On January 23, 2026, the staff of the Division of Corporation Finance of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission issued a letter in which it stated it would not object if a large investment bank (the “Bank”) determines...more
Here’s a summary of key updates that BlackRock Investment Stewardship (BIS) recently made to its proxy voting guidelines, penned by Cooley’s Brad Goldberg, Beth Sasfai, Michael Mencher and Vince Flynn....more
Effective shareholder engagement is a business imperative. Companies that do it well are more likely than others to build investor trust, anticipate investor expectations, protect against activism, and earn support for...more
US public companies are gearing up for the 2026 proxy season. In this post, we take a look at some of the legal and other developments that will influence environmental and social proposals and company responses....more
Major proxy advisory firm Glass Lewis announced that it will stop offering its standard benchmark proxy voting guidelines in 2027, and transition clients to differentiated client frameworks. Glass Lewis’ change comes amid a...more
In 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) adopted amendments and issued guidance to modernize the rules governing beneficial ownership reporting under Sections 13(d) and 13(g) of the Securities Exchange Act...more
Key Points - Revised guidance from the SEC regarding ownership reporting is making institutional investors circumspect about raising issues with management. - Seeking to influence a company’s executive compensation, or...more
The SEC published updated Compliance and Disclosure Interpretations on the filing of Schedules 13D and 13G/Shareholder Engagement....more
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently issued a new Compliance and Disclosure Interpretation, Question 103.12 (C&DI), that may significantly impact how public companies engage with their shareholders....more
On February 11, 2025, the Securities and Exchange Commission Division of Corporate Finance (Corp Fin) posted two Compliance and Disclosure Interpretations (C&DIs): revised Question 103.11 and new Question 103.12 related to a...more
The SEC Staff recently issued new guidance (C&DI 103.12) on how a shareholder’s engagement with a company’s management could disqualify the shareholder from using the SEC’s short-form Schedule 13G....more
On February 11 and 12, 2025, the staff of the Division of Corporation Finance (Staff) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) provided a pre-Valentine’s Day treat for public companies and shareholders to digest in the...more
Seward & Kissel is reminding its clients regarding the September 30, 2024 compliance date for the SEC’s amendments to certain rules under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”). The amendments accelerate the...more