ERISA Plan Fiduciaries’ Proxy Voting: Regulatory Updates
What are ISS and Glass Lewis and Why Should My Bank Care?
ISS and Glass Lewis annual policy surveys have launched - As is typical, executive compensation issues are covered in the Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis annual policy surveys this year, with each...more
The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) adopted amendments to Form N-PX on November 2, 2022. Previously, Form N-PX applied solely to registered investment companies (i.e., mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and...more
You probably remember the saga about the SEC’s rules regarding proxy advisory firms? Back in 2019, the SEC issued interpretive guidance that proxy advisory firms’ vote recommendations were, in the view of the SEC,...more
The members of Maynard Nexsen’s Public Company Advisory Practice counsel public companies and companies aiming to become public on the full range of matters shaping their governance and operation in the public markets. As a...more
Who may be interested: Closed-End Funds; Boards of Directors; Investment Advisers - Quick Take: The staff of the SEC’s Division of Investment Management (Staff) recently granted no-action relief to three closed-end funds...more
On February 23, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in favor of Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. on the party’s motions for summary judgment, ending a years long dispute over whether proxy...more
On 23 February 2024, the Investment Association (IA) issued its annual letter to FTSE 350 remuneration committee chairs providing an update on the IA’s Principles of Remuneration and emerging views on remuneration matters....more
On Tuesday, February 27, 2024, a federal judge enjoined the enforcement of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (“PWFA”) against the state of Texas. Judge James Wesley Hendrix determined that a proxy voting rule in place during...more
A Federal District Court has just held invalid the SEC’s rule regarding proxy advisory firms. The case dates back to 2019(!), when ISS sued the SEC and then-SEC Chair Jay Clayton in connection with the SEC’s interpretive...more
The 2024 proxy season is just around the corner. This quick reference guide, which is intended to supplement Shearman & Sterling’s 21st Annual Corporate Governance & Executive Compensation Survey, summarizes themes from the...more
This publication provides an overview of the top trending issues as we approach this year’s AGM and reporting season. We highlight key areas of AGM practices and reporting that will need to adapt to recent legal and...more
Each year in our Annual Memo, White & Case's Public Company Advisory Group provides practical insights on preparing Annual Reports on Form 10-Ks, Annual Meeting Proxy Statements and, for FPIs, the Annual Report on Form 20-F....more
A change to DGCL Section 102(b)(7) that took effect last year permits Delaware corporations to eliminate or limit the personal liability of corporate officers for monetary damages to stockholders for breaches of their...more
On December 19, 2023, Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (“ISS”) released its updates to its Proxy Voting Guidelines. Somewhat unusually, ISS made only one change to its voting recommendation policies for U.S. public...more
Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis, the leading proxy voting advisory firms in the United States, have announced updates and clarifications for their voting guidelines for the U.S. market for the 2024...more
Glass, Lewis & Co (Glass Lewis) and Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) have each released updates to their Canadian proxy voting guidelines for the 2024 proxy season. The Glass Lewis updates apply to shareholder...more
On December 19, 2023, ISS Governance announced updates to its 2024 benchmark proxy voting policies. The full text of the updated benchmark policies for 2024 should be available later this month and will generally apply to...more
Companies have important decisions to make as they prepare for the 2024 annual meeting and reporting season. We have compiled this overview of the latest key issues — including SEC disclosure requirements, SEC guidance,...more
Welcome to the Corporate Briefing, where we review the latest developments in UK corporate law that you need to know about. In this month’s issue, we discuss...more
Major Update on FRC Policy and Reset on Corporate Governance Reforms Plus CMIT Open Letter, With More to Come - On 7 November 2023, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) announced a significant and wide-ranging policy...more
I previously blogged about the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq listing standards that require issuers to adopt compliant clawback policies by December 1, 2023. While many issuers may have already adopted clawback policies...more
On November 16, 2023, Glass Lewis & Co. (Glass Lewis) released its 2024 U.S. Benchmark Policy Guidelines (U.S. Guidelines), effective for shareholder meetings on or after January 1, 2024. The U.S. Guidelines include several...more
On November 21, 2023, Institutional Shareholder Services (“ISS”) Governance announced proposed changes to its benchmark voting policy for 2024 (the “Proposed Changes”). To ensure that a broad range of perspectives is...more
On November 16, 2023, proxy advisory firm Glass Lewis released its 2024 Proxy Voting Policy Guidelines. The new guidelines apply to shareholder meetings occurring after January 1, 2024. Unsurprisingly, many of Glass Lewis’s...more
Neither California's nor Delaware's General Corporation Law expressly prohibits directors from being represented by proxy at board meetings. However, it appears to have been well settled in Delaware since at least 1915 that...more