If the number of out of office messages sent back when I sent out new blog post email notifications during August are any indication, many readers have been away for some or all of the past few weeks. I hope you saved the little paper umbrella from the fruity drink that you and your spouse shared on the terrace of the outdoor café and that you are still finding sand in your tennis shoes.

 

Sadly, the summer eventually ends and everyone eventually has to go back to school.

 

 

Now that you are back at your desk, you will want to get caught up, especially because while you were away, the blogosphere continued to gyrate, and The D&O Diary continued to publish new posts. Here’s just some of what you missed:

 

 

The Nuts and Bolts of D&O: I have now published three installments in my ongoing series about the nuts and bolts of D&O insurance, the latest of which relates to the policyholder’s obligations under the D&O policy. The prior posts in the series related to the relationship of indemnification and insurance, and to the insuring agreement in the Policy. Additional installments will be forthcoming in the weeks ahead.

 

 

Guest Posts: I have been delighted to be able to publish a number of interesting guest posts over the past several weeks.

 

 

First, I published, in the form of two separate posts (here and here), an interesting exchange between Milberg partner Michael Spencer and Minnesota Law Professor Richard Painter, on the question of the impact of the Morrison v. National Australia Bank case.

 

 

Second, I published a post from Jones Day partner John Iole on the topic of conflicts in the insurance transaction.

 

 

And finally, I published a post (here) written by former plaintiffs’ securities attorney Bill Lerach, who had some spirited comments about my prior post discussing an article by three academics about whether corporate defendants that settle securities suits suffering continuing financial detriments. I published the academics’ response to Mr. Lerach over this past weekend.

 

 

Failed Banks: The number of banks that have been closed as a result of the current failed bank wave continues to grow.  Indeed, according to the FDIC’s most recently quarterly report, one out of ten banks in the U.S. is a “problem institution.” The FDIC has filed its first lawsuit, as part of the current failed bank wave, against former directors and officers of a failed bank. Meanwhile, investor litigation involving failed banks continues to move forward. For example, in the PFF Bancorp and Banco Popular cases the dismissal motions were denied, although in the Raymond James loan loss reserve case the dismissal motion was granted. In the meantime, at least one investor lawsuit involving a troubled bank appears headed to trial. NERA has published a comprehensive report on failed bank litigation.

 

 

Subprime Cases: There have been a number of significant dismissal motion rulings in subprime-related securities cases, including the partial dismissal in the BofA/Merrill merger case and the dismissal in the SunTrust case. In addition, the New Century Financial case settled for about $125 million. My updated list of subprime and credit crisis-related lawsuit dismissal motion ruling can be found here.

 

 

Coming Attractions: Now that everyone is caught up, tomorrow morning I will be publishing my annual survey of the D&O marketplace, “What to Watch Now in the World of D&O.” Watch this site.

 

 

Speakers’ Corner: On September 29, 2010, I will be speaking at C5’s 5th European Forum on D&O Liability Insurance in Cologne, Germany. I will be participating on a panel with Maurice Pesso of the White & Williams law firm on the topic “Why European Directors of U.S. Companies Should Worry About Their Exposure to U.S. Class Action Claims” – a topic that has changed pretty dramatically in the last few months. Information about the conference can be found here. I will look forward to seeing and greeting my European readers at this upcoming conference.