Title 17

SECTION 200.402

200.402 Closed meetings.

§ 200.402 Closed meetings.

(a) Nonpublic matters. Pursuant to the general or special procedures for closing Commission meetings, as set forth in § 200.404 or § 200.405, respectively, a meeting, or any portion thereof, shall be closed to public observation where the Commission determines that such meeting, or a portion thereof, is likely to:

(1) Disclose matters specifically authorized under criteria established by an executive order to be kept secret in the interests of national defense or foreign policy, and in fact properly classified pursuant to such executive order.

(2) Relate solely to the internal personnel rules and practices of the Commission or any other agency, including, but not limited to, discussion concerning:

(i) Operation rules, guidelines, and manuals of procedure for investigators, attorneys, accountants, and other employees, other than those rules, guidelines, and manuals which establish legal requirements to which members of the public are expected to conform; or

(ii) Hiring, termination, promotion, discipline, compensation, or reward of any Commission employee or member, the existence, investigation, or disposition of a complaint against any Commission employee or member, the physical or mental condition of any Commission employee or member, the handling of strictly internal matters, which would tend to infringe on the privacy of the staff or members of the Commission, or similar subjects.

(3) Disclose matters specifically exempted from disclosure by statute (other than 5 U.S.C. 552): Provided, That such statute requires that the matters be withheld from the public in such a manner as to leave no discretion on the issue, or establishes particular criteria for withholding or refers to particular types of matters to be withheld.

(4) Disclose trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person and privileged or confidential, including, but not limited to:

(i) Information contained in letters of comment in connection with registration statements, applications for registration or other material filed with the Commission, replies thereto, and related material which is deemed to have been submitted to the Commission in confidence or to be confidential at the instance of the registrant or person who has filed such material unless the contrary clearly appears; and

(ii) Information contained in any document submitted to or required to be filed with the Commission where the Commission has undertaken formally or informally to receive such submission or filing for its use or the use of specified persons only, such as preliminary proxy material filed pursuant to Rule 14a-6 under the Securities Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-6), reports filed pursuant to Rule 316(a) under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.316(a)), agreements filed pursuant to Rule 15c3-1 under the Securities Exchange Act, 17 CFR 240.15c3-1, schedules filed pursuant to Part I of Form X-17A-5 (17 CFR 249.617) in accordance with Rule 17a-5(b)(3) under the Securities Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.17a-5(b)(3)), statements filed pursuant to Rule 17a-5(k)(1) under the Securities Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.17a-5(k)(1)), confidential reports filed pursuant to Rules 17a-9, 17a-10, 17a-12 and 17a-16 under the Securities Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.17a-9, 240.17a-10, 240.17a-12, and 240.17a-16), and any information filed with the Commission and confidential pursuant to section 45 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, 15 U.S.C. 80a-44, or Rule 45a-1 thereunder (17 CFR 270.45a-1); and

(iii) Information contained in reports, summaries, analyses, letters, of memoranda arising out of, in anticipation of, or in connection with, an examination or inspection of the books and records of any person or any other investigation.

(5) Involve accusing any person of a crime, or formally censuring any person, including, but not limited to, consideration of whether to:

(i) Institute, continue, or conclude administrative proceedings or any formal or informal investigation or inquiry, whether public or nonpublic, against or involving any person, alleging a violation of any provision of the federal securities laws, or the rules and regulations thereunder, or any other statute or rule a violation of which is punishable as a crime; or

(ii) Commence, participate in, or terminate judicial proceedings alleging a violation of any provision of the federal securities laws, or the rules and regulations thereunder, or any other statute or rule a violation of which is punishable as a crime; or

(iii) Issue a report or statement discussing the conduct of any person and the relationship of that conduct to possible violations of any provision of the federal securities laws, or the rules and regulations thereunder, or any other statute or rule a violation of which is punishable as a crime; or

(iv) Transmit, or disclose, with or without recommendation, any Commission memorandum, file, document, or record to the Department of Justice, a United States Attorney, any federal, state, local, or foreign governmental authority or foreign securities authority, any professional association, or any securities industry self-regulatory organization, in order that the recipient may consider the institution of proceedings against any person or the taking of any action that might involve accusing any person of a crime or formally censuring any person; or

(v) Seek from, act upon, or act jointly with respect to, any information, file, document, or record where such action could lead to accusing any person of a crime or formally censuring any person by any entity described in paragraph (a)(5)(iv) of this section.

(6) Disclose information of a personal nature, where disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.

(7)(i) Disclose investigatory records compiled for law enforcement purposes, or information which, if written, would be contained in such records, to the extent that the production of such records would:

(A) Interfere with enforcement activities undertaken, or likely to be undertaken, by the Commission or the Department of Justice, or any United States Attorney, or any Federal, State, local, or foreign governmental authority or foreign securities authority, any professional association, or any securities industry self-regulatory organization;

(B) Deprive a person of a right to a fair trial or an impartial adjudication;

(D) Disclose the identity of a confidential source and, in the case of a record compiled by a criminal law enforcement authority in the course of a criminal investigation, or by an agency conducting a lawful national security intelligence investigation, confidential information furnished only by the confidential source;

(E) Disclose investigative techniques and procedures; or

(F) Endanger the life or physical safety of law enforcement personnel.

(ii) The term investigatory records includes, but is not limited to, all documents, records, transcripts, evidentiary materials of any nature, correspondence, related memoranda, or work product concerning any examination, any investigation (whether formal or informal), or any related litigation, which pertains to, or may disclose, the possible violation by any person of any provision of any statute, rule, or regulation administered by the Commission, by any other Federal, State, local, or foreign governmental authority or foreign securities authority, by any professional association, or by any securities industry self-regulatory organization. The term investigatory records also includes all written communications from, or to, any person complaining or otherwise furnishing information respecting such possible violations, as well as all correspondence or memoranda in connection with such complaints or information.

(8) Disclose information contained in, or related to, any examination, operating, or condition report prepared by, on behalf of, or for the use of, the Commission, any other federal, state, local, or foreign governmental authority or foreign securities authority, or any securities industry self-regulatory organization, responsible for the regulation or supervision of financial institutions.

(9) Disclose information the premature disclosure of which would be likely to

(i)(A) Lead to significant financial speculation in currencies, securities, or commodities, including, but not limited to, discussions concerning the proposed or continued suspension of trading in any security, or the possible investigation of, or institution of activity concerning, any person with respect to conduct involving or affecting publicly-traded securities, or

(B) Significantly endanger the stability of any financial institution; or

(ii) Significantly frustrate the implementation, or the proposed implementation, of any action by the Commission, any other federal, state, local or foreign governmental authority, any foreign securities authority, or any securities industry self-regulatory organization: Provided, however, That this paragraph (a)(9)(ii) shall not apply in any instance where the Commission has already disclosed to the public the precise content or nature of its proposed action, or where the Commission is expressly required by law to make such disclosure on its own initiative prior to taking final agency action on such proposal.

(10) Specifically concern the Commission's consideration of, or its actual: Issuance of a subpoena (whether by the Commission directly or by any Commission employee or member); participation in a civil action or proceeding, an action in a foreign court or international tribunal, or an arbitration; or initiation, conduct, or disposition of a particular case of formal adjudication pursuant to the procedures in 5 U.S.C. 554, or otherwise involving a determination on the record after opportunity for a hearing; including, but not limited to, matters involving

(i) The institution, prosecution, adjudication, dismissal, settlement, or amendment of any administrative proceeding, whether public or nonpublic; or

(ii) The commencement, settlement, defense, or prosecution of any judicial proceeding to which the Commission, or any one or more of its members or employees, is or may become a party; or

(iii) The commencement, conduct, termination, status, or disposition of any inquiry, investigation, or proceedings to which the power to issue subpoenas is, or may become, attendant; or

(iv) The discharge of the Commission's responsibilities involving litigation under any statute concerning the subject of bankruptcy; or

(v) The participation by the Commission (or any employee or member thereof) in, or involvement with, any civil judicial proceeding or any administrative proceeding, whether as a party, as amicus curiae, or otherwise; or

(vi) The disposition of any application for a Commission order of any nature where the issuance of such an order would involve a determination on the record after opportunity for a hearing.

(b) Interpretation of exemptions. The examples set forth § 200.402(a)(1) through (10) of particular matters which may be the subject of closed Commission deliberations are to be construed as illustrative, but not as exhaustive, of the scope of those exemptions.

(c) Public interest determination. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 200.402(a) (concerning the closing of Commission meetings), but subject to the provisions of § 200.409(a) (respecting the right of certain persons to petition for the closing of a Commission meeting), the Commission may conduct any meeting or portion of a meeting in public where the Commission determines, in its discretion, that the public interest renders it appropriate to open such a meeting.

(d) Nonpublic matter in announcements. The Commission may delete from the notice of Commission meetings described in § 200.403, from the announcements concerning closed meetings described in §§ 200.404(b) and 200.405(c), and from the General Counsel's certification described in § 200.406, any information or description the publication of which would be likely to disclose matters of the nature described in § 200.402(a) (concerning the closing of Commission meetings).

(Pub. L. 94-409, 90 Stat. 1241) [42 FR 14693, Mar. 16, 1977; 47 FR 37077, Aug. 25, 1982, as amended at 54 FR 24332, June 7, 1989]