Securities Act of 1933 - Purpose

Purpose

The primary purpose of the '33 Act is to ensure that buyers of securities receive complete and accurate information before they invest. Unlike state blue sky law, which imposes merit reviews, the '33 Act embraces a disclosure philosophy, meaning that in theory, it is not illegal to sell a bad investment, as long as all the facts are accurately disclosed. A company that is required to register under the '33 act must create a registration statement, which includes a prospectus, with copious information about the security, the company, the business, including audited financial statements. The company, the underwriter and other individuals signing the registration statement are strictly liable for any inaccurate statements in the document. This extremely high level of liability exposure drives an enormous effort, known as "due diligence," to ensure that the document is complete and accurate. The law is intended to in this way help bolster and maintain investor confidence in order to support the market.

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