Section 25140.

(a) (1) The commissioner may issue a stop order denying effectiveness to, or suspending or revoking the effectiveness of, any qualification of an underwritten offering of securities under Section 25111, 25112 or 25131 or may suspend or revoke any permit issued under Section 25113 or 25122 if he or she finds (A) that the order is in the public interest and (B) that the proposed plan of business of the issuer or the proposed issuance or sale of securities is not fair, just, or equitable, or that the issuer does not intend to transact its business fairly and honestly, or that the securities proposed to be issued or the method to be used in issuing them will tend to work a fraud upon the purchaser thereof.

(2) In the case of an application for or qualification of securities under Section 25111, 25112, or 25131 that is not an underwritten offering of securities, the commissioner may issue a stop order denying effectiveness to, or suspending or revoking the effectiveness of the qualification unless he or she finds (A) that the stop order is not in the public interest and (B) that the proposed plan of business of the applicant or the proposed issuance of securities is fair, just, and equitable, that the issuer intends to transact its business fairly and honestly, and that the securities that the issuer proposes to issue or the method to be used in issuing them are not such as will work a fraud upon the purchaser thereof.

(b) The commissioner may refuse to issue a permit under Section 25113 unless he or she finds that the proposed plan of business of the applicant and the proposed issuance of securities are fair, just, and equitable, that the applicant intends to transact its business fairly and honestly, and that the securities which it proposes to issue and the methods to be used by it in issuing them are not such as, in his or her opinion, will work a fraud upon the purchaser thereof.

(c) The commissioner may refuse to issue a permit under Section 25122 unless he or she finds that the proposed plan of recapitalization or reorganization and the proposed issuance of securities are fair, just, and equitable to all security holders affected.

(d) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivisions (a) and (b) of this section, the commissioner shall not have authority to issue any stop order or to refuse to issue or to suspend or revoke any permit on the basis that the price at which the security is to be offered is unfair, unjust or inequitable in any case where the security is being publicly offered for cash pursuant to a registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933 and the offering is the subject of a firm commitment underwriting by an underwriter or syndicate of underwriters all of whom are registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. For the purposes of this subdivision a firm commitment underwriting means an underwriting pursuant to which the underwriter or syndicate of underwriters is committed to take up and pay for the securities subject only to the usual or customary conditions, but not including any "market out" or similar condition operative after the time of commencement of the offering. (A condition relating to the suspension of all trading on a national securities exchange, a banking holiday, war, civil insurrection, or the like is not a "market out" or similar condition within the meaning of this subdivision.) Nothing contained in this subdivision shall deny authority to the commissioner to issue a stop order or to refuse to issue or to suspend or revoke a permit because of unreasonable discounts, commissions or other compensation to underwriters, sellers or others, unreasonable promoters' profits or participations or unreasonable amounts or kinds of options.

(Amended by Stats. 1990, Ch. 1035, Sec. 2.)