On September 10, 2014, the SEC settled charges against a number of directors and officers, companies and significant stockholders for failing to timely file reports of beneficial ownership. The SEC used computer algorithms and quantitative data sources to identify delinquent filers of Section 16(a) reports (Forms 3, 4 and 5) and Schedules 13D and 13G. The SEC charged 14 individuals serving as public company directors and/or executive officers, five individual beneficial owners of publicly traded securities, 10 investment firms and seven public companies. Thirty-five out of the 36 persons and entities charged agreed to settle (without admitting fault) and paid penalties ranging from $25,000 to $375,000. While the SEC’s actions targeted individuals and companies “with especially high rates of filing deficiencies,” the SEC warned that “[o]fficers, directors, major shareholders, and issuers should all take note: inadvertence is no defense to filing violations, and we will vigorously police these sorts of violations through streamlined actions.” In the cases of the sanctioned directors and officers, many had dozens of unreported or late-reported transactions spanning time periods, in some cases, of over two years. The SEC emphasized that the ultimate legal responsibility for filing beneficial- ownership reports rests with the individual. Directors and officers were not excused from their violations simply because the company where they serve as officer or director failed to make timely filings on their behalf or because brokers failed to provide timely notices of the insiders’ market purchases or sales. With respect to companies, while the SEC encourages companies to assist their insiders with their Section 16(a) reporting obligations, companies that do so may become liable for causing violations by their insiders where the companies act negligently in the performance of those tasks. In addition, companies may become liable for inaccurate proxy statement disclosure if statements about insiders’ Section 16(a) report filings are incorrect.