WHAT DOES 15-12G MEAN?
"When a firm “goes dark” it deregisters with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and delists its shares. Deregistered firms are no longer required to make SEC filings such as annual reports, proxies, 10-Ks, 10-Qs and other important documents. And they’re no longer required to have annual meetings or elect outside directors.
To deregister, a firm files Form 15-12G (Securities Registration Termination) with the SEC stating its intent to deregister, usually by a certain date. Once that date arrives, the stock exchange or NASDAQ prohibits future trading in the shares. The firm’s shares are then relegated to the pink sheets, where liquidity is usually much lower. Although the actual process takes some time, the firm’s share price typically will decline immediately after the “going dark” announcement, since many institutions are prohibited from owning shares of firms that don’t file with the SEC or trade on the exchanges or NASDAQ.
Shareholder Action Plan
The lessons here are several:
If a company you own announces plans to deregister, don’t panic. If the fundamentals are intact, the shares are probably worth owning. Even in the less liquid pink sheets, shares of firms with improving fundamentals will appreciate. However, you should call the firm immediately to assess their plans for ongoing communication with outside shareholders. Ask the same questions we did of Southern Energy Homes—which gave the right answers. If you receive answers that indicate communication will be lessened, there may be some governance issues relating to the treatment of outside shareholders. For example, we would find it difficult to own shares of a company that provided only an annual report and had no annual meetings or election of directors.
Make sure the fundamentals are intact. Use the deregistration announcement as an opportunity to perform a thorough review of company prospects. Often a firm will deregister to help hide a deteriorating financial condition, bad accounting or other ailments
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