U.S. Securities Act of 1933

E1733

The U.S. Securities Act of 1933 is a landmark federal law that established strict disclosure requirements for securities offerings to protect investors and restore confidence in financial markets after widespread abuses revealed by the stock market crash and ensuing economic crisis.


Statements (57)
Predicate Object
instanceOf United States federal statute
securities law
administeredBy U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
aimsToPrevent widespread abuses in securities offerings revealed after the 1929 crash
alsoKnownAs Federal Securities Act
Securities Act of 1933
Truth in Securities Act
’33 Act
appliesTo interstate securities offerings
securities offerings using instruments of transportation or communication in interstate commerce
securities offerings using the mails
codifiedAt 15 U.S.C. §§ 77a–77aa
contains exemptions from registration
country United States
createdRegimeOf mandatory disclosure for securities offerings
dateSigned 1933-05-27
effectiveDate 1933-07-27
enactedBy United States Congress
establishesLiabilityFor fraudulent or deceptive practices in the offer or sale of securities
material misstatements in registration statements
omission of material facts in registration statements
exemptionType exempt securities such as government securities
intrastate offerings exemption
private offerings exemption
formsPartOf U.S. federal securities laws framework
historicalContext Great Depression
aftermath of 1929 stock market crash
influenced development of modern securities regulation in the United States
keyProvision Section 11 civil liability for material misstatements in registration statements
Section 12(a)(1) liability for unlawful offers and sales
Section 12(a)(2) liability for misstatements or omissions in prospectuses or oral communications
Section 17(a) antifraud provisions
Section 5 registration requirements
laterInterpretedBy Regulation A
Regulation D
Regulation S
policyApproach disclosure-based regulation rather than merit regulation
primaryPurpose protect investors
require full and fair disclosure in securities offerings
restore confidence in securities markets
providesFor civil remedies for investors
criminal penalties for willful violations
regulates offer and sale of securities
relatedTo Securities Exchange Act of 1934
requires delivery of a prospectus to investors
filing of a registration statement
registration of public securities offerings with the federal government
section Section 11
Section 12(a)(1)
Section 12(a)(2)
Section 17(a)
Section 5
signedBy Franklin D. Roosevelt
subjectMatter other investment securities
public offerings of bonds
public offerings of stocks
yearEnacted 1933

Referenced by (34)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ("Securities Act of 1933")
Investment Company Act of 1940 ("Securities Act of 1933")
Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 ("Securities Act of 1933")
Regulation D ("Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933")
Regulation S ("Section 5 of the Securities Act of 1933")
U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934
relatedTo
'33 Act ("Truth in Securities Act")
U.S. Securities Act of 1933 ("Securities Act of 1933")
U.S. Securities Act of 1933 ("Truth in Securities Act")
U.S. Securities Act of 1933 ("Federal Securities Act")
alsoKnownAs
Form D ("Securities Act of 1933")
Reg A ("Securities Act of 1933")
Regulation A ("Securities Act of 1933")
Regulation D ("Securities Act of 1933")
legalBasis
National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996 ("Securities Act of 1933")
Securities Act Amendments of 1964 ("Securities Act of 1933")
amends
'34 Act ("Securities Act of 1933")
Public Law 73-291 ("Securities Act of 1933")
complements
73rd United States Congress ("Securities Act of 1933")
73rd United States Congress ("Truth in Securities Act")
enacted
Division of Enforcement ("Securities Act of 1933")
Division of Enforcement of the SEC ("Securities Act of 1933")
legalAuthority
Division of Investment Management ("Securities Act of 1933")
appliesLaw
Regulation S ("Securities Act of 1933")
basedOnStatute
U.S. Securities Act of 1933 ("15 U.S.C. §§ 77a–77aa")
codifiedAt
Rule 144A ("Securities Act of 1933")
codifiedIn
Commerce and Trade ("Securities Act of 1933 (codified sections)")
contains
U.S. Congress ("Securities Act of 1933")
enactsLaw
Securities and Exchange Commission ("Securities Act of 1933")
enforces
Office of Structured Finance ("Securities Act of 1933")
governedBy
Great Depression
hasKeyEvent
'33 Act ("Securities Act of 1933")
hasOfficialName
Wall Street Crash of 1929 ("Securities Act of 1933")
influenced
United States federal securities markets ("Securities Act of 1933")
legalFramework

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