Australia’s Business Day has reported that The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (‘ASIC’) wants seven former non-executive directors and three former executives at James Hardie banned from company directorships for at least five years each and fined a total of $2.8 million to $3.4 million. Justice Ian Gzell began hearing submissions on exoneration, penalties and […]
Read MoreThe UK’s corporate governance regulator, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has today published a progress report on its review of the Combined Code on Corporate Governance, which it kicked off in March 2009. The report summarises the results of the consultations and research that the FRC has carried out to date and invites views on […]
Read MoreA report by the Asset Management Working Group of the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative links the integration of ESG (environmental, social and corporate governance) issues into investment processes with legal responsibilities of fiduciaries (including pension trustees, asset managers and investment advisors). It also calls into question whether the institutional investment industry responsible ownership […]
Read MoreThe Accountancy and Actuarial Discipline Board (AADB) has announced that it will investigating PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and its staff in relation to its role as auditor to struggling sub-prime lender Cattles Plc. As previously reported on Manifest-I, Cattles has sacked six directors since March, when it discovered a £700m accounting discrepancy at its Welcome Financial Services […]
Read MoreA research study by Manifest’s US partners, PROXYGovernance Inc(PGI), reveals some interesting trends about US board governance. PGI’s review of Russell 3000 companies holding their 2009 annual meeting prior to July 1 reveals that boards of financial services firms have added fewer new directors since the sub-prime credit crisis began than boards in any other major sector. […]
Read MoreAny choral singer will be familiar with the concept: a choir singing an acapella section will often naturally go ‘flat and lose pitch’, only to have to painfully re-adjust pitch when the orchestra joins in. Conversely, if the orchestra were to be playing in the wrong key (as a violinist and singer, a cruel but amusing […]
Read MoreIt’s an old saying with a grain of truth, if you want something done, ask a busy person. Which is exactly what 50 + major investment professionals have done by joining the Social Investment Forum’s request to the SEC for improved ESG reporting from US-listed companies. The Social Investment Forum (SIF) and its co-signatories have […]
Read MoreThe Investors Working Group, a bi-partisan panel of experts created in February 2009 by the Council of Institutional Investors and the CFA Institute Centre for Financial Market Integrity, has released its recommendations for reform and modernisation of the US financial markets. According to the report, strengthening existing regulatory agencies, closing gaps in the regulatory structure, […]
Read MoreNot to be outdone by the Walker Review this week, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) has released the full text proposals from their July 1st meeting which are aimed at enhancing pre- and post-meeting disclosure and facilitation of the solicitation process for non-management groups. In a 137 page consultation document, for […]
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