A form that must be completed by a market maker and filed with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) to initiate or resume quotations for a security on the OTC Bulletin Board, OTC Markets or any similar quotation medium. Form 211 completion indicates that the market maker has satisfied all applicable requirements of SEC Rule 15c2-11, as well as the filing and information requirements of FINRA Rule 6432.
Source:investopedia.com

Rule 144 is a regulation enforced by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that sets the conditions under which restricted, unregistered and control securities can be sold or resold. Rule 144 provides an exemption from registration requirements to sell the securities through public markets if a number of specific conditions are met. The regulation applies to all types of sellers, in addition to issuers of securities, underwriters and dealers.
Source:investopedia.com

Regulation A is exemption from registration requirements – instituted by the Securities Act – that apply to public offerings of securities that do not exceed $5 million in any one-year period. Companies utilizing the Regulation A exemption must still file offering statements with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), however, the companies utilizing the exemption are given distinct advantages over companies that must fully register. The issuer of a Regulation A offering must give buyers documentation with the issue, similar to the prospectus of a registered offering.
Source:investopedia.com

An agency of the U.S. Government that serves at the primary regulator of the securities trade. It attempts to ensure that all trades are fair, and that no price manipulation or insider trading occurs. Additionally, the SEC promotes full disclosure and monitors mergers and acquisitions to ensure continued competitiveness. It works with several self-regulatory organizations, notably FINRA, to enforce its regulations. Most securities offered through interstate commerce must be registered with the SEC.
Source:thefreedictionary.com

A company that specializes in accounting services for clients. That is, an accounting firm may handle a client's payroll, accounts receivable and accounts payable, taxes, and/or any number of other services. Many accounting firms also offer auditing or advisory services
Source:thefreedictionary.com

The sale of a bond or other security directly to a limited number of investors. For example, sale of stocks, bonds, or other investments directly to an institutional investor like an insurance company, avoiding the need for SEC registration if the securities are purchased for investment as opposed to resale. Antithesis of public offering.
Source:thefreedictionary.com

A non-profit organization that regulates auditors of publicly traded companies.
Source:investopedia.com

A self-regulatory organization that assists the SEC in regulating financial markets, notably exchanges and companies that deal with securities. Among other duties, FINRA enforces rules, arbitrates disputes, and provides training and licensing services. Contrary to the belief of some, it is not a government agency. It was created in 2007 with the merger of the National Association of Securities Dealers and the NYSE regulatory board.
Source:thefreedictionary.com

EDGAR is an electronic database that contains all the corporate financial reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Any company with more than $10 million in assets and over 500 shareholders, or that is listed on a major exchange in the United States or quoted on the Over the Counter Bulletin Board (OTCBB) is required to file prospectuses, an annual 10-K -- or audited financial report -- three unaudited 10-Qs, notices of insider trades, tender offers, and other detailed company information. Smaller companies may file voluntarily. You can access all EDGAR filings free of charge on the SEC website (www.sec.gov).
Source:thefreedictionary.com

A transfer agent is a trust company, bank or similar financial institution assigned by a corporation to maintain records of investors and account balances. The transfer agent records transactions, cancels and issues certificates, processes investor mailings and deals with other investor problems (e.g., lost or stolen certificates). A transfer agent works closely with a registrar to ensure that investors receive interest payments and dividends when they are due and to send monthly investment statements to mutual fund shareholders.
Source:investopedia.com

A market maker is a broker-dealer firm that assumes the risk of holding a certain number of shares of a particular security in order to facilitate the trading of that security. Each market maker competes for customer order flow by displaying buy and sell quotations for a guaranteed number of shares, and once an order is received from a buyer, the market maker immediately sells from its own inventory or seeks an offsetting order. The Nasdaq is the prime example of an operation of market makers, given that there are more than 500 member firms that act as Nasdaq market makers, keeping the financial markets running efficiently.
Source:investopedia.com

DTC is the world's largest central securities depository. It accepts deposits of over 2 million equity and debt securities issues (valued at $23 trillion) from over 65 countries for custody, executes book-entry deliveries (valued at over $116 trillion in 2000) records book-entry pledges of those securities, and processes related income distributions DTC is a member of the U.S. Federal Reserve System, a limited-purpose trust company under New York State banking law, a registered clearing agency with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and is owned by the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC), which is in turn owned primarily by most of the major banks, broker-dealers, and exchanges on Wall Street.
Source:thefreedictionary.com

A transaction involving a transfer of funds to another party for safekeeping
Source:investopedia.com

Investor relations (IR) is a department, present in most medium-to-large public companies, that provides investors with an accurate account of company affairs. This helps private and institutional investors make informed buy or sell decisions. A company's IR department also serves as a bridge for providing market intelligence to internal corporate management.
Source:investopedia.com

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is a general term that refers to the consolidation of companies or assets. While there are several types of transactions classified under the notion of M&A, a merger means a combination of two companies to form a new company, while an acquisition is the purchase of one company by another in which no new company is formed.
Source:investopedia.com