Going Public - a Reference Guide

Federal Securities Laws Governing Public Companies
In the chaotic securities markets of the 1920s, companies often sold stocks and bonds on the basis of glittering promises of fantastic profits without disclosing any meaningful information to investors. These conditions contributed to the disastrous Stock Market Crash of 1929. In response, the U.S. Congress enacted the federal securities laws and created the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to administer them. There are two primary sets of federal laws that come into play when a company wants to offer and sell its securities to the public.