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
Mutual funds and other registered investment companies have long had an obligation to file Form N-PX, giving the SEC and the public access to how a fund voted proxies on an annual basis. New Rule 14Ad-1 under the Securities...more
Seward & Kissel is reminding its clients about the SEC’s new proxy vote reporting requirements that are applicable to certain institutional investment managers. The Form N‑PX filing deadline is August 31, 2024....more
On June 26, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit vacated the SEC’s 2022 rescission of certain rule amendments regarding proxy advisory firms, holding that the SEC’s explanation for rescinding the amendments...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
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
Investment managers required to file Form N-PX pursuant to Rule 14Ad-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, will face their initial Form N-PX filing deadline on August 31, 2024. Although the filing obligation...more
New Rule 14Ad-1 under the Exchange Act – which becomes effective on July 1, 2024 – will require institutional investment managers subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13(f) of the Exchange Act (known as “13F...more
On May 13, 2024, a group of 21 Democratic Congressmen--4 Senators and 16 Representatives, as well as the D.C. Delegate--submitted a letter to SEC Chairman Gensler, urging him “to finalize an anti-greenwashing rule you...more
SEC brings enforcement actions for AI washing - In March 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) settled enforcement actions for a total of $400,000 in penalties against two investment advisers for making false...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
The Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the “Advisers Act”) is a relatively compact statute, and for many years the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted relatively few regulations specifically targeting Advisers Act...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
ExxonMobil (“Exxon”) filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas on Sunday, January 21, 2024, seeking a declaratory judgment to exclude a shareholder proposal from its proxy statement...more
The following newsletter provides a roundup summarizing enforcement actions, guidance, rulemakings, and other public statements taken by a federal and/or state financial services regulatory agency, specifically focusing on:...more
Broadly considered, stockholder activism has been a significant phenomenon among the largest U.S. public companies, with activists of a variety of stripes waging campaigns on a wide range of issues including in the form of...more
In late July 2023, House Republicans on the Financial Services Committee introduced four bills targeting various business and market activities that implicate environmental, social, and governance issues. In a statement...more
The Cozen Lens- •There remains high bipartisan interest in creating a regulatory framework for digital assets in the US as both the House Financial Services Committee and House Agriculture Committee intend to mark up a...more
Lowenstein Sandler’s Investment Management Group is pleased to provide you with the summaries and checklists described below. Summaries of recent legal developments with respect to: •SEC’s 2023 Examination Priorities- ...more
In this issue, we cover regulatory developments impacting the investment management sector, including updates on closed-end fund activism and various new and revised SEC rules....more
Shareholder meetings held this year are subject to new rules that require both companies and activist shareholders to use “universal” proxy cards in contested board elections. Until now, the company and the dissident...more
In the current environment, tax-free spinoffs may be the best option for companies focusing their business lines, we explain in this issue of The Informed Board. Spin-offs do not depend on third parties, and they preserve...more
This legal update summarizes (a) the reporting requirements under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), which are generally applicable to persons that own, or exercise investment...more
REGULATORY UPDATES - Recent SEC Leadership Changes - The Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) announced that Megan Barbero, currently SEC Principal Deputy General Counsel, will be appointed General Counsel,...more
The Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) new universal proxy rules, which took effect for meetings after August 31, 2022, require the use of “universal” proxy cards in all director election contests, except for...more
On December 14, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted amendments to Rule 10b5-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and new disclosure requirements to enhance investor protections against insider trading....more