USA Archives

US legislators consider role of proxy voting firms

US legislators held a hearing recently (17th May) which considered possible bills which they believe would improve US financial transparency, regulation and capital market formation, including a proposal “To improve the quality of proxy advisory firms for the protection of …

Executive Pay watch emphasises US pay gap between CEOs and other employees

The US federation of trade unions, the AFL-CIO, has released its latest Executive Paywatch data which it says shows the average CEO of an S&P 500 company received an annual income of $12.4 million in 2015—335 times more money than …

US audit firms to disclose the partners who carry out audits

The US Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) has announced that its rules to improve the transparency of the audit by disclosing the names of audit engagement partners, as well as information about other firms that participate in the audits, …

SEC says Exxon and Chevron must accept climate change shareholder proposals at annual meetings

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has ruled that oil giants, ExxonMobil and Chevron, need to include shareholder proposals at their AGMs requesting information on the impact on their businesses of the policies on reducing carbon emissions and responding …

US proxy season looks set to be dominated by pay & diversity

Anticipation that the US Securities and Exchange Commission is due to finalise three remaining Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act compensation rules as well as recent rulings from Delaware Courts will keep executive pay in the spotlight during …

Remuneration looks set to be an issue at upcoming UK AGMs

With the peak AGM season taking place in the next two months, Manifest’s analysis suggests investors may be concerned about the remuneration practices at some of the UK’s biggest companies holding their AGMs on 14th April.

Mining company, Rio Tinto …

CEO succession planning disclosure needs improvement in the US

US companies who have successfully replaced their chief executives (CEOs) were far more likely to have provided shareholders with more disclosure about their CEO succession plans, according to a study by the Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute (IRRCi). However, these …

Institutional investors accused of not doing enough to curb excessive US CEO pay

Leading mutual funds and pension funds so far have taken little action to curb the pay of chief executives (CEOs) in the US according to a report by As You Sow, a non-profit organisation that promotes environmental and social corporate …

Investors seek improved proxy access at Apple

Activist investors in the US were watching the outcome of shareholder resolutions at the annual general meeting (AGM) of technology giant, Apple, on Friday (26th February). One of the proposals was seeking greater powers for investors to be able to …

SEC fines Monsanto $80million for accounting violations

The US financial regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), has fined global agri-business firm Monsanto $80 million for violating accounting rules and misstating company earnings in relation to its flagship product Roundup. The company has also agreed to retain …