How to Check a Company's CFO Change in SEC Filings: 8-K, 6-K and What Foreign Issuers File Instead

A CFO change at a US-listed company shows up in one of two SEC forms. Domestic issuers file a Form 8-K, due within four business days of the event. Foreign private issuers (FPIs) furnish a Form 6-K instead, which has no item numbers and no fixed day count.

Two October 2026 filings show both paths. OFA Group reported Eugene M. Johnston as CFO on an 8-K, and Luda Technology Group reported Liu Liangping as CFO on a 6-K effective 5 October 2026. Last checked: 15 October 2026.

How do you find a CFO change filing on EDGAR?

Search the company on EDGAR and filter by form type. The SEC says EDGAR identifies filings by form type, shown in the first column of the results, and its Latest Filings Search can filter by company, CIK or form type.

Look for 8-K first. If the company has no 8-Ks but files 6-Ks and a Form 20-F, it is a foreign private issuer. The cover page of a 6-K asks whether the registrant files annual reports on Form 20-F or Form 40-F, which tells you which annual-report path the company uses.

Which form reports a CFO change: 8-K or 6-K?

It depends on whether the company is a foreign private issuer. Form 6-K must be used by FPIs that are required to furnish reports under Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16 of the Exchange Act. The SEC's 2004 adopting release applied the 8-K requirements to reporting companies other than FPIs that file annual reports on Form 20-F or 40-F.

Linklaters summarises the practical result: FPIs furnish current reports on Form 6-K rather than the more prescriptive Form 8-K.

Incorporation abroad does not settle it. OFA Group's 8-K cover page lists the Cayman Islands as its place of incorporation, and the company filed an 8-K anyway. Trust the form type on EDGAR, not the country on the cover.

What does an 8-K say about a new CFO? The OFA Group example

An 8-K reports a CFO change under Item 5.02. Paragraph (b) covers the departure of a principal financial officer and paragraph (c) covers the appointment of a new principal financial officer. The SEC says the company must disclose the officer's name, position, date of appointment, background, certain related transactions and a brief description of the material terms of any employment agreement.

OFA Group (Nasdaq: OFAL, Rolling Hills, California, incorporated in the Cayman Islands) filed an 8-K with the date of earliest event reported as September 30, 2026. The filing states:

The filing is signed by Li Hsien Wong as Chief Executive Officer and dated October 5, 2026. The board action on 1 October 2026, a Thursday, puts the four-business-day limit at 7 October, so the 5 October signature date sits inside the window.

For more on reading this item, see How to Read an 8-K Item 5.02 to Verify an Executive Appointment. A worked example of a CFO hire from another company is in Baxter Names John Rogers CFO Effective October 1.

What does a 6-K say about a new CFO? The Luda Technology example

A 6-K reports a CFO change as free-form narrative. The form calls for whatever information the issuer makes public at home, files with an exchange or sends to holders, where that information is material to changes such as business, management or control. There is no Item 5.02 equivalent.

Luda Technology Group Limited (Hong Kong, Commission File Number 001-42289) furnished a 6-K for the month of October 2026. The Form 20-F box on the cover is checked. The filing reports:

TipRanks also reported the appointment of former COO Liu Liangping as CFO, effective immediately, based on the same 6-K. The filing contains no salary, contract term or equity grant for Ms. Liu.

How do the 8-K and 6-K compare for a CFO change?

The 8-K is structured, dated and deadline-driven. The 6-K is flexible and depends on what the company published at home or told its exchange. The table sets both side by side using the two filings above.

The timing row for the 6-K rests on one law-firm source. According to Latham & Watkins, a 6-K must be furnished promptly after the relevant material is published, and the SEC has not said what promptly means for the form.

Who counts as a foreign private issuer?

A foreign issuer generally qualifies when 50 percent or less of its voting securities are held of record by U.S. residents. If U.S. holders own more than half, it can still qualify unless a majority of executives or directors are U.S. citizens or residents, more than half its assets are in the U.S., or its business is administered mainly in the U.S., per Linklaters.

Status is tested once a year, as of the last business day of the second fiscal quarter. Other FPI accommodations include no quarterly reports and an exemption from Section 16. That last point explains one difference in a follow-up check: according to Kalkine Media, Mr. Johnston filed an initial beneficial ownership statement on October 9, 2026, with an event date of October 1, 2026. An FPI's CFO would not be expected to file the same form.

How do you verify a CFO change step by step?

Match the person, the title, the effective date and the form type across the filing, then check what the filing leaves out. These steps work for either path.

1. Search the company name on EDGAR and filter by form type (8-K or 6-K).
2. Open the main document, not just the exhibit list. For an 8-K, go to Item 5.02. For a 6-K, read the headings.
3. Copy the name exactly as filed. OFA's filing uses Eugene M. "Gene" Johnston, so a headline saying "Gene Johnston" is a short form of the filed name.
4. Record two dates: when the board acted and when the change takes effect. OFA's resignation took effect September 30, one day before the board accepted it.
5. Note the stated reason for the predecessor's exit. Both filings say personal reasons or personal consideration.
6. Check the signature date against the event date to see how quickly the company reported.
7. Look for related-party language. The Luda filing states that the new CFO is married to a director.
8. For an 8-K, open Exhibit 10.1 or other exhibits for contract terms.

For planned versus sudden changes at the top of a company, see CEO Succession 8-K: How to Tell a Planned Handoff From an Abrupt Exit.

What's still unclear?

Several points are not settled by the filings.

• Why OFA files 8-Ks. The OFA filing does not explain why a Cayman Islands company uses domestic forms. FPI status turns on the tests above, and the filing does not state its status.
• Why the CFOs left. OFA's filing says only "personal reasons" for Mr. Yeung. Luda's says personal consideration for Mr. Yung and adds that he reported no disagreements. Neither filing gives more.
• How long a 6-K can take. With no defined day count, a 6-K can trail the event by longer than the four business days an 8-K allows. The Luda filing was signed two days after the board action.
• The FPI rules may change. The SEC published a concept release on FPI eligibility on 9 June 2025 asking whether to change the definition. Check current rules before relying on the 8-K versus 6-K split.
• Weakest point of this comparison. Two filings are an illustration, not a sample. They show how each form reads, not how all issuers behave.