Interactive SEC filings coming soon

SEC Chairman Christopher Cox gave a speech last week in which he said that interactive SEC filings in which the data could be manipulated and searches could be easier are just months away, according to a column in the Baltimore Sun by Jay Hancock.

Hancock wrote: “Cox wants the financial reports that corporations file with the Securities and Exchange Commission to become interactive so shareholders or bondholders can quickly find and compare the information they need, instead of scrolling through pages and pages of documents on the Web.”

Hancock later adds: “A fully interactive SEC would be much more accurate and affordable. It could also allow cool research beyond the stuff most investors focus on.

“Want to find the highest-paid CEOs in your state? The U.S.-based company with the most annual sales in Europe? Performance of unionized companies vs. non-unionized ones? Depending on deep the data-tagging goes, it could be available with a few clicks.”

If this happens, the possibilities for business journalists are unbelievable. It would obviously make filings much more friendly to reporters seeking information.

Read Hancock’s column here.