Disclosable Event

A corporate event that is disclosed to shareholders. Securites law states that all material information be disclosed. When this occurs it is said to be a disclosable event. Non-disclosable events - in which material information is withheld from shareholders - go against securities law as enforced by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The term "disclosable event" was popularized in April 2009 by former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson in his talks with Ken Lewis regarding keeping quiet about Merrill Lynch's mounting billion-dollar losses. "We do not want a disclosable event" said Paulson, implying that if this information was disclosed and Bank of America didn't go ahead with the acquisition of the failing brokerage firm, it could pose major systemic risk.