What are ISS and Glass Lewis and Why Should My Bank Care?
Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS) recently released its Annual Benchmark Policy Survey (the "Policy Survey"). In keeping with its prior practice, ISS seeks responses from institutional shareholders, issuers,...more
We recently represented Klaviyo, Inc. (NYSE: KVYO), in its $576 million initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange. As has been extensively reported in the media, Klaviyo’s very successful offering represented the...more
Takeaways - ESG activist campaigners are likely to continue asserting themselves. Companies that have merged with SPACs and whose stock prices have slumped will be at risk for activist pressure. Watch for more activist...more
On November 3, 2021, the staff (“staff”) of the Division of Corporation Finance (“Division”) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) published Staff Legal Bulletin No. 14L which reverses a series of...more
ISS recently released updated methodology for its Governance QualityScore (GQS) rating system for institutional investors. The new factors relate to areas of emerging concern to investors, with 11 of the 17 new factors...more
As COVID-19 rages on, companies are again flocking to virtual annual meetings for the 2021 proxy season, but with one important difference: the luxury of time. Many companies are already exploring retention of virtual annual...more
Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS) opened its 2021 Annual Policy Survey on July 29, 2020, to seek input from institutional investors, public companies, directors and others to begin development of ISS’ annual...more
On July 22, 2020, the SEC took action to address two aspects of the proxy voting process: (1) amending the proxy solicitation rules with respect to “proxy voting advice businesses” (PVABs or proxy advisory firms), such as ISS...more
Across the globe, the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) is causing governments, companies, associations and colleges and universities to take unprecedented steps to address the spread and transmission of COVID-19. These steps...more
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued rule updates and guidance in 2019 that are intended to simplify certain public reporting requirements, clarify the staff’s expectations with respect to no-action relief...more
The push for increased diversity on corporate boards ramped up recently when Vanguard, a leader in mutual funds and asset management, released its 2019 Investment Stewardship Annual Report. The report, released on August 30,...more
Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS), an influential proxy advisory firm, has launched its annual policy survey to inform its benchmark voting policies for 2020 and beyond. In an effort to streamline the process, ISS...more
Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. has launched its Annual Policy Survey. The survey is a key component of ISS’ annual benchmark policy development process, looking at potential policy changes globally for 2020 and...more
Private equity sponsors have typically exited their investments through a sale or public offering. While sales to a strategic or another private equity sponsor predominate, public offerings still represent an attractive...more
On July 1, 2015, the SEC issued proposed rules implementing Section 954 of the Dodd-Frank Act, which would obligate national securities exchanges to adopt listing standards that require listed companies to adopt and disclose...more
’Tis the season, and no, we do not mean the holiday season. Although it may seem like you just filed your 2018 proxy, the 2019 proxy season is upon us. This quick reference guide, which is intended to supplement Shearman &...more
As discussed in prior posts, the role of proxy advisory firms has once again risen to the forefront as a sizzling corporate governance topic, just in time for the SEC Proxy Roundtable on November 15. In advance of the event,...more
In order to facilitate discussion on the role of proxy advisory firms at the upcoming Roundtable on the Proxy Process, which is scheduled for November 2018, the SEC staff has determined to withdraw two no action letters that...more
In anticipation of the upcoming annual report and proxy season, we are highlighting new requirements and trends for public companies in 2018....more
Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS) has published its voting policy updates for the 2017 proxy season, and those involved with public company compliance can add “generally insignificant changes to ISS voting...more
As many institutional investors have concluded, prevailing governance policies and practices have not produced desired board refreshment, which these investors would support in order to strengthen expertise, promote diversity...more
Proxy access, meaning the ability of stockholders to put their nominees on management’s proxy card and create a proxy contest without having to file their own proxy statement, was the marquee issue of the 2015 proxy season....more