Governance

Ethics and compliance are far too often neglected by boards at big firms, even though it's settled law and policy that boards are required to oversee company compliance. In fact, a survey of 26 past and present Chief Ethics and Compliance Officers reveals that most feel their boards don't fully understand the ethics and compliance programs they should be overseeing...

What Boards Should Know As corporate scandals hit the headlines, boards of directors must often answer questions about their own engagement and oversight. Could they have known more sooner? With just a few attorneys directing search experts in an investigation of small collections of data, a preliminary micro-investigation can help provide directors with an answer to the question, "do we...

And What You Can Do About It With Audi’s CEO arrested for fraud, it’s time to shine the spotlight on corporate governance. Inexperienced leaders, confusion over the role of governance and a lack of commitment means that time and time again, we see the same mistakes made by companies across all industries. This article shares three mistakes companies make when...

Independent Oversight Meets the SEC Ron Kral discusses the the emerging trend of cybersecurity committees that are being created as companies recognize the need to create independent oversight of cyber risks. Cybersecurity risks pose grave threats to investors, our capital markets, and our country. This is the opening sentence of the SEC’s Interpretive Guidance on Public Company Cybersecurity Disclosures dated...

Senator Russ Feingold discusses McCain-Feingold, Citizens United and the vast, opaque sums involved in US politics today.

When was the last time you saw a positive news story come out of Venezuela? Probably has been a while. Any organization with ties to the country needs to be aware of the increasingly severe sanctions being imposed on the country by the federal and state governments. The deteriorating economic, political, and human right situation in Venezuela has caused enormous...

Aaron O’Connell, a Marine colonel, author and history professor discusses his research of, and personal experience in, Afghanistan and his excellent book: Our Latest Longest War: Losing Hearts and Minds In Afghanistan.

Key Issues for Proxies and Investors The relationship between publicly traded companies and their shareholders continues to evolve toward more communications and mutual understanding—and that’s impacting the sort of content featured in proxy statements. As the 2018 proxy season unfolds, Ron Schneider of Donnelley Financial Solutions examines key issues emerging in proxies this year and why companies should start treating...

Corporate boards that want to increase their diversity usually focus on gender and race. But are they paying enough attention to age diversity? PwC’s Census of Directors 50 and Under uncovers how younger directors may be setting the pace on specific areas inside the boardroom and explores what catalysts may lead to more age diversity. Areas addressed include: Younger directors fit...

It is rare these days for Republicans and Democrats to agree on political priorities – another profound grasp of the obvious.  Recently, on Capitol Hill there appears to be some common ground on the issue of reforming AML laws and regulations. The motivation is to make financial AML regulations “smarter” and increase focus on beneficial ownership, terrorist financing and proactive...

At stake in the prolonged debate over a “best-interest” standard of care for retirement advice are $7.5 trillion in 401(k)-type assets and $8.4 trillion in IRA assets. Whether or not the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will eventually come to agreement on a uniform standard of conduct remains to be seen, but the SEC’s...

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority is under the radar for many organizations. Being fully aware of the violations and their consequences can prevent unneeded issues.