Revisions to Accelerated Filer Definition and Accelerated Deadlines for Filing Periodic Reports

요약

We are adopting amendments to the accelerated filing deadlines that apply to periodic reports so that a "large accelerated filer" (an Exchange Act reporting company with a worldwide market value of outstanding voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of $700 million or more) will become subject to a 60-day Form 10-K annual report filing deadline, beginning with the annual report filed for its first fiscal year ending on or after December 15, 2006. Until then, large accelerated filers will remain subject to a 75-day annual report deadline. Accelerated filers will continue to file their Form 10-K annual reports under a 75-day deadline, with no further reduction scheduled to occur under the revised rules. Accelerated filers and large accelerated filers will continue to file their Form 10-Q quarterly reports under a 40-day deadline, rather than the 35-day deadline that was scheduled to apply next year under the previously existing rules. Further, the amendments revise the definition of the term "accelerated filer" to permit an accelerated filer that has voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of less than $50 million to exit accelerated filer status