Judith Araujo, Jack Bowling, Susan Warshaw Ebner, Steve Quinlivan, Patrick Respeliers and Gerald Weidner also contributed to this post. A number of public companies applied for and received potentially forgivable loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). To be eligible for a PPP loan a borrower does not need to... Read More
In this publication ISS Special Counsel Pat McGurn discusses his views on lessons learned during economic crises over the past three decades and what that means for governance during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. McGurn covers his views on considerations for boards and directors, evaluating executive pay, the impact... Read More
In an immediately effective rule change approved by the SEC, Nasdaq will permit a longer period of time for companies to regain compliance with Price-based Requirements under continued listing requirements by tolling the compliance periods through and including June 30, 2020. Nasdaq’s rule proposal refers to Price-based Requirements as those... Read More
The Unites States District Court for the Northern District of California recently found that 10b-5 litigation regarding Elon Musk’s tweets could move forward after reviewing a motion to dismiss in In Re Tesla Inc. Securities Litigation. Mr. Musk famously tweeted “Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured.” Mr.... Read More
On April 6th, the Securities and Exchange Commission approved the New York Stock Exchange’s request to provide temporary waivers of the shareholder approval requirements applicable to certain kinds of equity issuances under the NYSE’s Listed Company Manual as part of the Exchange’s ongoing efforts to respond to the challenging fund-raising... Read More
Public companies have begun to make disclosures regarding receipt of loan proceeds from the Paycheck Protection Program established by the CARES Act. Two recent examples are set forth below. Potbelly Corporation Form 8-K: On April 10, 2020, Potbelly Sandwich Works, LLC (the “Borrower”), an indirect subsidiary of Potbelly Corporation (the... Read More
The SEC staff provided limited relief for those who wish to file Form 144 in paper as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. A Form 144 must be filed with the SEC upon the sale of restricted securities when specified in Rule 144. The relief is temporary and covers those... Read More
ISS issued guidance on its policy application in light of the global impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The guidance addresses how ISS plans to apply ISS’ benchmark proxy voting policies over the coming months as annual shareholder meeting season gets underway. The guidance provides direction on a number of annual... Read More
SEC Chair Jay Clayton and William Hinman, Director, Division of Corporation Finance, shared their views in a public statement on first quarter earnings communications. Highlights of the wide-ranging statement are discussed below. According to Messrs. Clayton and Hinman, company disclosures should reflect investor interest in: where the company stands today,... Read More
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, SEC staff provided guidance on changing the date time and place of an annual meeting, switching to a virtual shareholder meeting and certain matters related to shareholder proposals. The SEC has now expanded on that guidance, focusing primarily on problems associated with issuers... Read More