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
Citing recent DEI developments in the U.S., ISS released its Statement on Diversity Factors in Director Elections on February 11, 2025 announcing that it will “indefinitely halt consideration of certain diversity factors in...more
On January 31, 2025, Vanguard issued its proxy voting policy for US portfolio companies, following the publication of BlackRock’s proxy voting guidelines for benchmark policies – US securities in December 2024. The updates...more
Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) has released updates to its Canadian proxy voting guidelines for the 2025 proxy season. The ISS updates are effective for shareholder meetings occurring on or after February 1, 2025....more
BlackRock recently published its updated “Proxy Voting Guidelines for Benchmark Policies - U.S. Securities” for the 2025 proxy season, along with its 2025 “Global Principles for Benchmark Policies” and “Engagement Priorities...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
Summary of June 2024 Annual General Shareholder Meeting Season Shareholder Proposals - - While the total number of shareholder proposals is comparable to the June 2023 general meeting season, the number of companies...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
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
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
In late 2022, the U.S. Department of Labor (the “DOL”) issued final regulations (the “Final Rules”) which address the extent to which ERISA fiduciaries may consider environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) factors when...more
In this V&E+ interview, Lawrence and Patrick share their thoughts on the 2023 proxy season, peacetime preparation for activism defense, and the HBO show that no one could seem to stop talking about....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
The number of shareholder proposals made by activist shareholders, votes against management proposals and the number of publicly listed companies facing shareholder proposal continues its upward trend....more
REGULATORY UPDATES - SEC Announces Leadership Changes - Anthony (“Tony”) C. Thompson was appointed to a second term as a board member of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”), which will run until...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
During 2021, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted rule changes and provided public companies with useful guidance on various topics. In December, Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) released its...more
In March 2021, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) created a Climate and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Task Force (ESG Task Force) within the Division of Enforcement, the purpose of which is to...more
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has proposed a new rule that would require an institutional investment manager to report annually on Form N-PX how it voted proxies relating to executive compensation matters...more
On November 17, 2021, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted rules that will require the use of a single "universal" proxy card in connection with most contested elections of directors. These rules, which have...more
Greenwashing is under increased scrutiny at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Greenwashing is clearly damaging to consumers and investors as it imbues purchasing decisions...more
In This Issue. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a new Compliance Aid; the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed amendments to Form N-PX with the goal of making it easier and more...more
Please join us for our live Hot Topics and Trends in Employee Benefits for 2021 webinar on Thursday, December 3, 2020. Attorneys from our Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation practice will provide insights on current...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
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
On November 5, 2019, the SEC issued a release proposing amendments to the federal proxy rules that are intended to enhance the accuracy and transparency of information provided by proxy advisory firms to investors and...more