Proxy Season Prognosis: Contentious on Pay
December 27, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
The 2008 U.S. proxy season could be one of the most contentious in recent memory following the Securities and Exchange Commission’s decision to exclude proxy access proposals, and as shareholders continue to seek curbs on executive pay.
December 27, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
The 2008 U.S. proxy season could be one of the most contentious in recent memory following the Securities and Exchange Commission’s decision to exclude proxy access proposals, and as shareholders continue to seek curbs on executive pay.
C-Suite Titles to Proliferate
December 27, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
Large corporations have added more jobs to the C-suite, with titles such as chief sustainability officer, chief revenue officer, and chief investment officer. Even a few quirky ones have surfaced, like chief beer officer and chief luxury officer.
December 27, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
Large corporations have added more jobs to the C-suite, with titles such as chief sustainability officer, chief revenue officer, and chief investment officer. Even a few quirky ones have surfaced, like chief beer officer and chief luxury officer.
Winners & Losers in M&A
December 27, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
Technology groups Google and Oracle and energy companies XTO and Transocean enjoyed the best share price performance among U.S. corporations making large domestic acquisitions this year, according to Dealogic data.
December 27, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
Technology groups Google and Oracle and energy companies XTO and Transocean enjoyed the best share price performance among U.S. corporations making large domestic acquisitions this year, according to Dealogic data.
Buffett Strikes Deal For Marmon Stake
December 26, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
The Pritzker family of Chicago is selling a 60 percent stake in Marmon Holdings, an industrial conglomerate for $4.5 billion to Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway.
December 26, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
The Pritzker family of Chicago is selling a 60 percent stake in Marmon Holdings, an industrial conglomerate for $4.5 billion to Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway.
Merrill Sells Lending Unit to GE
December 26, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
Merrill Lynch buffeted by huge write-downs of mortgage-related securities, said Monday it would sell most of its middle-market lending business to General Electric Co's commercial finance arm in a deal to free up capital.
December 26, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
Merrill Lynch buffeted by huge write-downs of mortgage-related securities, said Monday it would sell most of its middle-market lending business to General Electric Co's commercial finance arm in a deal to free up capital.
SEC Provides Executive Pay Comparisons
December 26, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
The Securities and Exchange Commission introduced an online tool that uses XBRL to allow investors to compare executive pay at 500 of the largest American companies.
December 26, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
The Securities and Exchange Commission introduced an online tool that uses XBRL to allow investors to compare executive pay at 500 of the largest American companies.
The Directorship Economic Forecast: A Bias Towards Business As Usual
December 26, 2007 by Peter Morici
The stock market remains unsettled, as the nation’s economic problems grow. Washington from the White House to Capitol Hill to the Federal Reserve gives us lots of bustle but no truly comforting action. Nonetheless, the U.S. economy remains vibrant and has some chance of avoiding a recession.
December 26, 2007 by Peter Morici
The stock market remains unsettled, as the nation’s economic problems grow. Washington from the White House to Capitol Hill to the Federal Reserve gives us lots of bustle but no truly comforting action. Nonetheless, the U.S. economy remains vibrant and has some chance of avoiding a recession.
CalPERS Adopts New Investment Strategy
December 21, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
The California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) board of administration has adopted a new investment asset allocation for its $250 billion portfolio to deliver optimum risk-adjusted investment returns over the next three years.
December 21, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
The California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) board of administration has adopted a new investment asset allocation for its $250 billion portfolio to deliver optimum risk-adjusted investment returns over the next three years.
SEC Charges Counsel in Refco Fraud
December 21, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged the longtime, primary outside attorney for Refco Group Ltd. with aiding and abetting securities fraud violations at the now-defunct New York-based financial services and commodities brokerage firm.
December 21, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged the longtime, primary outside attorney for Refco Group Ltd. with aiding and abetting securities fraud violations at the now-defunct New York-based financial services and commodities brokerage firm.
File Under: Must Reading
December 20, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
Maybe Wall Street analysts are more honest and less compromised than they were pre-SOX, but recent events show that they're still awful at their most important job: predicting bad news, so writes Fortune editor at large Geoff Colvin.
December 20, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
Maybe Wall Street analysts are more honest and less compromised than they were pre-SOX, but recent events show that they're still awful at their most important job: predicting bad news, so writes Fortune editor at large Geoff Colvin.
CSX Defends Board Against Acitivist Criticism
December 20, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
In reaction to recent criticism from activist investors, CSX Corporation yesterday defended its board, stating that it comprises a broad range of experience and has driven the company's success.
December 20, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
In reaction to recent criticism from activist investors, CSX Corporation yesterday defended its board, stating that it comprises a broad range of experience and has driven the company's success.
Tort Foundation Identifies New “Judicial Hellholes”
December 20, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
The American Tort Reform Association named as judicial hellholes for the first time Clark County, Nevada, and Atlantic County, New Jersey. They join perennial hellholes South Florida; Rio Grande Valley and Gulf Coast, Texas; Cook County, Illinois; and West Virginia among the nation's most unfair civil court jurisdictions, according to the 2007 Judicial Hellholes Report released yesterday by ATRA.
December 20, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
The American Tort Reform Association named as judicial hellholes for the first time Clark County, Nevada, and Atlantic County, New Jersey. They join perennial hellholes South Florida; Rio Grande Valley and Gulf Coast, Texas; Cook County, Illinois; and West Virginia among the nation's most unfair civil court jurisdictions, according to the 2007 Judicial Hellholes Report released yesterday by ATRA.
Overhaul Proposed for FASB
December 18, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
A proposal being put out for comment today seeks to overhaul the Financial Accounting Foundation, the body that determines who will set accounting rules in the United States, and would enable the Financial Accounting Standards Board to act faster while increasing the power of its chairman, Robert H. Herz.
December 18, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
A proposal being put out for comment today seeks to overhaul the Financial Accounting Foundation, the body that determines who will set accounting rules in the United States, and would enable the Financial Accounting Standards Board to act faster while increasing the power of its chairman, Robert H. Herz.
E-Discovery to Greatly Impact Law Over Next Five Years, Survey Finds
December 18, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
One in four attorneys polled in a recent survey have said that electronic discovery will have the biggest impact on the practice of law in the next five years. Following closely, the survey found, was globalization.
December 18, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
One in four attorneys polled in a recent survey have said that electronic discovery will have the biggest impact on the practice of law in the next five years. Following closely, the survey found, was globalization.
Ex-Publisher Gets 29 Months in Prison
December 18, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
F. David Radler, former publisher of the Chicago Sun-Times and No. 2 man in the once-powerful Hollinger International newspaper empire, was sentenced yesterday to 29 months in prison for his role in stealing millions of dollars from Hollinger shareholders.
December 18, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
F. David Radler, former publisher of the Chicago Sun-Times and No. 2 man in the once-powerful Hollinger International newspaper empire, was sentenced yesterday to 29 months in prison for his role in stealing millions of dollars from Hollinger shareholders.
Navistar Intl. Target of Class Action Suit
December 18, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
A class-action suit was filed yesterday on behalf of purchasers of Navistar International Corp. securities on the open market from February 14, 2003 through July 17, 2006.
December 18, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
A class-action suit was filed yesterday on behalf of purchasers of Navistar International Corp. securities on the open market from February 14, 2003 through July 17, 2006.
SEC to Consider Yet Another Delay of SOX 404 for Small Businesses
December 17, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
While small companies have been able to avoid complying with the internal-controls of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for some time, Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Christopher Cox recently said he now hopes to delay enforcement of compliance on those companies for another year.
December 17, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
While small companies have been able to avoid complying with the internal-controls of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for some time, Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Christopher Cox recently said he now hopes to delay enforcement of compliance on those companies for another year.
Number of ‘Poison Pill’ Companies Continues to Decrease, Study Finds
December 17, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
Public companies in the United States continue to grow in their governance practices, especially those relating to voting matters, as they now also grapple with Securities and Exchange Commission disclosure requirements around executive and director compensation, according to Shearman & Sterling's fifth annual corporate governance survey of the largest U.S. public companies.
December 17, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
Public companies in the United States continue to grow in their governance practices, especially those relating to voting matters, as they now also grapple with Securities and Exchange Commission disclosure requirements around executive and director compensation, according to Shearman & Sterling's fifth annual corporate governance survey of the largest U.S. public companies.
One View: The ‘Systematic Failure of Corporate Governance’
December 17, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
The events of the second half of 2007—from credit market woes to the failure of solid succession planning—“is the result of a systematic failure of corporate governance."
December 17, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
The events of the second half of 2007—from credit market woes to the failure of solid succession planning—“is the result of a systematic failure of corporate governance."
PCAOB to Audit Firms: ‘Get Tough on Fraud’
December 17, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
The chief auditor of the Public Company Accounting Standards Board (PCAOB) told audit firms they need to do a better job of keeping their clients on the straight and narrow and should push for potentially more expensive, forensic-like approaches to annual reviews of financial statements.
December 17, 2007 by Joseph McCafferty
The chief auditor of the Public Company Accounting Standards Board (PCAOB) told audit firms they need to do a better job of keeping their clients on the straight and narrow and should push for potentially more expensive, forensic-like approaches to annual reviews of financial statements.