Author Archives: Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation

Osborne Should Think Again On His Bank Surcharge

HSBC’s decision last week to keep its headquarters in London, after reports that it would leave the UK if the levy on bank liabilities were not lifted, will have been greeted with relief at the Treasury. However, there is good reason to think the Treasury got a bad deal, jeopardising financial safety for not very […]

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2015 CPA-Zicklin Index of Corporate Political Disclosure

On the eve of a blockbuster election year for political spending, more of America’s largest publicly traded companies are disclosing their corporate expenditures on politics and are starting to place restrictions on their political spending. These are key findings of the fifth annual CPA-Zicklin Index of Political Disclosure and Accountability that, for the first time, […]

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Weekly Roundup: February 19–February 25

SEC, Proxy Access, and Shareholder Engagement Posted by Derek O. Zaba and Sharo M. Atmeh, CamberView Partners, LLC, on Friday, February 19, 2016 Tags: Boards of Directors, Charter & bylaws, Director nominations, Engagement, Institutional Investors, ISS, No-action letters, Proxy access, Rule 14a-8, SEC, Securities Regulation, Shareholder proposals, Shareholder voting Board Decisions in Delaware M&A Transactions […]

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Delaware Forum Selection Bylaws After Trulia

The Delaware courts have been engaged over the past couple of years in trying to counter the “sue first, ask questions later” approach to M&A litigation that has become so prevalent. In re Trulia (Jan. 26, 2016) represents the procedural prong of the Delaware courts’ general effort to reduce the volume of unnecessary M&A litigation.

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The Ownership and Trading of Debt Claims in Chapter 11 Restructurings

The ownership structure of corporate debt is potentially a key factor affecting the cost of financial distress. However, past studies have been hampered by the fact that observing the ownership of debt claims is difficult. In our paper, The Ownership and Trading of Debt Claims in Chapter 11 Restructurings, which was recently featured in the […]

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What Lies Ahead? The SEC in 2016

Good morning. It is a pleasure to be part of SEC Speaks. This conference provides an important forum for the Commission staff, the securities bar, and financial market participants to discuss cutting-edge issues. As our securities markets continue to undergo change at an incredible pace, this conference helps us to look back and to look […]

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Posted in Accounting & Disclosure, Boards of Directors, Corporate Elections & Voting, Financial Regulation, Practitioner Publications, Regulators Materials, Securities Litigation & Enforcement, Securities Regulation, Speeches & Testimony | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on What Lies Ahead? The SEC in 2016

What the 2016 BlackRock Letter Means for Shareholder Engagement and Disclosure Practices

In February 2016, Blackrock CEO Laurence Fink issued his annual letter to the CEOs of S&P 500 companies. In addition to repeating themes from prior years (the value of long-termism and the need for more thoughtfulness before allocating capital to buybacks and special dividends), this year’s letter had one notable omission and four of areas […]

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Beyond Disclosure at the SEC in 2016

It is my pleasure to address the 45th annual “SEC Speaks” program—on the day after the Yankees’ pitchers and catchers reported to spring training, which is one way I mark this time of year. This event is another reminder of the season, an early-year conference for the staff, the private sector, and the Commissioners (present […]

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NASDAQ: Disclosure of Third-Party Director Compensation

On January 28, 2016, NASDAQ filed a proposed rule with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) that would require listed companies to disclose any compensation provided by a third party to the company’s directors or director nominees in connection with their candidacy for or service on the company’s board of directors. See SR-NASDAQ-2016-013 (Jan. 28, […]

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Results of the 2015 Proxy Season in Silicon Valley

In the 2015 proxy season, most of the technology and life sciences companies included in the Silicon Valley 150 Index (SV 150) and the public companies in other industries included in the Bay Area 25 Index (BA 25) held annual meetings that included voting for the election of directors, ratifying the selection of auditors of the company’s financial statements […]

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