I know you guy's know all this but this is pretty

After certain significant corporate events, publicly-traded companies are required by law to file Form 8-K with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in order to inform investors of changes in the company’s status, financial standing, or leadership. These Form 8-K filings are intended to provide a measure of transparency for public companies, and allow stockholders the opportunity to comment on these events and to protect their investment in the company. Even in the absence of a qualifying event, some companies choose to use Form 8-K reports to inform stockholders regarding financial and organizational changes.

8-K filing requirements

Legally, a Form 8-K report must be filed when a company experiences certain circumstances outlined by SEC regulations. SEC 8-K rulings outline a comprehensive list of events divided into nine separate sections that require the filing of this form. Events that meet the criteria for Form 8-K filing requirements are listed in these nine sections.

• Section 1 deals with company operations; qualifying events include initiation or termination of a material definitive agreement, bankruptcy, and receivership.

• Section 2 is concerned with financial information, including acquisition or disposition of corporate assets, creation of or triggering events for direct financial obligations, exit and disposal costs, and material impairments.

• Section 3 lists qualifying events dealing with the securities market; these include delisting, unregistered sales of equity securities, and changes to the rights of shareholders .

• Section 4 deals with accounting and financial statements including review and revision of previous financial statements, interim reviews, and changes to the company’s certifying accountancy staff.

• Section 5 relates to the upper-level management of the company; election and departure of executive officers and directors falls under this section.

• Section 6 details qualifying events regarding asset-based securities; failure to make required distributions and changes in staffing can require a Form 8-K filing.

• Section 7 explains the requirement for regulation fair disclosure; this requirement addresses the disclosure of nonpublic information to persons involved in securities trading . SEC regulations require that shareholders be informed of insider trading and other improper disclosures.

• Section 8 is devoted to other events not covered under current SEC 8-K rulings; while there is no legal requirement to file Form 8-K for these events, this section discusses the appropriate format and method for such filings.

• Section 9 covers corporate financial statements and other exhibits often attached to Form 8-K filings.

Essentially, any event that could affect the value or performance of the company’s stocks is covered under Form 8-K filing requirements, and necessitates the distribution of the Form 8-K report to the SEC and company stockholders. SEC 8-K rulings require that investors be informed of events and changes that can materially affect the company’s stock performance, financial status, or ability to conduct business.

Form 8-K reports are usually relatively self-explanatory; they generally consist of a text summary outlining the information in a concise manner, along with any supporting material. Because Form 8-K serves a two-fold purpose to inform both the SEC and the shareholders of this information, it must include all material information regarding the event or change. Since these events can seriously affect stock performance and corporate financial health, it is essential that stockholders carefully assess the probable effects of the information provided in order to determine the best course of action regarding their investments.