ESG and SEC Enforcement in 2022
Videocast: Asset management regulation in 2020 videocast series – Advisers Act regulatory agenda
Videocast: Asset management regulation in 2020 videocast series – DOL: What’s ahead
ERISA Plan Fiduciaries’ Proxy Voting: Regulatory Updates
Proxy advisors, and specifically ISS and Glass Lewis, are in the business of advising asset managers on whether to vote for or against the thousands of director nominees and proposals that are presented to shareholders each...more
Some proxy advisors and institutional investors have made changes to their diversity policies and mandates, including the following ...more
Is it ok for an agency to change its mind? Well that depends. If the agency was “arbitrary and capricious” in failing to provide an adequate explanation to justify its change, a court may well vacate that about-face. At...more
On February 23, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, in a case dating back to 2019, vacated certain SEC rule amendments regarding proxy advisory firms, holding that “the SEC acted contrary to law and in...more
Proxy advisory services have been beset by controversy. In response, in July 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued final rules (the 2020 Final Rules) tightening regulations that govern proxy advisory...more
On July 13, 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) adopted amendments to its rules governing proxy voting. In addition to rescinding rules applicable to third-party proxy voting advice businesses (“proxy...more
[This post revises and updates my earlier post primarily to reflect the contents of the proposing release.] At an open meeting last week, the SEC voted, three to two, to adopt new amendments to the rules regarding proxy...more
The SEC adopted amendments on July 13, 2022 to its rules governing voting advice rendered by proxy voting advice firms. In particular, the amendments are designed to alleviate certain burdens that may impair the timeliness...more
The 2022 Amendments have removed the requirements that call for proxy advisory firms claiming an exemption from proxy filing rules for solicitations to provide their proxy voting advice to subject companies and provide their...more
On July 13, 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), by a 3-2 vote, adopted amendments to the rules governing proxy voting advice businesses (proxy advisors), rescinding two components of the proxy rules...more
[This post revises and updates my earlier post primarily to reflect the contents of the proposing release.] - At an open meeting on November 17, the SEC voted, three to two, to propose amendments to the proxy rules that...more
On Wednesday, November 17, 2021, the SEC proposed rule amendments to the rules governing proxy voting advice that would rescind significant portions of the two rules applicable to proxy voting advice that were adopted by the...more
John Jenkins at DealLawyers.com took note of this recent blog by Professor Ann Lipton concerning the stockholder vote at The Tribune Publishing Company. The gist of both these blogs was the decision by a 24% stockholder in...more
On 4 September 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published a new proposed rule on “Fiduciary Duties Regarding Proxy Voting and Shareholder Rights” (the Proposal)....more
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) recently adopted amendments to the proxy rules to address proxy voting advice provided by proxy advisory firms such as Institutional Shareholder Services (“ISS”) and...more
Firms that advise institutional advisers and institutional investors in the proxy voting process (“proxy advisors”) have gained prominence in recent years, but have also faced increased scrutiny regarding the accuracy and...more
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved in a 3-1 vote the long-debated proxy advisory firm reforms proposed on Nov. 5, 2019. ...more
On July 22, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted amendments to its proxy rules addressing proxy voting advice provided by proxy advisory firms, such as ISS and Glass Lewis. The amendments were originally...more
On July 22, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) voted to adopt amendments (Amendments) to certain of its rules governing proxy solicitations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Exchange Act). The...more
INTRODUCTION - On 22 July 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) adopted amendments to the rules governing proxy solicitations (the Amendments) designed to regulate voting advice provided by firms such as...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
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
Stinson has prepared an analysis of proposed rules recently adopted by the SEC at an open meeting on November 5. SEC Commissioners voted 3-2 to propose potentially significant changes to the shareholder proposals...more
At the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (the “Commission”) open meeting yesterday, the Commissioners approved two new proposed rules in their ongoing efforts to modernize proxy solicitation and shareholder proxy access,...more
This newsletter discusses noteworthy updates, key regulatory decisions and upcoming compliance reminders. In this edition, we review: ...SEC Changes Approach to Shareholder Proposal No-Action Requests ...SEC Issues...more