-02 Definitions of terms used in Regulation S-X (17 CFR part 210).
17 C.F.R. § 210.1-02
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01Unless the context otherwise requires, terms defined in the general rules and regulations or in the instructions to the applicable form, when used in Regulation S-X (this part 210), shall have the respective meanings given in such instructions or rules. In addition, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated in this section unless the context otherwise requires.
(a)(1) Accountant's report. The term accountant's report, when used in regard to financial statements, means a document in which an independent public or certified public accountant indicates the scope of the audit (or examination) which he has made and sets forth his opinion regarding the financial statements taken as a whole, or an assertion to the effect that an overall opinion cannot be expressed. When an overall opinion cannot be expressed, the reasons therefor shall be stated.
(2) Attestation report on internal control over financial reporting. The term attestation report on internal control over financial reporting means a report in which a registered public accounting firm expresses an opinion, either unqualified or adverse, as to whether the registrant maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting (as defined in § 240.13a-15(f) or § 240.15d-15(f) of this chapter), except in the rare circumstance of a scope limitation that cannot be overcome by the registrant or the registered public accounting firm which would result in the accounting firm disclaiming an opinion.
(3) Attestation report on assessment of compliance with servicing criteria for asset-backed securities. The term attestation report on assessment of compliance with servicing criteria for asset-backed securities means a report in which a registered public accounting firm, as required by § 240.13a-18(c) or § 240.15d-18(c) of this chapter, expresses an opinion, or states that an opinion cannot be expressed, concerning an asserting party's assessment of compliance with servicing criteria, as required by § 240.13a-18(b) or § 240.15d-18(b) of this chapter, in accordance with standards on attestation engagements. When an overall opinion cannot be expressed, the registered public accounting firm must state why it is unable to express such an opinion.
(4) Definitions of terms related to internal control over financial reporting.
Material weakness means a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting (as defined in § 240.13a-15(f) or § 240.15d-15(f) of this chapter) such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the registrant's annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
Significant deficiency means a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting that is less severe than a material weakness, yet important enough to merit attention by those responsible for oversight of the registrant's financial reporting.
(b) Affiliate. An affiliate of, or a person affiliated with, a specific person is a person that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, or is controlled by, or is under common control with, the person specified.
(c) Amount. The term amount, when used in regard to securities, means the principal amount if relating to evidences of indebtedness, the number of shares if relating to shares, and the number of units if relating to any other kind of security.
(d) Audit (or examination). The term audit (or examination), when used in regard to financial statements of issuers as defined by section 2(a)(7) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, means an examination of the financial statements by an independent accountant in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) for the purpose of expressing an opinion thereon. See § 210.15-01(a) for definition of an audit when used in regard to financial statements of an entity that will combine with an entity that is a shell company (other than a business combination related shell company). When used in regard to financial statements of entities that are not issuers as defined by section 2(a)(7) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, other than in transactions where § 210.15-01(a) applies, the term means an examination of the financial statements by an independent accountant in accordance with either the standards of the PCAOB or U.S. generally accepted auditing standards (“U.S. GAAS”) as specified or permitted in this part and forms applicable to those entities for the purpose of expressing an opinion thereon. The standards of the PCAOB and U.S. GAAS may be modified or supplemented by the Commission.
(e) Bank holding company. The term bank holding company means a person which is engaged, either directly or indirectly, primarily in the business of owning securities of one or more banks for the purpose, and with the effect, of exercising control.
(f) Certified. The term certified, when used in regard to financial statements, means examined and reported upon with an opinion expressed by an independent public or certified public accountant.
(g) Control. The term control (including the terms controlling, controlled by and under common control with) means the possession, direct or indirect, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of a person, whether through the ownership of voting shares, by contract, or otherwise.
(h) Development stage company. A company shall be considered to be in the development stage if it is devoting substantially all of its efforts to establishing a new business and either of the following conditions exists: (1) Planned principal operations have not commenced. (2) Planned principal operations have commenced, but there has been no significant revenue therefrom.
(i) Equity security. The term equity security means any stock or similar security; or any security convertible, with or without consideration, into such a security, or carrying any warrant or right to subscribe to or purchase such a security; or any such warrant or right.
(j) Fifty-percent-owned person. The term 50-percent-owned person, in relation to a specified person, means a person approximately 50 percent of whose outstanding voting shares is owned by the specified person either directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries.
(k) Fiscal year. The term fiscal year means the annual accounting period or, if no closing date has been adopted, the calendar year ending on December 31.
(l) Foreign business. A business that is majority owned by persons who are not citizens or residents of the United States and is not organized under the laws of the United States or any state thereof, and either:
(1) More than 50 percent of its assets are located outside the United States; or
(2) The majority of its executive officers and directors are not United States citizens or residents.
(m) Insurance holding company. The term insurance holding company means a person which is engaged, either directly or indirectly, primarily in the business of owning securities of one or more insurance companies for the purpose, and with the effect, of exercising control.
(n) Majority-owned subsidiary. The term majority-owned subsidiary means a subsidiary more than 50 percent of whose outstanding voting shares is owned by its parent and/or the parent's other majority-owned subsidiaries.
(o) Material. The term material, when used to qualify a requirement for the furnishing of information as to any subject, limits the information required to those matters about which an average prudent investor ought reasonably to be informed.
(p) Parent. A parent of a specified person is an affiliate controlling such person directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries.
(q) Person. The term person means an individual, a corporation, a partnership, an association, a joint-stock company, a business trust, or an unincorporated organization.
(r) Principal holder of equity securities. The term principal holder of equity securities, used in respect of a registrant or other person named in a particular statement or report, means a holder of record or a known beneficial owner of more than 10 percent of any class of equity securities of the registrant or other person, respectively, as of the date of the related balance sheet filed.
(s) Promoter. The term promoter includes:
(1) Any person who, acting alone or in conjunction with one or more other persons, directly or indirectly takes initiative in founding and organizing the business or enterprise of an issuer;
(2) Any person who, in connection with the founding and organizing of the business or enterprise of an issuer, directly or indirectly receives in consideration of services or property, or both services and property, 10 percent or more of any class of securities of the issuer or 10 percent or more of the proceeds from the sale of any class of securities. However, a person who receives such securities or proceeds either solely as underwriting commissions or solely in consideration of property shall not be deemed a promoter within the meaning of this paragraph if such person does not otherwise take part in founding and organizing the enterprise.
(t) Registrant. The term registrant means the issuer of the securities for which an application, a registration statement, or a report is filed.
(u) Related parties. The term related parties is used as that term is defined in the FASB ASC Master Glossary.
(v) Share. The term share means a share of stock in a corporation or unit of interest in an unincorporated person.
(w) Significant subsidiary. (1) The term significant subsidiary means a subsidiary, including its subsidiaries, which meets any of the conditions in paragraph (w)(1)(i), (ii), or (iii) of this section; however if the registrant is a registered investment company or a business development company, the tested subsidiary meets any of the conditions in paragraph (w)(2) of this section instead of any of the conditions in this paragraph (w)(1). In an acquisition by a predecessor to a shell company, use the predecessor's consolidated financial statements instead of those of the shell company registrant in applying the significance tests in paragraphs (w)(1)(i), (ii), and (iii) of this section. A registrant that files its financial statements in accordance with or provides a reconciliation to U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (U.S. GAAP) must use amounts determined under U.S. GAAP. A foreign private issuer that files its financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IFRS-IASB) must use amounts determined under IFRS-IASB.(
(i) Investment test. (A) For acquisitions, other than those described in paragraph (w)(1)(i)(B) of this section, and dispositions this test is met when the registrant's and its other subsidiaries' investments in and advances to the tested subsidiary exceed 10 percent of the aggregate worldwide market value of the registrant's voting and non-voting common equity, or if the registrant has no such aggregate worldwide market value the total assets of the registrant and its subsidiaries consolidated as of the end of the most recently completed fiscal year.
(1) For acquisitions, the “investments in” the tested subsidiary is the consideration transferred, adjusted to exclude the registrant's and its other subsidiaries' proportionate interest in the carrying value of assets transferred by the registrant and its subsidiaries consolidated to the tested subsidiary that will remain with the combined entity after the acquisition. It must include the fair value of contingent consideration if required to be recognized at fair value by the registrant at the acquisition date under U.S. GAAP or IFRS-IASB, as applicable; however if recognition at fair value is not required, it must include all contingent consideration, except contingent consideration for which the likelihood of payment is remote.
(2) For dispositions, the “investments in” the tested subsidiary is the fair value of the consideration, including contingent consideration, for the disposed subsidiary when comparing to the aggregate worldwide market value of the registrant's voting and non-voting common equity, or, when the registrant has no such aggregate worldwide market value, the carrying value of the disposed subsidiary when comparing to total assets of the registrant.
(3) When determining the aggregate worldwide market value of the registrant's voting and non-voting common equity, use the average of such aggregate worldwide market value calculated daily for the last five trading days of the registrant's most recently completed month ending prior to the earlier of the registrant's announcement date or agreement date of the acquisition or disposition.
(B) For a combination between entities or businesses under common control, this test is met when either the net book value of the tested subsidiary exceeds 10 percent of the registrant's and its subsidiaries' consolidated total assets or the number of common shares exchanged or to be exchanged by the registrant exceeds 10 percent of its total common shares outstanding at the date the combination is initiated.
(C) In all other cases, this test is met when the registrant's and its other subsidiaries' investments in and advances to the tested subsidiary exceed 10 percent of the total assets of the registrant and its subsidiaries consolidated as of the end of the most recently completed fiscal year.
(ii) Asset test. This test is met when the registrant's and its other subsidiaries' proportionate share of the tested subsidiary's consolidated total assets (after intercompany eliminations) exceeds 10 percent of such total assets of the registrant and its subsidiaries consolidated as of the end of the most recently completed fiscal year.
(iii) Income test. (A) This test is met when:
(1) The absolute value of the registrant's and its other subsidiaries' equity in the tested subsidiary's consolidated income or loss from continuing operations before income taxes (after intercompany eliminations) attributable to the controlling interests exceeds 10 percent of the absolute value of such income or loss of the registrant and its subsidiaries consolidated for the most recently completed fiscal year; and
(2) The registrant's and its other subsidiaries' proportionate share of the tested subsidiary's consolidated total revenue from continuing operations (after intercompany eliminations) exceeds 10 percent of such total revenue of the registrant and its subsidiaries consolidated for the most recently completed fiscal year. This paragraph (w)(1)(iii)(A)(2) does not apply if either the registrant and its subsidiaries consolidated or the tested subsidiary did not have material revenue in each of the two most recently completed fiscal years.
(B) When determining the income component in paragraph (w)(1)(iii)(A)(1) of this section:
(1) If a net loss from continuing operations before income taxes (after intercompany eliminations) attributable to the controlling interest has been incurred by either the registrant and its subsidiaries consolidated or the tested subsidiary, but not both, exclude the equity in the income or loss from continuing operations before income taxes (after intercompany eliminations) of the tested subsidiary attributable to the controlling interest from such income or loss of the registrant and its subsidiaries consolidated for purposes of the computation;
(2) Compute the test using the average described in this paragraph (w)(1)(iii)(B)(2) if the revenue component in paragraph (w)(1)(iii)(A)(2) of this section does not apply and the absolute value of the registrant's and its subsidiaries' consolidated income or loss from continuing operations before income taxes (after intercompany eliminations) attributable to the controlling interests for the most recent fiscal year is at least 10 percent lower than the average of the absolute value of such amounts for each of its last five fiscal years; and
(3) Entities reporting losses must not be aggregated with entities reporting income where the test involves combined entities, as in the case of determining whether summarized financial data must be presented or whether the aggregate impact specified in §§ 210.3-05(b)(2)(iv) and 210.3-14(b)(2)(i)(C) is met, except when determining whether related businesses meet this test for purposes of §§ 210.3-05 and 210.8-04.
(2) For a registrant that is a registered investment company or a business development company, the term significant subsidiary means a subsidiary, including its subsidiaries, which meets any of the following conditions using amounts determined under U.S. GAAP and, if applicable, section 2(a)(41) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-2(a)(41)):
(i) Investment test. The value of the registrant's and its other subsidiaries' investments in and advances to the tested subsidiary exceed 10 percent of the value of the total investments of the registrant and its subsidiaries consolidated as of the end of the most recently completed fiscal year; or
(ii) Income test. The absolute value of the sum of combined investment income from dividends, interest, and other income, the net realized gains and losses on investments, and the net change in unrealized gains and losses on investments from the tested subsidiary (except, for purposes of § 210.6-11, the absolute value of the change in net assets resulting from operations of the tested subsidiary), for the most recently completed fiscal year exceeds:
(A) 80 percent of the absolute value of the change in net assets resulting from operations of the registrant and its subsidiaries consolidated for the most recently completed fiscal year; or
(B) 10 percent of the absolute value of the change in net assets resulting from operations of the registrant and its subsidiaries consolidated for the most recently completed fiscal year and the investment test (paragraph (w)(2)(i) of this section) condition exceeds 5 percent. However, if the absolute value of the change in net assets resulting from operations of the registrant and its subsidiaries consolidated is at least 10 percent lower than the average of the absolute value of such amounts for each of its last five fiscal years, then the registrant may compute both conditions of the income test using the average of the absolute value of such amounts for the registrant and its subsidiaries consolidated for each of its last five fiscal years.
(x) Subsidiary. A subsidiary of a specified person is an affiliate controlled by such person directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries.
(y) Totally held subsidiary. The term totally held subsidiary means a subsidiary (1) substantially all of whose outstanding equity securities are owned by its parent and/or the parent's other totally held subsidiaries, and (2) which is not indebted to any person other than its parent and/or the parent's other totally held subsidiaries, in an amount which is material in relation to the particular subsidiary, excepting indebtedness incurred in the ordinary course of business which is not overdue and which matures within 1 year from the date of its creation, whether evidenced by securities or not. Indebtedness of a subsidiary which is secured by its parent by guarantee, pledge, assignment, or otherwise is to be excluded for purposes of paragraph (x)(2) of this section.
(z) Voting shares. The term voting shares means the sum of all rights, other than as affected by events of default, to vote for election of directors and/or the sum of all interests in an unincorporated person.
(aa) Wholly owned subsidiary. The term wholly owned subsidiary means a subsidiary substantially all of whose outstanding voting shares are owned by its parent and/or the parent's other wholly owned subsidiaries.
(bb) Summarized financial information. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (bb)(2) of this section, summarized financial information referred to in this part shall mean the presentation of summarized information as to the assets, liabilities and results of operations of the entity for which the information is required. Summarized financial information shall include the following disclosures, which may be subject to appropriate variation to conform to the nature of the entity's business:
(i) Current assets, noncurrent assets, current liabilities, noncurrent liabilities, and, when applicable, redeemable preferred stocks (see § 210.5-02.27) and noncontrolling interests (for specialized industries in which classified balance sheets are normally not presented, information shall be provided as to the nature and amount of the majority components of assets and liabilities);
(ii) Net sales or gross revenues, gross profit (or, alternatively, costs and expenses applicable to net sales or gross revenues), income or loss from continuing operations, net income or loss, and net income or loss attributable to the entity (for specialized industries, other information may be substituted for sales and related costs and expenses if necessary for a more meaningful presentation); and
(2) Summarized financial information for unconsolidated subsidiaries and 50 percent or less owned persons referred to in and required by § 210.10-01(b) for interim periods shall include the information required by paragraph (bb)(1)(ii) of this section.
(cc) Statement(s) of comprehensive income. The term statement(s) of comprehensive income means a financial statement that includes all changes in equity during a period except those resulting from investments by owners and distributions to owners. Comprehensive income comprises all components of net income and all components of other comprehensive income. The statement of comprehensive income may be presented either in a single continuous financial statement or in two separate but consecutive financial statements. A statement(s) of operations or variations thereof may be used in place of a statement(s) of comprehensive income if there was no other comprehensive income during the period(s).
(dd) Restricted net assets. The term restricted net assets shall mean that amount of the registrant's proportionate share of net assets of consolidated subsidiaries (after intercompany eliminations) which as of the end of the most recent fiscal year may not be transferred to the parent company by subsidiaries in the form of loans, advances or cash dividends without the consent of a third party (i.e., lender, regulatory agency, foreign government, etc.). Not all limitations on transferability of assets are considered to be restrictions for purposes of this rule, which considers only specific third party restrictions on the ability of subsidiaries to transfer funds outside of the entity. For example, the presence of subsidiary debt which is secured by certain of the subsidiary's assets does not constitute a restriction under this rule. However, if there are any loan provisions prohibiting dividend payments, loans or advances to the parent by a subsidiary, these are considered restrictions for purposes of computing restricted net assets. When a loan agreement requires that a subsidiary maintain certain working capital, net tangible asset, or net asset levels, or where formal compensating arrangements exist, there is considered to be a restriction under the rule because the lender's intent is normally to preclude the transfer by dividend or otherwise of funds to the parent company. Similarly, a provision which requires that a subsidiary reinvest all of its earnings is a restriction, since this precludes loans, advances or dividends in the amount of such undistributed earnings by the entity. Where restrictions on the amount of funds which may be loaned or advanced differ from the amount restricted as to transfer in the form of cash dividends, the amount least restrictive to the subsidiary shall be used. Redeemable preferred stocks (§ 210.5-02.27) and noncontrolling interests shall be deducted in computing net assets for purposes of this test.
Source: eCFRURL: https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2024-07-01/title-17.xmlFetched: 7/26/2026