As noted in this Reuters article, over 600 of the staffers at the SEC have taken a buyout offer and will be leaving in the coming week or two. Many of these are senior staffers and it’s roughly 12% of the overall staff....more
As noted in this excellent blog by Cooley’s Cydney Posner, Acting SEC Chair Mark Uyeda recently delivered this speech that included criticisms and recommendations for improving the SEC’s rulemaking process. Key points from...more
Here’s an important point made by Cooley’s Luci Altman during this 29-minute video we recently blogged about: “If you are onboarding a new director or officer in the near term who has never had EDGAR codes or if you know your...more
Last week, Corp Fin issued guidance about how to verify accredited investors in two different forms. It issued two CDIs on the topic, as well as a no-action letter that goes into more detail. [As noted in this blog by...more
With it looking pretty likely that the federal government will shut down at midnight tomorrow, here are 10 things you should know based on the SEC’s “operations plan during a shutdown” guidance and Corp Fin’s list of 22...more
As expected when we heard that BlackRock had resumed shareholder engagements shortly after it paused them in the wake of Corp Fin’s new CDI positions regarding “control” and “influencing” a company when engaging, Vanguard...more
A few days ago, Corp Fin issued this guidance expanding the accommodations available for nonpublic review of draft registration statements to all issuers, building on the 2017 expansion of nonpublic reviews initiated by the...more
This Cooley Alert that I blogged about earlier today – penned by Brad Goldberg, Beth Sasfai, Luci Altman, and Michael Mencher – has been updated for this development...more
With this Administration moving fast to deeply cut the federal workforce, you may be wondering what a trimmed-down SEC might look like. This is just conjecture – but here are five thoughts on how that might impact you...more
For larger companies, Teneo notes that CEOs are named in sustainability reports to be ultimately responsible for their corporate climate strategies a third of the time – almost double the amount disclosed in 2023 (18%). CEOs...more
Given the late season announcement last week from ISS on its board diversity voting policies, it’s not that surprising that Glass Lewis also has now announced changes to its voting policies in this area. Glass Lewis has sent...more
As noted in the Cooley Alert from Brad Goldberg, Beth Sasfai, Reid Hooper and Michael Mencher that I blogged about yesterday, Corp Fin issued guidance last week that some thought could alter the nature of shareholder...more
In a rare move to update its voting policies in the midst of proxy season, ISS issued this press release stating it will no longer consider a board’s gender, racial or ethnic diversity when making director election...more
We’re in Year 2 for the clawback checkboxes on the cover of the Form 10-K and we’re fielding a lot of questions from clients about them right now. As Cydney Posner noted a little while back in her Cooley blog, there is still...more
The SEC’s Acting Chair Mark Uyeda released this statement yesterday indicating that the agency has requested that the Eighth Circuit – where the cases challenging the SEC’s 2024 climate disclosure rules are consolidated – not...more
Recently, the new administration issued this executive order mandating that federal agencies identify at least 10 regulations to be repealed if that agency proposes or adopts a new regulation, per Section 3 of the order....more
Sure, it’s important to know that Corp Fin recently issued three new CDIs and updated two existing CDIs regarding Notices of Exempt Solicitations (also known as “PX14A6G” filings)....more
Normally, I don’t pay too much attention to the speeches that SEC Commissioners deliver because it’s the SEC Chair that wields the real clout. But given where we are with a new SEC Chair to be sworn in over the coming months...more
As I get older, my motto has been “less is more.” That certainly works for a mindful lifestyle. And it also works for pickleball, as one learns to hit the ball softly and place it cleanly rather than banging away at it to...more
It’s clear that over the past few years, investors have tweaked their voting policies to tone down use of the term “ESG.” And it’s also clear that more and more companies are changing the title of their reports relating to...more
Just before the holidays got going, BlackRock updated their voting policies and engagement priorities. Here’s a laundry list of those updated documents...more
1/8/2025
/ Board of Directors ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Diversity ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Investment Management ,
Investors ,
Proxy Voting ,
Risk Management ,
Shareholders ,
Sustainability
With most S&P 500 companies well underway on their CSRD materiality assessments, it’s not surprising that there is a fast-growing number of them that have completed – or are in the process of completing – “double” materiality...more
As we recently blogged about, the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit vacated the SEC’s approval of Nasdaq’s board diversity disclosure rules last week. As a result, these rules no longer apply to proxy and information...more
A few days ago, ISS issued this press release announcing the updating of its voting policies, for annual meetings held on or after February 1, 2025. Here is the complete set of ISS benchmark voting policies....more
Just as I was starting this job, Cooley put out an awesome alert – with a set of great graphics – noting how the initial disclosures made voluntarily under the CSRD look....more