In prior posts (here, here and here), I argue that the Committee on Capital Markets Regulation (popularly known as the Paulson Committee) made a "weak case" in its Interim Report for regulatory reform. Virtually all of my points apply equally to the recently released Bloomberg/Schumer report as well. The themes I sounded
The Bloomberg/Schumer Report on U.S. Capital Market Competitiveness
On Monday January 22, 2007, Republican New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Democratic New York Senator Charles Schumer released the joint report they commissioned from McKinsey & Company, entitled "Sustaining New York’s and the U.S.’s Global Financial Services Leadership." The report can be found here, and the joint press release describing the
Looking at Auditor Liability Caps
When the Committee on Capital Markets Regulation (popularly known as the Paulson Committee) in its Interim Report (here) recommended "setting a cap on auditor liability," the Committee relied for support on the steps in that direction that have been taken by the European Commission. In its latest effort along those lines, the
Cash Bonuses for Backdated Options
According to a January 20, 2007 Wall Street Journal article entitled “Executives Get Bonuses As Firms Reprice Options” (here, subscription required), some of the companies ensnared in the options backdating scandal are paying cash bonuses to executives whose options are being repriced, as the option exercise price is shifted to the actual grant
Executive Compensation, Legal Fees, and the Grasso Case
Eliot Spitzer sued former NYSE Chairman and CEO Richard Grasso to compel him to return the bulk of his nearly $190 deferred compensation and pension package, alleging that the pay package was “objectively unreasonable” under New York law governing nonprofit institutions and that Grasso had improperly influenced or misled the NYSE’s board directors to obtain
Options Backdating Litigation Update
On January 16, 2007, the Lerach Coughlin firm filed a purported securities class action lawsuit in federal court in the District of Columbia against Sunrise Senior Living and several of its directors and officers. A copy of the law firm’s press release can be found here and a copy of the complaint can be found
Is Backdating Criminal?
In a January 10, 2007 Wall Street Journal op-ed piece provocatively entitled “Should Steve Jobs Go to Jail?” (here, subscription required) the attorneys for Gregory Reyes, the former CEO Brocade Communications who faces criminal charges in connection with stock option activity at Brocade, present their view that “most options backdating cases” are
What Should Boards Worry About?
According to an article in the January/February 2007 issue of Corporate Board Member entitled “Is Your Company Prepared for Bird Flu?” (here), boards should be anticipating and preparing for the potential impact of a bird flu pandemic. The article quotes former Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson as saying that smart
The PCAOB’s Audit Firm Inspection Reports
On January 11, 2007, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) released its annual inspection reports of Ernst & Young LLP and KPMG LLP. The reports can be found here and here. The PCAOB is required by law to annually inspect each accounting firm that audits more than 100 public companies. The agency’s
Is London’s “Light Touch” Attracting Fraudsters?
In my prior comments on the Paulson Committee’s calls for regulatory reform (most recently, here), I have suggested that perhaps the U.S. securities markets may be better off without at least some of the companies that are avoiding the U.S. exchanges’ tougher listing requirements. A recent report by a U.K. accounting firm contains interesting