On July 21, 2010, President Obama signed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Act”). The Act was passed largely in response to the 2008 financial crisis with the goals of restoring stability within the financial system, increasing corporate transparency and accountability to shareholders, and providing new consumer protections. Towards the goal of greater accountability, the Act imposes new corporate governance and executive compensation rules on public companies. This e-alert summarizes the key provisions applicable to those areas. Future e-alerts will address other areas of the Act.