On September 19, 2022, amendments to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules governing proxy solicitations became effective. The amendments, proposed on November 17, 2021, seek to address concerns by investors and...more
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on July 22, 2020, adopted final amendments to its proxy solicitation rules to codify the SEC’s longstanding view that proxy voting advice generally constitutes a solicitation within...more
At an open meeting held on July 22, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted reforms to the proxy solicitation rules (Proxy Advice Amendment) that govern how proxy advisory firms (e.g., Glass, Lewis & Co....more
The nation’s largest shareholder advisory firm, Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (“ISS”), recently filed suit against the SEC over new guidelines meant to give investors more transparency into how proxy advisory firms...more
On January 30, 2020, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal Reserve) issued a final rule (Rule) that revises the Federal Reserve’s regulations related to determinations of whether a first company (an...more
New Rules, Proposed Rules, Guidance and Alerts – PROPOSED RULES – SEC Proposes Rule Changes for Proxy Advisory Firms – On November 5, 2019, the SEC issued a release proposing amendments to the federal proxy rules...more
In his testimony in Congress, Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Jay Clayton provided an update on the rulemaking work undertaken by the SEC during the fiscal year and provided updates on the SEC’s priorities. ...more
On November 5, 2019, the SEC issued a release proposing amendments to the federal proxy rules that are intended to enhance the accuracy and transparency of information provided by proxy advisory firms to investors and...more
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed amendments to the proxy solicitation rules, directly targeting proxy advisory firms (Release No. 34-87457). Consistent with the updated interpretative guidance the SEC...more
On November 5, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed amendments to Securities Exchange Act Rule 14a-8, which requires a public company to include shareholder proposals in the company’s own proxy...more
At an open meeting on November 5, 2019, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) voted to propose amendments to 1) the exemptions from “solicitation” relied upon by proxy advisory firms and 2) certain of the...more
SEC Sanctions Private Fund Adviser and Chief Investment Officer for Valuation Policy Failures - On June 4, 2019, the SEC announced that Deer Park Road Management Company, LP (“Deer Park”) agreed to pay a $5 million...more
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently issued guidance on the applicability of certain U.S. proxy rules to voting advice given by proxy advisory firms, such as ISS and Glass Lewis. This initiative...more
With the increased concentration of share ownership by institutional investors over the past several decades, the influence of proxy advisory firms on shareholder votes has grown dramatically, all while the proxy regulatory...more
On August 21, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued guidance to clarify investment advisers’ fiduciary obligations when voting client proxies. On the same day, the SEC also issued an interpretation of Rule 14a-1(l)...more
The growing use of social media has created challenges for federal securities regulators, who must enforce antifraud rules that were written at a time when the prevailing technology was the newspaper. This Guide...more
On June 30, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Investment Management and Division of Corporation Finance published Staff Legal Bulletin No. 20 (SLB 20), which offers guidance regarding investment advisers’...more
REGULATION FD - Beginning in 1999 and continuing into 2000, media reports about selective disclosure of material nonpublic information by issuers raised concerns that select market professionals who were privy to this...more