SEC Proposes Amendments to Shareholder Proposal Rule
On November 5, the SEC proposed amendments to Exchange Act Rule 14a-8, the rule that governs the process for shareholder proposals to be included in a company’s proxy statement.
SEC Proposes Amendments to Proxy Solicitation Rules
On November 5, the SEC proposed amendments to the rules governing proxy solicitations. The amendments are intended to help ensure that proxy voting advice used by investors and others who vote on investors’ behalf is accurate, transparent and materially complete.
SEC’s Enforcement Division Issues Annual Report
On November 6, the SEC’s enforcement division issued a report summarizing its enforcement actions and areas of focus during fiscal year 2019, which ended on September 30.
ISS and Glass Lewis Update Voting Guidelines for 2020 Proxy Season
On November 12, proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS) announced updates to its proxy voting guidelines for the 2020 proxy season, applicable to shareholder meetings on or after February 1, 2020.
To Increase Board and CEO Diversity, New York Comptroller Urges Companies to Adopt NFL’s Rooney Rule
Last month, New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer announced an initiative calling on companies to adopt a policy requiring the consideration of both women and people of color for every open board seat and CEO position.
Business Roundtable Embraces Stakeholder Capitalism
The Business Roundtable made headlines last month when it issued a statement redefining the purpose of a corporation to embrace so-called “stakeholder capitalism.”
The End of LIBOR: Is Your Company Prepared?
LIBOR is scheduled to be phased out by the end of 2021, and the SEC is encouraging all companies to assess their exposure to LIBOR and to appreciate the wide variety of consequences the discontinuation of LIBOR may have on their businesses.
Leading Investor Group Urges Companies to Simplify Executive Compensation
On September 18, the CII announced that it had overhauled its Policies on Executive Compensation to urge public companies to, among other things, “dial back the complexity of their executive compensation plans and set longer periods for measuring performance for incentive pay.”
International Politics and the SEC: Regulator Focuses on Brexit and Sanctions
Chaotic international politics—particularly the uncertainty surrounding Brexit and the Trump administration’s increasing use of sanctions as a foreign policy tool—are complicating public companies’ SEC compliance obligations.
Increased Fees for SEC Filers; SEC Oversight Hearing Streaming Live Tomorrow Morning!
On August 23, the SEC issued a fee advisory, setting the filing fees that public companies and other issuers will pay in fiscal year 2020 to register their securities with the SEC.