Sky Blog
Regulation Fair Disclosure (Regulation FD), implemented in 2000, prohibits U.S. public companies from disclosing non-public information selectively. Section 100(b)(2)(iii) of the regulation, however, allowed issuers to disclose non-public information to credit rating agencies (CRAs) for the purpose of determining or …
With a Republican sweep of Congress and the executive branch, there will be a concerted effort this year to reform and restrain the current regulatory state. The incoming Trump Administration and Republican Congress have a number of options to repeal …
A central goal of corporate law is to prevent managers from putting their own interests ahead of those of shareholders. Such self-serving behavior can take many forms, ranging from illegal self-dealing transactions to self-entrenchment in the face of hostile takeover …
2016 was an active year for M&A, though year-end results did not surpass record-levels set in 2015. Global deal volume for the year was $3.7l trillion and U.S. deal volume was $1.66 trillion (14.8% and 16.4% lower than their respective …
This past year witnessed a number of new corporate governance initiatives. Among the most significant:
In a bank examination, regulators evaluate a financial institution’s compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The process is generally non-public, and the bank examination privilege helps keep it confidential. But questions have recently arisen about how the privilege is meant …
In recent years, policymakers have struggled with the question of how to prevent bank failures. The Dodd-Frank Act offers one answer, calling for stress tests that examine through economic models how banks of a certain size would react to a …
The Comptroller of the Currency (the “OCC”) has been working for over a year to develop a comprehensive framework to improve the OCC’s ability to identify and understand trends and innovations in the financial services industry, as well …
The pressure to meet earnings expectations has grown intense for U.S. companies, and may be damaging the health and safety of workers. Missing analyst estimates, even by a small amount, can lead to significant negative reactions from investors. For example, …
One of the most significant post-election questions for the financial-services industry—particularly global financial institutions that move money across borders—is, what is the status of President Trump’s proposal to tax electronic remittances to Mexico to pay for the wall between Mexico …
Corporations are subject to broad criminal liability for the insider trading of their employees. Critics have noted that this results in a harsh irony. “After all,” as Professor Jonathan Macey notes, “it is generally the employer who is harmed by …
While 2016 was strong overall (see our annual review here), M&A activity in the last month was mixed. Total deal volume in December 2016 rose globally by 31.2% to $376.14 billion but declined in the U.S. by 49.4% to …
Buried deep in Article I of the U.S. Constitution is an obscure provision known as the “Emoluments Clause.” In relevant part, it provides that:
“[N]o person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the consent of …
On September 28, 2016, the U.S. Congress expanded civil liability for foreign countries and international businesses by enacting the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (“JASTA”), overriding President Obama’s veto for the first time in his Presidency. While Congress ostensibly …
Last year was an active but uneven one in the world of corporate bankruptcy and restructuring. On the one hand, default rates in the U.S. remained at relatively muted levels, with the continuation of low interest rates and strong (if …
In 2016, enterprising software developers sought to create a business entity with a unique governance structure: a leaderless, decentralized venture capital firm that would allow investors to vote on and collectively fund proposals. The Distributed Autonomous Organization (DAO) attracted more …
On November 29, 2016, Prime Minister Theresa May’s government issued a green paper[1] (the “Green Paper”) to canvass opinion on proposed reforms to the UK’s corporate governance framework.
A green paper is a government consultation document that …
The latest chapter in the saga of resolution planning under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) unfolded in December 2016 when the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the “FDIC”) and the Board of Governors of …
If 2008 through 2010 were years of tumult and recession in U.S. financing markets, and 2011 through 2015 years of recovery and growth, marked by ever-lower yields and record-setting financing activity even in the face of new compliance regimes, 2016 …
Securities disclosure is under fire, with professors and politicians launching two basic criticisms against it. The first is that it causes “information overload:” Investors cannot process all the disclosure that securities rules require. The idea can be traced back to …