Broadridge on SEC proxy plumbing: be careful what you wish for
RICH DALY, the CEO of Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR), has responded to investor concerns about the potential impact on his company of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) proxy system review, saying critics want to take the system back 45 years and companies’ costs could more than double in an unregulated market.
SEC’s proxy plumbing “does all we could have hoped,” says Computershare
STUART CROSBY, the CEO of Australia-based Computershare Limited (ASX:CPU), the world’s biggest transfer agent business and main rival to Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE:BR), has praised the Securities and Exchange Commission’s concept paper on improving the US proxy system.
More U.S. companies choosing virtual annual meetings
A GROWING number of U.S. companies are holding their annual shareholder meetings exclusively online in spite of shareholder concerns that virtual-only meetings may undermine board accountability and exacerbate plunging retail voting rates.
Dear Moody’s Corp: Type this fast 3 times
UNDER the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s controversial notice-and-access (N&A) process for the delivery of annual meeting materials, companies can mail their shareholders a slip of paper containing a URL where recipients can access their proxy materials online. Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) is one company that is in the process of sending such a notice to [...]
Did TVI Pacific’s new website miss a big opportunity? No, and here’s why
When Canadian mining junior TVI Pacific launched its new corporate website a few months ago, much was made of how the new website was leveraging social media channels to spread the company’s message.
SEC should focus on access in “notice & access”
AFTER a long delay, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has finally proposed tweaks to its failed “notice and access” process for delivering shareholder meeting materials on the web. The model, which essentially transfers the decision to receive materials electronically or in print from shareowners to companies, has resulted in a dramatic drop in the [...]
Companies source annual meeting questions from web
A GROWING number of companies are using the web to give their shareholders opportunities to pose questions to directors and executives at their annual meetings. Since many shareholders are unable to attend meetings in person, the move by companies to use the web could help to reengage apathetic retail stockholders in the annual meeting process. [...]
Intel first to offer live Internet voting at annual meeting
INTEL Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) will become the first U.S. company to enable all of its shareholders to attend, ask questions and cast their votes live on the web at its next annual meeting. Although advance Internet voting and annual meeting webcasts have been common for several years, shareholders were not previously able to vote live [...]
Microvision opens up earnings call via blog
SEVERAL months ago, Microvision (NASDAQ:MVIS) IR specialist Tiffany Bradford set out to research how small-cap companies were using blogs for investor relations. She was referred to me by Shel Holtz, ABC, one of the leading advisors on the use of technology in public relations and corporate communications. I didn’t have a lot of concrete examples [...]
My advice to Directors: get out the vote!
EVER since the folks at Risk Metrics asked me several weeks ago to write something for directors about communicating with shareholders, I’ve been struggling to put down my thoughts in some sort of coherent form. The problem, you see, is that I don’t think there’s anything directors can do. Communication is not enough. PR and [...]
6 tips for a better E-proxy campaign
I HAVE really enjoyed reading the first issue of InvestorRelationships.com, the new online publication for investor relations, shareholder services, and corporate governance professionals that launched last week. As I have already mentioned, the publication — which is free for this year — is edited by former SEC attorney Broc Romanek, who also is also editor [...]
A truth many IR departments must face
OIL giant ExxonMobil Corporation published its 2006 corporate responsibility report yesterday. I thought it was pretty good — until I came across something I knew wasn’t true. In a section of the report called Communication and Engagement, the company says that good stakeholder relations are “essential to help identify and manage key issues.” It then [...]
Nothing to see, but much to ponder at XTO Energy
AS PART of a continuing theme that many corporate websites are becoming increasingly irrelevant to investors due to poor management and a lack of a clear communication strategy, I offer two screenshots. The first is from the events calendar page on XTO Energy Inc.’s (NYSE:XTO) investor relations website, which is hosted by Thomson Financial on [...]
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