The SEC has issued a proposing release titled “Proxy Solicitation Modernization.” If adopted, the proposed amendments would eliminate certain annual report delivery and exempt solicitation filing requirements, remove a 20-business-day delivery period for certain proxy statements and prospectuses, shorten the minimum broker-search period, and require contact information on proxy statement…
The SEC has issued a proposing release titled “Rescission of Rule 14a-8’s Federal Regulation of Shareholder Proposals and Amendments to Rule 14a-4.” If adopted, these proposed amendments would rescind Rule 14a-8, which permits eligible shareholders to include certain proposals in a company’s proxy statement, and expand the ability of a…
At the end of August 2026, the SEC submitted three significant rulemaking projects to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) that would impact public companies and capital raising. OIRA updated its dashboard to indicate that these rulemakings are now subject to OIRA review. While OIRA has up to…
On September 2, 2026, the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Corporation Finance issued three new Exchange Act Sections 13(d) and 13(g) and Regulation 13D-G Beneficial Ownership Reporting Corporation Finance Interpretations (CFIs) addressing when shareholder engagement will not, standing alone, cause an investor to lose its eligibility…
On August 14, 2026, the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance announced that it would discontinue responding to Rule 14a-8 no-action requests entirely, including those submitted under Rule 14a-8(i)(1), unless and until the Division announces otherwise. The Division also indicates that will no longer respond to notices filed under Rule 14a-8(j)…
On July 9, 2026, the Staff of the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance issued six new Corporation Finance Interpretations (CFIs), including Exchange Act Sections 13(d) and 13(g) and Regulation 13D-G Beneficial Ownership Reporting CFIs 105.08, 105.09, 105.10, 110.09 and 110.10, and Proxy Rules and Schedules 14A/14C CFI 155.02. The new…
The Weinberg Center’s fifth annual “ESG in the Boardroom” program, titled “Shareholder Proposals at the Crossroads: Boards, ESG, and the Future of SEC Rule 14a-8,” held April 28 in Wilmington, Delaware, brought together directors, jurists, advisors, and regulators to examine a governance environment in which boards are operating with less…
The Staff of the Division of Corporation Finance has updated several Compliance and Disclosure Interpretations (CDIs) under the Securities Act, proxy rules, and tender offer rules. The changes provide additional clarity on lock-up agreements, exempt solicitations, unexpected dissident consent solicitations, and cross-border tender offers, while communicating expectations concerning notices of…
The SEC’s recent policy change on issuer-investor mandatory arbitration provisions has prompted quick reactions from proxy advisors and early adopters in the market—setting the stage for renewed debate over whether companies should consider arbitration requirements in their governing documents. Mandatory arbitration provisions require investors to arbitrate, rather than litigate, disputes…
On November 17, 2025, the SEC issued a statement from the Division of Corporation Finance which announces a significant change in the Division’s involvement in the annual shareholder proposal season. Noting “current resource and timing considerations following the lengthy government shutdown and the large volume of registration statements and other…