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SIE: Capital Markets & Offerings
SIE practice questionhardAll-or-None Underwriting

In an all-or-none (AON) underwriting arrangement, what happens if the underwriter cannot sell the entire issue?

  1. AThe underwriter must purchase all remaining shares for its own account
  2. BThe underwriter keeps whatever shares it has sold and returns the rest to the issuer
  3. CThe issuer is required to lower the offering price until all shares are sold
  4. DThe entire offering is canceled and all investor funds are returned✓ Correct answer
Explanation

Why DThe entire offering is canceled and all investor funds are returned

In an all-or-none underwriting, the entire offering is canceled if the underwriter cannot sell all of the shares by a specified date. All investor funds held in escrow are returned. This protects the issuer from raising only a portion of the capital it needs. An AON is a type of best efforts underwriting — the underwriter does not commit to purchasing unsold shares (unlike firm commitment). Choice A describes a regular best efforts arrangement. Choice D describes a firm commitment underwriting.

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