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

CEO-Director Connections and Corporate Fraud

In the paper, CEO-Director Connections and Corporate Fraud, which was recently made publicly available on SSRN, we study the propensity of firms to commit financial fraud using a sample of SEC enforcement actions from 2000 to 2006. Controlling for year effects, Fama-French 48-industry effects, and several firm characteristics, we find a significant relation between fraud […]

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Posted in Academic Research, Empirical Research, Securities Litigation & Enforcement | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

An SEC Insider’s Guide to Reform

Editor’s Note: Luis A. Aguilar is a Commissioner at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. This post is based on Commissioner Aguilar’s recent remarks at the University of California at Berkeley, which are available here. The views expressed in the post are those of Commissioner Aguilar and do not necessarily reflect those of the Securities […]

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Posted in Financial Regulation, Legislative & Regulatory Developments, Regulators Materials, Securities Regulation, Speeches & Testimony | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Managerial Attributes, Incentives, and Performance

In the paper, Managerial Attributes, Incentives, and Performance, which was recently made publicly available on SSRN, we examine the relative importance of firm- and manager-specific heterogeneities in determining the primary aspects of executive incentives and the implications of those incentives for firm policy, risk, and performance. We focus on the sensitivity of managerial wealth to […]

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The Airgas Case and Our Work on Staggered Boards

The Delaware Supreme Court is going to be hearing arguments soon in the case of Airgas vs. Air Products. In its briefs, as well as in oral argument before the Chancery Court, Airgas used our academic work on staggered board as evidence for its position. However, our academic articles, and the empirical evidence put forward […]

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Posted in Academic Research, Court Cases, Empirical Research, HLS Research, Mergers & Acquisitions | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Top-Up Options – Looking Better and Better

As the percentage of tender offers in friendly transactions has risen in recent years, so too has use of so-called “top-up options.” Yet, despite their prevalence, the validity of top-up options has not been addressed squarely by the Delaware courts and continues to be challenged by the plaintiffs’ bar. However, two separate rulings from the […]

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Posted in Court Cases, Mergers & Acquisitions, Practitioner Publications | Tagged , | Comments Off on Top-Up Options – Looking Better and Better

CEO Compensation and Board Structure Revisited

In our forthcoming Journal of Finance paper entitled CEO Compensation and Board Structure Revisited, we reexamine the results of Chhaochharia and Grinstein (CG, Journal of Finance, 2009; available here on the Forum). In response to the corporate scandals in 2001/2002, the NYSE and Nasdaq imposed director independence requirements for listed companies. CG find that CEO […]

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Volcker Rule Continues to Garner Outsized Attention

The “Volcker Rule” continues to receive attention as one of the most forceful provisions adopted by Congress in its recent enactment of financial reform legislation. The Volcker Rule is far-reaching and covers both U.S. banking groups and non-U.S. banking groups with U.S. banking operations. Although the contours of the rule have now been established, the […]

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Posted in Banking & Financial Institutions, Financial Crisis, Financial Regulation, Legislative & Regulatory Developments, Practitioner Publications, Private Equity | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Volcker Rule Continues to Garner Outsized Attention

UK Takeover Panel Publishes Review of Takeover Rules

The UK Panel on Takeovers and Mergers yesterday published the conclusions of its review, commenced in June 2010, regarding possible amendments to the UK Takeover Code, which governs the conduct of takeover bids involving UK listed companies.  The review, conducted by the Code Committee of the Takeover Panel, was prompted by Panel, investor and governmental […]

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Posted in International Corporate Governance & Regulation, Legislative & Regulatory Developments, Mergers & Acquisitions, Practitioner Publications | Tagged , , | Comments Off on UK Takeover Panel Publishes Review of Takeover Rules

Investment Bankers’ Culture of Ownership?

In the paper Investment Bankers’ Culture of Ownership? which was recently made publicly available on SSRN, we study the executive compensation structure in the largest 14 U.S. financial institutions during 2000-2008. Our results are mostly consistent with and supportive of the findings of Bebchuk, Cohen and Spamann (2010), that is, managerial incentives matter. Incentives generated […]

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Posted in Academic Research, Banking & Financial Institutions, Empirical Research, Executive Compensation, Financial Crisis | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Investment Bankers’ Culture of Ownership?

Proxy Access Litigation and Next Steps

Editor’s Note: Amy Goodman is a partner and co-chair of the Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance practice group at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. This post is based on a Gibson Dunn memo by Ms. Goodman, John F. Olson, Ronald O. Mueller and Elizabeth Ising. Ms. Goodman and the other authors from Gibson Dunn are […]

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Posted in Boards of Directors, Corporate Elections & Voting, Court Cases, Legislative & Regulatory Developments, Practitioner Publications, Securities Regulation | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Proxy Access Litigation and Next Steps