Customer Success Story
Filing SEC Form 11-K After Consolidating Three 401(K) Plans
SEC deadline approaching, no experienced staff, three audit reports to reconcile
A global specialty materials manufacturer had recently completed acquisitions that consolidated three separate 401(k) plans into a single corporate structure. As a publicly traded company whose plan offered employees securities as an investment option, it was required to file SEC Form 11-K, an annual financial disclosure specific to retirement plans that hold company stock.
The employees who had prepared prior years’ filings were no longer with the organization, leaving the responsibility with a team member unfamiliar with the process. Complicating matters further, the newly consolidated structure required reconciliation of three separate audit reports, prepared by different auditors and presented using slightly different reporting approaches. With the SEC deadline approaching, the company needed clarity on both process and presentation to ensure the filing was accurate and timely.
Reconciling three legacy audit reports and preparing a consolidated form 11-k
SBA was engaged to manage the Form 11-K process from start to finish. The team reviewed prior-year filings to understand historical reporting methodology and identify how balances had been presented across the three entities.
SBA gathered financial data from each audit report, reconciled beginning and ending balances, and aligned reporting formats to support a consolidated filing. Because auditors cannot prepare the filing themselves due to independence requirements, SBA served as the coordinating party responsible for compiling and structuring the submission.
Once reconciled and validated, SBA prepared a submission-ready Form 11-K and provided it to the client for filing with the SEC within the required timeframe.
SEC deadline met; process documented for a more streamlined annual filing
The company met its SEC filing deadline without penalties or amendments. By reconciling multiple legacy audit reports into a cohesive, consolidated filing, SBA eliminated uncertainty created by the recent acquisitions and loss of institutional knowledge.
The resulting process documentation now provides a clear roadmap for future filings under a unified audit structure, establishing comprehensive procedures and positioning the company for a more streamlined annual process going forward.