not know, and in the exercise of reasonable care could not have
known, of the order.
(f)
In any proceeding pursuant to the
provisions of the Oklahoma Securities Act, the burden of proving an exemption or an
exception from a definition is upon the person claiming it.
(g)
The Administrator may issue a stop order suspending the
offer and sale of a federal covered security, except a federal covered security under
Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act of 1933, if the Administrator finds that:
(1)
the order is in the public interest, and
(2)
there is a failure to submit any filing or fee required
under this title or by rule or order.
§ 402.
Filing and approval of sales
literature--Fee
(a)
It is unlawful to distribute to investors or prospective
investors, including customers or prospective customers of an investment adviser, or
otherwise use any prospectus, pamphlet, circular, form letter, advertisement, or other
sales literature in any manner in connection with the offer or sale of any security,
except a federal covered security, unless:
(1)
it has been filed with the Department of Securities; and
(2)
the Department has responded indicating that the
Administrator has no objection to its distribution or use.
(b)
The Administrator may exempt, by rule, any class of sales
literature from the provisions of this section.
(c)
The Administrator shall require the payment of a fee as set
forth in Section 412 of this title to defray the expenses of the review of each sales
literature package, to include any prospectus, pamphlet, circular, form letter,
advertisement, or other sales literature to be used in any manner in connection with the
offer or sale of any security.
§ 403.
Misleading filings
It is unlawful for any person to make or cause to be made, in any
document filed with the Administrator or in any proceeding under this act, any statement
which is, at the time and in light of the circumstances under which it is made, false or
misleading in any material respect.
§ 404.
Unlawful representations concerning registration
or exemption
(a)
Neither of the following constitutes a finding by the
Administrator that any document filed under this act is true, complete, and not
misleading:
(1)
the fact that a notice filing under Section 202.1 or 305.2
of this title has been filed, or the fact that an application for registration under
Sections 201-204, inclusive, or a registration statement under Sections 301-306,
inclusive, has been filed, nor
(2)
the fact that a person or security is effectively
registered.
Neither any such fact nor the fact that an exemption or exception is
available for a security or a transaction means that the Administrator has passed in any
way upon the merits or qualifications of, or recommended or given approval to, any person,
security, or transaction.
(b)
It is unlawful to make, or cause to be made, to any prospective
purchaser, customer, or client any representation inconsistent with subsection (a) of
this section.
§ 405.
Investigations and examinations -- Powers of
Administrator -- Witnesses
(a)
The Administrator in his or her discretion:
(1)
may make such public or private investigations within or
outside of this state as he deems necessary to determine whether any person has violated
or is about to violate any provision of this act or any rule or order hereunder, or to aid
in the enforcement of this act or in the prescribing of rules and forms hereunder; and
(2)
may require or permit any person to file a statement in
writing, under oath or otherwise as the Administrator determines, as to all the facts and
circumstances concerning the matter to be investigated.
(b)
For the purpose of any investigation or proceeding under this
act, the Administrator, or his or her designee, may administer oaths and affirmations,
subpoena witnesses, compel their attendance, take evidence, and require the production of
any books, papers, correspondence, memoranda, agreements, or other documents or records
deemed relevant or material to the inquiry.
(c)
In case of contumacy by, or refusal to obey a subpoena issued
to, any person, the district court of Oklahoma county or the district court in any other
county where service can be obtained on one or more of the defendants, upon application by
the Administrator, may issue to the person an order requiring such person to appear before the
Administrator, or the officer designated by the Administrator, there to produce documentary evidence
or to testify about the matter under investigation or in question. The court may
also grant injunctive relief, including restricting or prohibiting the offer or
sale of securities or the providing of investment advice. Failure to obey the order of the court may be punished by the court as a contempt of
court.
(d)
No person is excused from attending and testifying or from
producing any document or record before the Administrator, or his or her designee, or in
obedience to the subpoena of the Administrator or his or her designee, or in any
proceeding instituted by the Administrator, on the ground that the testimony or evidence
(documentary or otherwise) required of the person may tend to incriminate the
person or subject the person to a
penalty or forfeiture; but no individual may be prosecuted or subjected to any penalty or
forfeiture for or on account of any transaction, matter, or thing concerning which
the individual is
compelled, after claiming privilege against self-incrimination, to testify or produce
evidence (documentary or otherwise), except that the individual testifying is not exempt
from prosecution and punishment for perjury or contempt committed in testifying.
(e)
In addition to the investigations authorized by Section 405(a)
of this title, the Administrator or a designated member of his staff shall examine as soon
as possible all reports filed under this act for the purpose of determining whether
additional information is required or whether additional investigation should be made. The
Administrator is authorized to require the filing of any additional information which he
deems necessary to correct any errors or deficiencies in any reports required to be filed.
§ 406.
Administrative Remedies
(a)
If the Administrator reasonably believes, whether or not based
upon an investigation conducted under Section 405 of this title, that a person has
violated the Oklahoma Securities Act, except under the provisions of Section 202.1 or
305.2 of this title, or a rule or order of the Administrator under the Oklahoma Securities
Act or has engaged in dishonest or unethical practices in the securities business, the
Administrator, in addition to any specific power granted by any other section of the
Oklahoma Securities Act, may impose one or more of the following sanctions:
(1)
issue an order against the person to cease and desist from
engaging in such violation or dishonest or unethical practices or doing any act in
furtherance thereof;
(2)
censure the person, if the person is a registered
broker-dealer, agent, investment adviser, or investment adviser representative;
(3)
bar or suspend the person from association with a
broker-dealer or investment adviser subject to the provisions of the Oklahoma Securities
Act;
(4)
place limitations on the activities, functions, or operation
of the person;
(5)
issue an order against a person who willfully violates the
Oklahoma Securities Act or a rule or order of the Administrator under the Oklahoma
Securities Act, imposing a civil penalty up to a maximum of Five Thousand Dollars
($5,000.00) for a single violation or transaction or of Fifty Thousand Dollars
($50,000.00) for multiple violations or transactions in a single proceeding or a series of
related proceedings.
(6)
recover the costs of the investigation conducted under Section 405 of this
title.
(b)
Except as provided in subsection (e) of this section or unless
the right to notice and hearing is waived by the person against whom the sanction is
imposed, the sanctions provided in subsection (a) of this section may be imposed only
after notice and hearing as required by the Administrative Procedures Act. If the person
to whom notice is addressed does not request a hearing within fifteen (15) days after the
service of notice is effective, a final order may be issued.
(c)
Imposition of the sanctions under this section is limited as
follows:
(1)
If the Administrator revokes the effectiveness of the
registration of a broker-dealer, agent, investment adviser or investment adviser
representative under Section 204 of this title or bars a person from association with a
broker-dealer or investment adviser under this section or Section 204 of this title, the
imposition of that sanction precludes imposition of the sanction specified in paragraph
(5) of subsection (a) of this section; and
(2)
The imposition by the Administrator of one or more sanctions
under subsection (a) of this section with respect to a specific violation or transaction
precludes the Administrator from later imposing any other sanctions under paragraphs (1)
through (5) of subsection (a) of this section with respect to the violation or
transaction. The Administrator however is not precluded from bringing an action under
Section 406.1 of this title in addition to the imposition of one or more sanctions under
subsection (a) of this section with respect to the violation or transaction.
(d)
For purposes of determining any sanction to be imposed under
paragraphs (1) through (5) of subsection (a) of this section, the Administrator shall
consider, among other factors, the frequency and persistence of the conduct constituting a
violation of the Oklahoma Securities Act or a rule or order of the Administrator under the
Oklahoma Securities Act or involving dishonest or unethical practices in the securities
business, the number of persons adversely affected by the conduct, and the resources of
the person committing the violation.
(e) (1)
If the Administrator makes written
findings of fact to support the conclusion that the public interest will be harmed by
delay in issuing a cease and desist order pursuant to paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of
this section, the Administrator may issue a summary order to cease and desist pending
final determination of any proceeding under this section.
(2)
Upon the entry of the summary order, the Administrator shall
promptly notify the person subject to the summary order:
(A)
that the summary order has been entered and the reasons
therefor;
(B)
that the person subject to the summary order, if desiring a
hearing, must make written request for a hearing to the Administrator within fifteen (15)
days after service of the notice is effective;
(C)
that within fifteen (15) days after receipt by the
Administrator of a written request the matter will be set for hearing to determine whether
the summary order should be modified, vacated or extended pending final determination of
any proceeding under paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of this section; and
(D)
that a hearing shall be commenced within fifteen (15) days
of the matter being set for hearing.
(3)
The summary order shall remain in effect until the
conclusion of the hearing on the summary order unless the Administrator or the
Administrator's designee extends the summary order pending a final determination of any
proceeding under paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of this section. If no hearing is
requested within thirty (30) days after service of the summary order and none is ordered by the Administrator, the summary order
becomes final by operation of law. If a request for hearing on the summary order is timely made and if the hearing
is not commenced by the Administrator within the time limit set forth herein, the summary
order shall dissolve and a final order shall not be issued pursuant to paragraph (1) of
subsection (a) of this section except upon reasonable notice and opportunity for a
hearing.
§ 406.1
Right of Administrator to bring action
(a)
Upon a showing by the Administrator that a person has violated
or is about to violate the Oklahoma Securities Act, except under the provisions of Section
202.1 or 305.2 of this title, or a rule or order of the Administrator under the Oklahoma
Securities Act or that a person has engaged or is about to engage in dishonest or
unethical practices in the securities business, the Administrator, prior to, concurrently
with, or subsequent to an administrative proceeding, may bring an action in the district
court of Oklahoma County or the district court of any other county where service can be
obtained on one or more of the defendants and the district court may grant or impose one
or more of the following appropriate legal or equitable remedies:
(1)
Upon a showing of a violation of the Oklahoma Securities Act
or a rule or order of the Administrator under the Oklahoma Securities Act or conduct
involving dishonest or unethical practices in the securities business:
(i)
a temporary restraining order, permanent or temporary
prohibitory or mandatory injunction, or a writ of prohibition or mandamus;
(ii)
a civil penalty up to a maximum of Five Thousand Dollars
($5,000.00) for a single violation or of Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000.00) for multiple
violations in a single proceeding or a series of related proceedings;
(iii)
a declaratory judgment;
(iv)
restitution to investors;
(v)
an asset freeze, accounting, writ of attachment,
writ of general or specific execution, and the appointment of a receiver or conservator for the
defendant or the defendant's assets; and
(vi)
other relief the court deems just.
(2)
Upon a showing that the defendant is about to violate the
Oklahoma Securities Act or a rule or order of the Administrator under the Oklahoma
Securities Act or that the defendant is about to engage in dishonest or unethical
practices in the securities business only:
(i)
a temporary restraining order; or
(ii)
a temporary or permanent injunction; or
(iii)
a writ of prohibition or mandamus.
(b)
In determining the appropriate relief under subsection (a) of
this section, the court shall consider any enforcement actions taken and/or sanctions that
may have been imposed by the Administrator under Section 406 of this title in connection
with the subject transactions.
(c)
The Administrator shall not be required to post a bond in an
action under this section.
(d)
Upon a showing by the securities agency or administrator of
another state that a person has violated the securities act of that state or a rule or
order of the securities agency or administrator of that state, the court, in addition to
any other legal or equitable remedies, may impose one or more of the following remedies:
(1)
appointment of a receiver, conservator, or ancillary
receiver or conservator for the defendant or the defendant's assets located in this state;
and
(2)
other relief the court considers just.
(e)
No costs shall be assessed for or against the Administrator in
any proceeding under the Oklahoma Securities Act brought by or against it in any court
except as otherwise provided by law.
§ 407.
Criminal penalties
(a)
Any person who willfully violates any provision of this act
except Section 403 of this title or who willfully violates any rule or order under this
act, or who willfully violates Section 403 of this title knowing the statement made to be
false or misleading in any material respect, shall be guilty of a felony, and shall upon
conviction be fined not more than Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00) or imprisoned not more
than ten (10) years, or both.
(b)
The Administrator may refer such evidence as is available
concerning violations of this act or of any rule or order hereunder to the Attorney
General of the State of Oklahoma or the district attorney for the county where a violation
occurred or the United States Attorney for the district where a violation occurred. The
Attorney General or the district attorney as the case may be may institute or cause to be
filed an information or indictment for violation of the provisions of this act. The
Attorney General or district attorney may designate and appoint one or more lawyers of the
Department as special assistants as available for the purpose of assisting in or
conducting all criminal prosecutions arising by reason of investigations or proceedings
under this section.
(c)
Nothing in this act limits the power of the state to punish any
person for any conduct which constitutes a crime by statutes.
§ 408. Civil liabilities
(a)
Any person who:
(1)
offers or sells a security in violation of Sections 201(a),
301, or 404(b) of this title, or of any rule or order under Section 402 of this title, or
of any condition imposed under Sections 304(d), 305(f), or 305(g) of this title; or
(2)
offers or sells or purchases a security by means of any
untrue statement of a material fact or any omission to state a material fact necessary in
order to make the statements made, in the light of the circumstances under which they are
made, not misleading (the other party not knowing of the untruth or omission), and who
does not sustain the burden of proof that he did not know, and in the exercise of
reasonable care could not have known, of the untruth or omission, is liable:
(A)
in the case of an offer or sale of a security, to the person
buying the security from him, who may sue either at law or in equity to recover the
consideration paid for the security, together with interest at ten percent (10%) per year
from the date of payment, costs, and reasonable attorneys' fees, less the amount of any
income received on the security, upon the tender of the security, or for damages if he no
longer owns the security. Damages are the amount that would be recoverable upon a tender,
less the value of the security when the buyer disposed of it, and interest at ten percent
(10%) per year from the date of disposition; or
(B)
in the case of a purchase of a security, to the person
selling the security to him, who may sue at law or in equity, for a return of the
security, together with any income received by the purchaser on the security, costs and
reasonable attorneys' fees, upon a tender of the full amount of the consideration received
for the security, or, if the purchaser no longer owns the security, for the difference
between the fair value of the security at the date of the transaction and the
consideration received for the security, together with interest on such difference at the
rate of ten percent (10%) per year from the date of the transaction, costs and reasonable
attorneys' fees.
(b)
Every person who materially participates or aids in a sale or
purchase made by any person liable under paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (a) of this
section, or who directly or indirectly controls any person so liable, shall also be liable
jointly and severally with and to the same extent as the person so liable, unless the
person who so participates, aids or controls, sustains the burden of proof that he did not
know, and could not have known, of the existence of the facts by reason of which liability
is alleged to exist. There shall be contribution as in cases of contract among the several
persons so liable.
(c)
Any person who:
(1)
in violation of Sections 201(c) and 201(d) of this title,
engages in the business of advising others for compensation, either directly or through
publications or writings, as to the value of securities or as to the advisability of
investing in, purchasing, or selling securities, or who, for compensation and as a part of
a regular business, issues or promulgates analyses or reports concerning securities, in
violation of Sections 201(c) and 201(d) of this title; or
(2)
receives, directly or indirectly, any consideration from
another person for advice as to the value of securities or their purchase or sale, whether
through the issuance of analyses, reports or otherwise and employs any device, scheme, or
artifice to defraud such other person or engages in any act, practice or course of
business which operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit on such other person, is
liable to that person who may sue either at law or in equity to recover the consideration
paid for such advice and any loss due to such advice, together with interest at ten
percent (10%) per year from the date of payment of the consideration plus costs and
reasonable attorney's fees, less the amount of any income received from such advice.
(d)
Any tender specified in this section may be made at any time
before entry of judgment.
(e)
Every cause of action under this section survives the death of
any person who might have been a plaintiff or defendant.
(f)
No person may sue under paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of this
section more than three years after the sale. No person may sue under paragraph (2) of
subsection (a) of this section more than two (2) years after the untruth or omission was
discovered, but in no event more than three (3) years after the sale. No person may sue
under this section if:
(1)
the buyer received a written offer, before suit and at a
time when he owned the security, to refund the consideration paid together with interest
at ten percent (10%) per year from the date of payment, less the amount of any income
received on the security, and he failed to accept the offer within thirty (30) days of its
receipt; or
(2)
the buyer received such an offer before suit and at a time
when he did not own the security, unless he rejected the offer in writing within thirty
(30) days of its receipt.
(g)
No person may sue under paragraph (1) of subsection (c) of this
section more than three (3) years from the date the advice was given. No person may sue
under paragraph (2) of subsection (c) of this section more than one (1) year after the
fraud or deceit was discovered, but in no event more than three (3) years after the date
the advice was given.
(h)
Provided, any longer term of limitation as otherwise provided
by law shall apply to any actions brought under the Oklahoma Securities Act.
(i)
No person who has made or engaged in the performance of any
contract in violation of any provision of this title or any rule or order promulgated
thereunder, or who has acquired any purported right under any such contract with knowledge
of the facts by reason of which its making or performance was in violation, may base any
suit on the contract. Any defendant who prevails in an action brought under paragraph (1)
or (2) of subsection (a) or paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (c) of this section may
recover his reasonable attorneys' fees and costs in the action from the plaintiff if the
court, in its discretion, determines that the action was without substantial merit. Any
plaintiff who prevails in an action brought under paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (a)
or paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (c) of this section may recover his reasonable
attorneys' fees and costs in the action from the defendant.
(j)
Any condition, stipulation, or provision is void if it would
bind a person acquiring any security to waive compliance with any provision of this title,
or any rule or order promulgated thereunder.
(k)
The rights and remedies provided for in this title are in
addition to other rights or remedies that may exist in law or in equity; however, no
additional cause of action is created unless specified in this section.
§ 409.
Judicial review of orders
(a)
Any person aggrieved by final order of the Administrator may
obtain a review by the Commission by filing with the Administrator, within fifteen (15)
days after the entry of the order, a written petition praying that the order be modified
or set aside in whole or in part and stating the persons specific grounds therefor.
The petition; the record upon which the final order was issued; and written briefs
submitted by the appealing parties and the Administrator shall be reviewed by the
Commission. The cost of preparing the record of the administrative hearing shall be borne
by the appealing parties. Oral argument by all parties may be heard by the Commission en
banc if requested by an appealing party. Other than newly discovered evidence, additional evidence
may only be presented by the appealing party and/or the Administrator on the request of
the Commission. Upon the written request of the party on whose behalf the appeal is
brought, or upon the partys own motion, the Administrator shall cause complete
stenographic notes to be taken of the proceeding before the Commission. If requested by
the appealing party, the cost of taking and transcribing such notes shall be borne by the
said appealing party. If such notes are taken upon the motion of the Administrator, the
cost shall be borne by the Department. The Commission or a majority thereof shall make
such order as is deemed proper, just, and equitable within sixty (60) days of receipt by
the Administrator of the written petition of the appealing party or at such later time as
agreed to by all parties.
(b)
Appeals by any person aggrieved by a final order of the Commission, except
a final order of the Commission to cease and desist as provided for in paragraph (1)
of subsection (a) of Section 406 of this title, shall be taken to the Supreme Court of
Oklahoma within thirty (30) days of the date that a copy of the order is mailed
to the person, as shown by the certificate of mailing attached to the
order. Any person aggrieved by a final order of the Commission to
cease and desist as provided for in paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of Section
406 of this title shall be taken to the
district court of Oklahoma County within thirty (30) days of the date that a
copy of the order is mailed to the person, as shown by the certificate of
mailing attached to the order. The proceedings for review shall be as now prescribed by law and by rules of
the reviewing court, subject to the power of the reviewing court to make other and further
rules with reference thereto.
(c)
The commencement of proceedings under this section before the
Commission shall not operate as a stay of the Administrator's order, unless so ordered by
the Commission. The commencement of proceedings under this section before the Supreme
Court shall not operate as a stay of the Commission's order, unless so ordered by the
Court.
§ 410.
Rules, forms, and orders
(a)
The Administrator may from time to time make, amend, and
rescind such rules, forms, and orders as are necessary to carry out the provisions of this
act, including rules and forms governing registration statements, applications, and
reports, and defining any terms, whether or not used in this act, insofar as the
definitions are not inconsistent with the provisions of this act. For the purpose of rules
and forms, the Administrator may classify securities, persons, and matters within his
jurisdiction, and prescribe different requirements for different classes.
(b)
No rule, form, or order may be made, amended, or rescinded
unless the Administrator finds that the action is necessary or appropriate in the public
interest or for the protection of investors and consistent with the purposes fairly
intended by the policy and provisions of this act. In prescribing rules and forms the
Administrator may cooperate with the securities administrators of the other states and the
Securities and Exchange Commission with a view to effectuating the policy of this statute
to achieve maximum uniformity in the form and content of registration statements,
applications, and reports wherever practicable.
(c)
The Administrator may by rule or order prescribe:
(1)
the form and content of financial statements required under
the Oklahoma Securities Act,
(2)
the circumstances under which consolidated financial
statements shall be filed, and
(3)
whether any required financial statements shall be certified
by independent or certified public accountants.
All financial statements shall be prepared in accordance with generally
accepted accounting principles.
(d)
All rules and forms of the Administrator shall be published.
(e)
No provision of the Oklahoma Securities Act imposing any
liability applies to any act done or omitted in good faith in conformity with any rule,
form, or order of the Administrator, notwithstanding that the rule, form, or order may
later be amended or rescinded or be determined by judicial or other authority to be
invalid for any reason.
§ 411.
Administrative files and opinions
(a)
A document is filed when it is received by the Administrator.
(b)
The Administrator shall keep a register of all applications for
registration under this title and all registration orders issued pursuant to the
provisions of this title and all denial, suspension or revocation orders or any other
orders of the Administrator or the Oklahoma Securities Commission which have been entered
pursuant to the provisions of this title. The register and all such orders may be
maintained in computer format or any other form of data storage and shall be open for
public inspection.
(c)
The information contained in or filed with or subsequent to any
application filed pursuant to Section 201 of this title, any application filed pursuant to
Section 301 of this title, sales report, or notice of claim for exemption from
registration may be made available to the public pursuant to such rules as the
Administrator prescribes.
(d)
Examination files, litigation files, and investigatory files
and reports shall be kept confidential. If an investigatory file is created as a result of
a complaint, grievance or inquiry, the complaint, grievance or inquiry shall be a part of
the investigatory file and the existence of the complaint, grievance or inquiry and the
matters and documents contained therein shall not be disclosed except pursuant to this
title. A settlement agreement may, upon determination of the Administrator, remain part of
the investigatory file and may be used against the person or entity involved only if the
person or entity involved violates the terms of the settlement agreement. The
Administrator may disclose any information obtained in connection with an investigation
pursuant to this title for the purpose of a civil or administrative action brought by the
Administrator or a criminal referral. The Administrator may disclose such information to a
law enforcement agency or another governmental or regulatory entity so long as the
receiving agency represents in writing that under applicable law protections exist to
preserve the integrity, confidentiality and security of the information.
(e) Upon request and at such reasonable charges as the Administrator
prescribes, the Administrator shall furnish to any person photostatic or other copies,
certified under seal of office if requested, of any entry in the register or any public
record. In any proceeding or prosecution pursuant to the provisions of the Oklahoma
Securities Act, any copy so certified is prima facie evidence of the contents of the entry
or document certified and shall be admissible in evidence in any administrative, criminal
or civil action.
(f)
The Administrator in his or her discretion may honor requests
from interested persons for interpretive opinions or may issue determinations that the
Administrator will not institute enforcement proceedings against certain specified persons
for engaging in certain specified activities where the determination is consistent with
the purposes fairly intended by the policy and provisions of this act.
(g)
For dissemination of the materials referred to in this section
and other similar information of public interest, the Administrator may establish a
mailing registry.
(h)
The Administrator may require payment of fees for any of the
services set forth in this section as specified by Section 412 of this title.
(i)
The Administrator may designate by order filing depositories
for all records required to be filed and maintained under this title. The Administrator
may receive electronic filings for which manual signatures shall not be required. These
records may be maintained in original form or by means of microfilm, microfiche,
photographic reproduction, computerization, digital imaging or other copying methods. In
furtherance hereof, the Administrator is authorized to participate, in whole or in part,
in the Central Registration Depository System, in cooperation with the National
Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. and the North American Securities Administrators
Association, and any other electronic filing depository.
§ 411.1.
A.
A supervisory agency shall make available to a requesting agency
any data obtained or generated by, and in the possession of, the supervisory agency and
that the requesting agency deems necessary for review in connection with the supervision
of any person over which the requesting agency has direct supervisory authority. However,
the requested data must relate to the person, or an affiliate of the person, over which
the requesting agency has direct supervisory authority. An agency has direct supervisory
authority over a person if such authority is specifically provided by statute, or the
agency granted the person's charter, license, or registration, or otherwise granted
permission for the person to conduct its business in this state.
B.
When a requesting agency and a federal regulatory agency or
self-regulatory association have concurrent jurisdiction over a person, a requesting
agency may share with such agency or association data received from a supervisory agency.
However, the federal regulatory agency or self-regulatory association must return such
shared data to the requesting agency unless the federal regulatory agency or
self-regulatory association has obtained approval from the supervisory agency to retain
the data. The term "federal regulatory agency" shall not include law enforcement
agencies.
C. 1. Notwithstanding any other statute, rule, or policy governing
or relating to records of the requesting agency, all data received by a requesting agency
from a supervisory agency shall be and remain confidential and not open to public
inspection, subpoena, or any other form of disclosure while in the possession of the
requesting agency. Any request for inspection, subpoena, or other form of disclosure shall
be directed at the supervisory agency from which the data originated and disclosure
thereof shall be subject to the laws, rules, and policies governing or relating to records
of the supervisory agency.
2.
The provisions of data by a supervisory agency to a
requesting agency under this section shall not constitute a waiver of, or otherwise
affect, any privilege or claim of confidentiality that a supervisory agency may claim with
respect to such data under any federal laws or laws of this state.
D.
A supervisory agency is not required to share original documents
with a requesting agency. A requesting agency shall reimburse the supervisory agency for
costs associated with providing copies of data to the requesting agency.
E.
Nothing in the Oklahoma Financial Privacy Act, Sections 2201
through 2206 of Title 6 of the Oklahoma Statutes, shall prohibit the sharing of data as
described in this section. Additionally, neither a supervisory agency nor requesting
agency shall be required to follow any procedure described in the Oklahoma Financial
Privacy Act when sharing data as described in this section.
F.
As used in this section:
1.
"Affiliate" shall mean any person that
controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with another person. A person shall
be deemed to have "control" over any person if the person:
a.
directly or indirectly or acting through one or more other
persons owns, controls, or has power to vote ten percent (10%) or more of any class of
voting securities of the other person, or
b.
the person controls in any manner the election, appointment,
or designation of a majority of the directors, trustees, or other managing officers of the
person;
2.
"Data" shall mean copies of any documents,
reports, examination reports, letters, correspondence, orders, stipulations, memorandums
of understanding, agreements, or any other records not open for public inspection
generated by a supervisory agency or obtained by a supervisory agency from the person it
supervises, whether in paper or electronic format. However, "data" shall not
include records that a requesting agency receives from a supervisory agency pursuant to
this section;
3.
"Requesting agency" means, as applicable,
the Oklahoma State Banking Department, the Oklahoma Insurance Department, or the Oklahoma
Department of Securities, that requests from a supervisory agency data relating to a
person over which the requesting agency does not have direct supervisory authority;
4.
"Supervision" shall mean any examination,
assessment, order, stipulation, agreement, report, memorandum of understanding, or other
regulatory matter or process that a requesting agency is authorized to perform in relation
to a person; and
5.
"Supervisory agency" shall mean, as
applicable, the Oklahoma State Banking Department, the Oklahoma Insurance Department, or
the Oklahoma Department of Securities, that maintains data relating to a person over which
the agency has direct supervisory authority.
§ 412.
Deposit of fees and charges
(a)
Unless otherwise provided for by law, the following shall be
the fees charged pursuant to the provisions of the Oklahoma Securities Act:
(A) |
examination
fee $ 50.00; and |
|
|
(B) |
a filing fee
computed in the same manner as the filing fee required pursuant to paragraph (1) of
subsection (b) of this section for any additional securities being registered. |
(17)
Copying fee
(A) |
8 1/2" by
14" or smaller |
$
.25 per page |
|
|
|
(B) |
Larger than 8
1/2" by 14" |
$ 1.00
per page |
|
|
|
(C) |
Certified copy
8 1/2" by 14" or smaller |
$ 1.00
per page |
|
|
|
(D) |
Certified copy
larger than 8 1/2" by 14" |
$ 2.00
per page |
|
|
|
(18) |
Document
search fee for commercial purpose |
$ 20.00
per hour |
|
|
|
(19) |
Notice filing
fee for a federal covered security under Section 18(b)(4) of the Securities Act of 1933 |
$250.00 |
(b)
For the purpose of registering securities under this act, any
person filing a registration statement shall pay an examination fee of Two Hundred Dollars
($200.00) and a filing fee computed upon the aggregate offering price of the securities
sought to be registered in Oklahoma as follows:
a fee equal to one-tenth of one percent (1/10 of 1%) of said price;
provided, in no event shall the filing fee be less than Two Hundred Dollars ($200.00) or
more than Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($2,500.00); however, for securities
registered pursuant to Section 304.1 of this title, the filing fee shall be computed as
follows: a fee equal to one-twentieth of one percent (1/20 of 1%) of the aggregate
offering price; provided, in no event shall the filing fee be less than One Hundred
Dollars ($100.00) or more than Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($2,500.00).
(c)
Any person making a notice filing pursuant to Section 305.2(a) of this title,
or renewing such a filing, shall pay a filing fee of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) with
each such notice or renewal filed.
(d)
All fees and other charges collected by the Administrator shall
be deposited in the General Revenue Fund with the State Treasurer, except for the fees
deposited in the Oklahoma Department of Securities Revolving Fund and the
amounts deposited in the Oklahoma Department of Securities Investor Education
Revolving Fund.
(e)
There is hereby created in the State Treasury a revolving fund for the Oklahoma
Department of Securities to be designated the "Oklahoma Department of Securities
Revolving Fund." The fund shall be a continuing fund, not subject to fiscal year
limitations, and shall consist of fees and other charges collected by the Administrator as
follows:
(1)
the fees collected pursuant to paragraphs (1), (4), (5),
(8), (14), (15), (17), and (18) of subsection (a) of this section;
(2)
the fees collected pursuant to the provisions of Section 402
of this title as provided in paragraph (9) of subsection (a) of this section;
(3) the examination fees designated in
paragraph (16) of subsection (a) and in subsection (b) of this section;
(4)
the amounts collected pursuant to subsection (f) of Section
411 of this title set forth in paragraph (13) of subsection (a) of this section; and
(5)
One Hundred Fifty Dollars ($150.00) of each filing fee collected pursuant to
subsection (c) of this section.
All monies accruing to the credit of
the Oklahoma Department of Securities Revolving Fund are hereby
appropriated and may be budgeted and expended by the Oklahoma Department of Securities as
may be necessary to perform the duties imposed upon the said Department by law.
Expenditures from the Oklahoma Department of Securities Revolving Fund shall be made upon warrants issued by the State Treasurer
against claims filed as prescribed by law with the Director of State Finance for approval
and payment.
(f) There is hereby
created in the State Treasury a revolving fund for the Oklahoma Department of
Securities to be designated the "Oklahoma Department of Securities Investor
Education Revolving Fund." The fund shall be a continuing fund, not
subject to fiscal year limitations, and shall consist of all amounts collected
pursuant to court order or judgment in actions brought by the Administrator, and
amounts received in multistate settlements participated in by the Department,
and interest attributable to the investment of the fund that shall be deposited in the Oklahoma Department of Securities Investor
Education Revolving Fund. The Fund may be invested in any investment
instrument allowed by Oklahoma Statutes to the State Treasurer for the
investment of state funds. Any amounts received from any court settlement
in excess of One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00) shall be transferred to the
General Fund. The Administrator shall use the moneys in this fund
exclusively for the specific purposes of research for education and education of
Oklahoma residents in matters concerning securities laws and general investor
protection. All monies accruing to the credit of the Oklahoma Department
of Securities Investor Education Revolving Fund are hereby appropriated and may
be budgeted and expended by the Oklahoma Department of Securities as may be
necessary to perform the duties imposed upon the said Department by law.
Expenditures from the Oklahoma Department of Securities Investor Education
Revolving Fund shall be made upon warrants issued by the State Treasurer against
claims filed as prescribed by law with the Director of State Finance for
approval and payment.
(g)
There is hereby created a petty cash fund for the Oklahoma Department of
Securities. The Director of State Finance and the Administrator are hereby authorized and
it shall be their duty to fix the maximum amount of the petty cash fund, not to exceed
Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00). The Director of State Finance shall prescribe all forms,
systems, and procedures for administering the petty cash fund. The fund shall be used
solely to pay:
(1)
examination, investigation and litigation expenses of the
Oklahoma Department of Securities, including, but not limited to, court costs, filing
fees, copying fees, and witness fees, and
(2)
incidental operating expenses of the Oklahoma Department of
Securities not to exceed One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) per transaction.
(h)
Once paid, fees shall be nonrefundable.
§ 412.1.
Only Legislature authorized to
assess fees
All fees
assessed or charged by the Oklahoma Securities Commission shall be as authorized
and enacted by the Legislature. No additional fees shall be assessed or
charged by the Commission pursuant to rule or regulation.
§ 413.
Scope of the act and service of process
(a)
Sections 101, 201(a), 301, 404 and 408 of this title apply to
persons who sell or offer to sell when:
(1)
an offer to sell is made in this state; or
(2)
an offer to buy is made and accepted in this state.
(b)
Sections 101, 201(a), 404 and 408 of this title apply to
persons who buy or offer to buy when:
(1)
an offer to buy is made in this state; or
(2)
an offer to sell is made and accepted in this state.
(c)
For the purpose of this section, an offer to sell or to buy is
made in this state, whether or not either party is then present in this state, when the
offer:
(1)
originates from this state; or
(2)
is directed by the offeror to this state and received at the
place to which it is directed (or at any post office in this state in the case of a mailed
offer).
(d)
For the purpose of this section, an offer to buy or to sell is
accepted in this state when acceptance:
(1)
is communicated to the offeror in this state; and
(2)
has not previously been communicated to the offeror, orally
or in writing outside this state; and acceptance is communicated to the offeror in this
state, whether or not either party is then present in this state, when the offeree directs
it to the offeror in this state reasonably believing the offeror to be in this state and
it is received at the place to which it is directed (or at any post office in this state
in the case of a mailed acceptance).
(e)
An offer to sell or to buy is not
made in this state when:
(1)
the publisher circulates or there is circulated on the
publishers behalf in this state any bona fide newspaper or other publication of
general, regular, and paid circulation which is not published in this state, or which is
published in this state but has had more than two-thirds (2/3) of its circulation outside
this state during the past twelve (12) months; or
(2)
a radio or television program originating outside this state
is received in this state.
(f)
Sections 102 and 201(c), as well as Section 404 of this title
so far as investment advisers are concerned, apply when any act instrumental in effecting
prohibited conduct is done in this state, whether or not either party is then present in
this state.
(g)
Every applicant for registration under
this act and every issuer that proposes to offer a security in this state through any
person acting on an agency basis in the common-law sense shall file with the
Administrator, in such form as the Administrator by rule prescribes, an irrevocable
consent appointing the Administrator or the Administrator's successor in office to be the
person's attorney to receive service of any lawful process in any noncriminal suit,
action, or proceeding against the person or the person's successor executor or
administrator that arises under this act or any rule or order hereunder after the consent
has been filed, with the same force and validity as if served personally on the person
filing the consent. A person who has filed such a consent in connection with a previous
registration need not file another. Service on the Administrator may be made by leaving a
copy of the process in the office of the Administrator, but it is not effective unless:
(1)
the plaintiff, who may be the Administrator in a suit,
action, or proceeding instituted by the plaintiff, promptly sends notice of the service
and a copy of the process by certified mail, return receipt requested and delivery
restricted to the addressee, to the defendant or respondent at the defendant's or
respondent's last address on file with the Administrator; and
(2)
the plaintiff's affidavit of compliance with this subsection
is filed in the suit, action or proceeding on or before the return day of the process, if
any, or within such further time as the court, or the Administrator in a proceeding before
the Administrator, allows.
(h)
When any person, including any nonresident of this state,
engages in conduct prohibited or made actionable by this act or any rule or order
hereunder, and has not filed a consent to service of process under subsection (g) of this
section, that conduct shall be considered equivalent to his appointment of the
Administrator or the Administrators successor in office to be the persons
attorney to receive service of any lawful process in any noncriminal suit, action, or
proceeding against the person or the person's successor executor or administrator that
grows out of that conduct and that is brought under this act or any rule or order
hereunder, with the same force and validity as if served on the person personally. Service
on the Administrator may be made by leaving a copy of the process in the office of the
Administrator, and it is not effective unless:
(1)
the plaintiff, who may be the Administrator in a suit,
action, or proceeding instituted by the Administrator, promptly sends notice of the
service and a copy of the process by certified mail, return receipt requested and delivery
restricted to the addressee, to the defendant or respondent at the defendant's or
respondent's last known address or takes other steps that are reasonably calculated to
give actual notice; and
(2)
the plaintiff's affidavit of compliance with this subsection
is filed in the suit, action or proceeding on or before the return day of the process, if
any, or within such further time as the court, or the Administrator in a proceeding before
the Administrator, allows.
(i)
Service by mail shall be effective on the date of receipt by
the defendant or respondent or if refused, on the date of refusal by the defendant or
respondent. Acceptance or refusal of service by mail by a person who is fifteen (15) years
of age or older shall constitute acceptance or refusal by the party addressed. Acceptance
or refusal by any officer or by any employee of the registered office or principal place
of business who is authorized to or who regularly receives certified mail shall constitute
acceptance or refusal by the party addressed. A return receipt signed at such registered
office or principal place of business shall be presumed to have been signed by an employee
authorized to receive certified mail.
(j)
Refusal by any person to accept delivery of the certified
mail provided for in this section, or the refusal to sign the return receipt, or the lack
of knowledge of the Administrator of any address to which process may have been mailed
shall not in any manner affect the legality of the service, and the person shall be
presumed to have had knowledge of the contents of the process.
(k)
Service as provided in subsection (g) or (h) of this section
may be used in a suit, action or proceeding before the Administrator, or by the
Administrator where the Administrator is the moving party.
ARTICLE 6. CONSTRUCTION
§ 501.
Statutory policy
This act shall be so construed as to effectuate its general purpose to
make uniform the law of those states which enact it and to coordinate the interpretation
and administration of this act with the related federal regulation.
ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT
§ 701.
Annual financial report
Unless exempted from the requirements of this section by Section 703 of
this title, every issuer specified in Section 702 of this title shall prepare and provide
annual financial reports to each of the record holders of all classes of its outstanding
securities within one hundred twenty (120) days after the end of each fiscal year of the
issuer. The annual financial report shall include a balance sheet as of the last day of
such fiscal year and a statement of income or profit and loss for such fiscal year. The
annual financial statement shall be prepared from the books and records of the issuer and
shall be certified by an officer or other appropriate agent or representative of the
issuer or a public accountant.
§ 702.
Issuers required to provide annual financial
report
The following issuers shall be subject to the requirement of Section
701 of this title:
(a)
Any issuer which, on the first day of its fiscal year, had one
hundred or more holders of any single class of its securities who are residents of the
State of Oklahoma;
(b)
Any issuer whose securities have been registered under this
act;
(c)
Any issuer whose securities have been offered or sold in this
state without registration thereof in reliance upon the exemption provided by Section
401(b)(9)(B) of this title.
§ 703.
Exemptions
An issuer shall be exempt from the requirements of Section 701 of this
title if:
(a)
The issuer has registered any class of its securities pursuant
to Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or is otherwise required
to file periodic reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission by virtue of Section
15(d) of said act and has filed all the reports required to be filed thereunder during the
preceding twelve (12) months (or for such shorter period as the issuer was required to
file such reports); or
(b)
The issuer is subject to any other federal or state statutory
or agency reporting requirements whereby the issuer is required, no less often than
annually, to provide to its security holders or file with any federal or state agency
which makes such filings available to the public, financial reports at least as
comprehensive as those required by the Administrator pursuant to Section 701 of this title
and the issuer has filed or provided such reports required during the preceding twelve
(12) months (or for such shorter period as the issuer was required to file or provide such
reports); or
(c)
The issuer certifies to the Administrator in writing within
ninety (90) days after the commencement of its fiscal year that, as of the first day of
that fiscal year, it had no class of securities outstanding which were held of record by
more than twenty-five residents of the State of Oklahoma. This subsection shall not apply
to any issuer described in subsections (b) or (c) of Section 702 of this title until the
second fiscal year following the last fiscal year in which it offered or sold securities
in this state pursuant to an effective registration statement filed under this title or
without such registration in reliance upon subparagraph (B) of paragraph (10) of
subsection (b) of Section 401 of this title; or
(d)
The issuer has received a written waiver of the requirements of
Section 701 of this title from the Administrator upon a proper showing to the
Administrator that compliance with such requirements is not necessary or appropriate for
the proper protection of investors and to ensure fair dealing in the security.
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