FA Advisor magazine
UPDATE TO THIS ARTICLE – THE DEADLINE TO RETURN HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO 5/14/20
Also, if you need to disclose the PPP loan on your ADV Part 2, it must be done within 30 days. I believe that if the PPP is not disclosed, the SEC may be calling you to discuss why you haven’t disclosed.
Disclosure Of The PPP Loan On Form ADVs
On April 27, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued FAQs specific to advisors experiencing Covid-19 issues. In these FAQs, the SEC addressed whether an advisor who has received a PPP loan has to disclose the loan to its clients through an ADV filing. While the SEC does not directly answer this question in the affirmative, its guidance indicates that advisors are strongly urged to make the disclosure, and we agree. First, the SEC points out that advisors have a fiduciary duty requiring them to “make full and fair disclosure” to clients of “all material facts.” The SEC further states that “if the circumstances leading [the advisor] to seek a PPP loan or other type of financial assistance constitute material facts relating to [the advisor’s] advisory relationship with clients, it is the staff’s view that [the advisor] should provide disclosure of, for example, the nature, amount and effects of such assistance.” While the SEC lists two specific examples of situations requiring ADV disclosures (paying advisory personnel salaries and meeting contractual commitments to clients), we believe there are very few scenarios, if any, in which the acceptance of the PPP loan would be immaterial and not disclosable in an advisor’s ADV. Given that the PPP loan requires certification that the loan is necessary to support ongoing operations and can only be used for limited crucial expenses associated with the advisor, such as rent payments and utilities, the SEC would likely deem the acceptance of PPP funds as a material fact for purposes of the ADV. The reason why is because acceptance of the PPP funds is relevant to the financial condition of the advisor. If an advisor returns the PPP loan by the May 7 deadline, ADV reporting would likely be unnecessary.
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