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

Does the Location of Directors Matter?

s delegated monitors of top management on behalf of shareholders, corporate boards of directors rely critically on information about the firm in making governance decisions. Theoretical research in corporate governance shows how a board’s ability to obtain and use information is closely related to key aspects of board structure, such as size and independence (Raheja […]

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Proposed Changes to Basel III Leverage Ratio Framework

On the heels of publishing the U.S. Basel III final rule, the U.S. banking agencies have proposed higher leverage capital requirements for the eight U.S. bank holding companies that have been identified as global systemically important banks (“Covered BHCs”) and their insured depository institution (“IDI”) subsidiaries. The higher leverage capital requirements, which we are calling […]

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Emerging Themes in Canadian Fiduciary Law for Pension Trustees

As society increasingly faces governance challenges at all levels, there is a growing recognition of the need to take a longer term and more systemic view. Given the overwhelming incentives for myopic leadership (and action), our common law system—where courts respond to specific fact situations—may play a critical role. One avenue is likely through the […]

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Changing Banking for Good or for Better?

The UK Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards (the “Commission”) published its much anticipated report (the “Report”) [1] on 19 June 2013 entitled “Changing Banking for Good”. The Government provided its response (the “Response”) [2] to the Report on 8 July 2013, stating that it agrees with the principal recommendations of the Report. It states, however, […]

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2013 Mid-Year FCPA Update

Significant FCPA developments continued apace during the first six months of 2013. After a relative downtick in 2012, the first half of 2013 saw criminal enforcement of the statute return to the robust levels of recent years. With approximately 60 devoted prosecutors and enforcement attorneys, whose efforts are frequently supplemented by their colleagues in the […]

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SEC’s New Reg D Rules and Private Fund Offerings

On July 10, 2013, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) approved final rules that eliminate the prohibition against general solicitation and general advertising (collectively referred to herein as “general solicitation”) in certain offerings of securities pursuant to Rule 506 of Regulation D (“Reg D”) and Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, […]

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Boards-R-Us: Reconceptualizing Corporate Boards

Imagine there were a state law requiring legal services to be provided by individual sole proprietorships. Companies would have to hire individual lawyers, who could then contract with others for information, expertise, support, and so on. Such a law might be motivated by a belief that lawyers would be more careful acting alone or that […]

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Communication Practices in CEO Succession

A review of the CEO succession announcements made by S&P 500 companies in 2012 showed that they typically included details on when the succession would take effect, why the departing CEO is leaving, and whether the incoming CEO will be named board chairman; a statement by the departing CEO on his/her belief that the board […]

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Final Capital Rules Adopted

On July 2, 2013, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve”) issued a final capital rule that overhauls its existing capital adequacy rules and implements both the Basel III Capital Framework issued by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (the “Basel Committee”) in 2010 and certain requirements imposed by the […]

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2013 Mid-Year Update on Corporate Deferred Prosecution and Non-Prosecution Agreements

Deferred Prosecution Agreements (“DPAs”) and Non-Prosecution Agreements (“NPAs”) (collectively, “agreements”) continue to be a consistent vehicle for prosecutors and companies alike in resolving allegations of corporate wrongdoing. In the two decades since their emergence as an alternative to the extremes of indictment and outright declination, DPAs and NPAs have risen in prominence, frequency, and scope. […]

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