Weekly Roundup: April 17-23, 2026

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 11:30:48 +0000

Posted by the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, on Friday, April 24, 2026

Editor's Note:

This roundup contains a collection of the posts published on the Forum during the week of April 17-23, 2026

Statement by Commissioner Peirce on the Costs, Risks, and Privacy Concerns of the Consolidated Audit Trail

Posted by Hester M. Peirce, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, on Friday, April 17, 2026

Tags: CAT, Consolidated Audit Trail, SEC

Statement in Connection with ISS Filing Lawsuit Challenging Indiana Statute, House Bill 1273

Posted by Subodh Mishra, ISS STOXX, on Saturday, April 18, 2026

Tags: Commerce Clause, H.B. 1273, Institutional Investors, Proxy Advisor, State law

Key Considerations for the 2026 Annual Reporting and Proxy Season: Proxy Statements

Posted by Maia Gez, Scott Levi, and Danielle Herrick, White & Case LLP, on Sunday, April 19, 2026

Tags: annual reports, Board oversight, Diversity, Proxy disclosure, proxy statements, Proxy voting, Shareholder value, Sustainability

AI as the New Proxy Advisor: Reshaping Shareholder Activism Communications

Posted by Lyndsey Estin, Nick Capuano, and Mark Fallati, Kekst CNC, on Monday, April 20, 2026

Tags: AI, LLM, Proxy Advisor, Proxy fights

The (Missing) Relation Between Acquisition Announcement Returns and Value Creation

Posted by Itzhak Ben-David (Ohio State University), on Monday, April 20, 2026

Tags: Acquisition performance, CAR, corporate finance, Deal valuation, mergers and acquisitions

How a Buyer’s AI Conversations Sank Its Earnout Avoidance Strategy

Posted by Jonathan A. Dhanawade, Frank J. Favia Jr., and Andrew J. Stanger, Mayer Brown LLP, on Monday, April 20, 2026

Tags: AI, delaware, Delaware Court of Chancery, EPA, Fortis Advisors v Krafton, gaming, Subnautica

Board Equity Ownership and Its Impact on Corporate Performance

Posted by Victoria Tellez (FCLTGlobal) and Jonathan Ponder (MSCI Institute), on Tuesday, April 21, 2026

Tags: Board ownership, equity, equity ownership, independent directors, R&D, TSR

What Do Investors Learn in Private Meetings? Evidence from 4,700 Encounters with Portfolio Firms

Posted by Marco Becht (Université Libre de Bruxelles), Julian Franks (London Business School), and Hannes F. Wagner (Bocconi University), on Tuesday, April 21, 2026

Tags: Activism, AI, Corporate governance, Institutional Investors

The Proof is in the Proxy: Connecting Governance to Returns

Posted by Bob Herr, Landon Shea, and Peter Højsteen-Ljungbeck, AllianceBernstein, on Tuesday, April 21, 2026

Tags: Corporate governance, Engagement, investors, Proxy voting, Stock returns

Early Look: Executive Security Perks on the Rise

Posted by Joyce Chen, Equilar, Inc., on Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Tags: executive security, S&P 500, security perks, security risks, security spending

Litigation Against the SEC has Spiked in Recent Years. Why?

Posted by Amanda M. Rose (Vanderbilt Law School), on Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Tags: administrative law, Capital markets, Financial regulation, Regulatory enforcement, SEC, Securities regulation

Speech by Chair Atkins on Reducing Regulatory Burdens and Promoting Market-Driven Capital Formation

Posted by Paul Atkins, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, on Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Tags: Capital markets, Financial regulation, Regulatory, Regulatory reform, SEC, securities law

Early Filers: CEO Compensation Up; Bonus Payout at Target

Posted by Lauren Peek and Joanna Czyzewski, Compensation Advisory Partners, on Thursday, April 23, 2026

Tags: CEO Pay, Executive Compensation

Delaware Supreme Court Rejects Bright Line Rules in Section 220 Books and Records Proceedings

Posted by Michael J. Kahn and Brian Yang, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, on Thursday, April 23, 2026

Tags: delaware, DGCL Section 220, Paramount, post-demand evidence, stockholders

The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance

Weekly Roundup: April 17-23, 2026