SEC ignores investor objections to implement new proxy rules

SEC ignores investor objections to implement new proxy rules

Despite claims from some of the world’s largest investors that moves to impose new proxy voting regulations would increase costs, the US financial regulator has pressed ahead with a series of

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Chris Van Hollen

A US Senator has called on the head of the US financial regulator to provide an update on the status of its reports into “apparently fraudulent comment letters” that showed support for proposed new rules on proxy advice.

In a

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Companies to look at the makeup of their leadership teams in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests

Investors declare “a change is gonna come”

Asset owners and fund management groups are pressuring their portfolio companies to look at the makeup of their leadership teams in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests.

The under-representation of non-white …

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IMF warns equity investors over climate risk

IMF warns equity investors over climate risk

Equity investors will increasingly have to consider the physical impacts of climate change on their portfolios, according to recent guidance from the International Monetary Fund.

In a written update on its website, the …

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SEC lambasted over shareholder rights change as companies fail to meet ESG targets

For some companies, the ability for shareholders to have a voice is a source of constant annoyance.

For proxy voting agents, such as Minerva, understanding the rules of the game and where the lines are drawn is key.

Shareholder rights …

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UK government urges finance firms to make net-zero pledge

As the COVID19 lock-down continues, the UK’s Department for Business, Enterprise and Industrial Strategy has announced its intention to publish new regulations enabling companies to hold alternative AGMs for 2020.

Speaking on Saturday, 28 March 2020, Secretary of State Alok …

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AGM Season

Virtual AGMs: Time to prepare

Companies, regulators and markets are increasingly realising that the AGM season will be severely disrupted by the COVID19 pandemic.

As social distancing becomes the norm, traditional annual meetings where shareholders gather to hear CEO presentations …

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US Department of Justice

DoJ cautions SEC over proxy advice proposals

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has expressed deep concerns over proxy advisor rule amendments proposed by the country’s financial regulator, warning the changes could quash competition in the advisory market and restrict …

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FRC: Expectations and standards ‘still apply’

Can the FRC rescue its reputation?

It has become one of the most disparaged – and lampooned – regulatory institutions of this century.

The Financial Reporting Council’s (FRC) oversight of the audit profession has been dubbed everything from ramshackle to

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SEC chairman Jay Clayton

SEC chairman Jay Clayton has faced an extraordinary grilling over the fake investor letters he cited in ‘support’ of the regulator’s proxy advisor rule changes – with a prominent US senator telling him he was “duped”.

Clayton was finally forced …

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