On October 7, 2014, the SEC published a release in

On October 7, 2014, the SEC published a release instituting proceedings to determine whether to approve FINRA’s request to delete the rules related to, and the operations of, the OTC Bulletin Board quotation service. On June 27, 2014, FINRA quietly filed a proposed rule change with the SEC seeking to adopt rules relating to the quotation requirements for OTC equity services and to delete the rules relating to the OTCBB and thus cease its operations. Although the rule filing was published in the Federal Register, it garnered no attention in the small cap marketplace. Only one comment letter, from OTC Market Group, Inc. (“OTC Markets”) (i.e., the entity that owns and operates the inter-dealer quotation system known by its OTC Pink, OTCQB and OTCQX quotation tiers) was submitted in response to the filing.

The OTCBB has become increasingly irrelevant in the OTC marketplace for years. In October 2010, I wrote a blog titled “Has the OTCBB been replaced by the OTCQX and OTCQB”; at the time and up until May 16, 2013, my opinion was “yes” with one caveat. Prior to May 16, 2013, the OTCBB was considered “an established market” but the OTCQB and OTCQX were not. On May 16, 2013, that caveat was removed (see the blog detailing the changes Here) In particular, on May 16, 2013, the SEC updated their Compliance and Disclosure Interpretations confirming that the OTCQB and OTCQX marketplaces are now considered public marketplaces for purposes of establishing a public market price when registering securities for resale in equity line financings.

Since that time, the OTCBB has been largely irrelevant, and worse, a cause of confusion in the OTC marketplace. The OTC market is comprised of publicly traded securities that are not listed on a national securities exchange. The trading platforms for OTC securities are referred to as “inter-dealer quotation systems.” Today there are two main inter-dealer quotation systems: (i) the OTC Markets comprised of OTCQX, OTCQB, and pinksheets (www.otcmarkets.com); and (ii) the FINRA owed OTCBB (www.otcbb.com). Many small cap participants believe that the OTC marketplace is comprised of a single marketplace, and are confused by the actual existence of two such marketplaces.

The regulatory framework related to inter-dealer quotation services and OTC securities in general is widely centered on ensuring compliance with Section 17B of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Section 17B of the Exchange Act is the Securities Enforcement Remedies and Penny Stock Reform Act of 1990 (the “Penny Stock Act”). Although a complete discussion of the Penny Stock Act is beyond the scope of this blog, the goal of the Act is to ensure the widespread dissemination of reliable and accurate quotation information on penny stocks. Over time, the OTC Markets has become much more efficient in meeting the goals of the Penny Stock Act while at the same time, the OTCBB has become much less efficient at meeting those same goals.

As set forth in the SEC Release, “FINRA proposed to adopt rules: (1) governing the treatment of quotations in OTC equity securities by member inter-dealer quotation systems and addressing fair and non-discriminatory access to such systems; (2) requiring member inter-dealer quotation systems to provide FINRA with a written description of quotation-related data products offered and related pricing information, including fees, rebates, discounts and cross-product pricing incentives; (3) expanding the reporting requirements related to quotation information in OTC equity securities; and (4) deleting the Rule 6500 Series and related rules and thereby ceasing operation of the OTCBB.”

The FINRA rule release seeks to eliminate the OTCBB and impose governing regulations on the remaining inter-dealer quotation system—to wit, the OTC Markets comprised of the OTCQX, OTCQB, and pinksheets (www.otcmarkets.com).