The Registration Process

In general, securities offered or sold to the public in the U.S. must be registered by filing a registration statement with the SEC. The prospectus, which is the document through which an issuer’s securities are marketed to a potential investor, is generally filed in conjunction with the registration statement. The SEC prescribes the relevant forms on which an issuer's securities must be registered. Among other things, registration forms call for:
a description of the issuer's properties and business;
a description of the securities to be offered for sale;
information about the management of the issuer;
information about the securities (if other than common stock); and
financial statements certified by independent accountants.
Registration statements and prospectuses become public shortly after they are filed with the SEC. If filed by U.S. domestic issuers, the statements are available from the SEC's website using EDGAR. Registration statements are subject to SEC examination for compliance with disclosure requirements. It is illegal for an issuer to lie in or to omit material facts from a registration statement or prospectus.
Not all offerings of securities must be registered with the SEC. Some exemptions from the registration requirements include:
private offerings to a limited number of persons or institutions;
offerings of limited size;
intrastate offerings; and
securities of municipal, state, and federal governments.
One of the key exceptions to the registration requirement, Rule 144, is discussed in greater detail below.
Regardless of whether securities must be registered, the 1933 Act makes it illegal to commit fraud in conjunction with the offer or sale of securities. A defrauded investor can sue for recovery under the 1933 Act.