SEC proposal to end quarterly reporting draws more than 200,000 mostly negative comments

Investors and market groups largely opposed the SEC plan to let companies switch from quarterly filings to semiannual reports, while a dispute over a comment-submission email address may complicate the rulemaking process.

Summary

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s proposal to let public companies replace three quarterly Form 10-Q filings with a semiannual Form 10-S alongside the annual 10-K has drawn broad opposition from investors and market groups. Better Markets said its review of comments posted on the SEC’s website found close to 99% against the change, while the agency has posted more than 66,000 comments and is still working through a backlog; Amanda Fischer said she believes the total could reach 200,000, citing a figure she attributed to Chairman Paul Atkins at an internal town hall. The Council of Institutional Investors, whose members manage about $5.2 trillion, warned the shift could weaken auditor review and management certification and worsen share-price volatility, while a filing from the Reddit community r/wallstreetbets said quarterly reports are a key tool for retail investors learning to analyze companies. The proposal, issued May 5, 2026, in Release No. 33-11414, has also become entangled in a dispute over whether the Federal Register listed the wrong comment email address. Better Markets said the use of rule-comment@sec.gov instead of rule-comments@sec.gov may have prevented some submissions from being received before the July 6 deadline, though an SEC spokesperson said both addresses are valid. The issue matters because agencies must consider and respond to significant comments under the Administrative Procedure Act before finalizing a rule, and critics say less frequent reporting would reduce transparency for retail investors, including digital asset companies that may go public under the same framework.

Terms & Concepts
  • Form 10-Q: A quarterly report public companies file with the SEC containing financial statements and updates on operations and risks.
  • Form 10-K: A public company’s annual report to the SEC, typically providing audited financial statements and a detailed review of the business.
  • Administrative Procedure Act: A U.S. law that governs how federal agencies propose and finalize rules, including requirements to collect and consider public comments.