Tag: proxy distribution fees

Did your company’s proxy distribution costs grow by 2400%? The NYSE has a new rule for you

And it may even help— to some extent. A number of companies received whopping bills in the last proxy season or two for proxy distribution costs—much bigger than normal.  How did that happen? As discussed on thecorporatecounsel.net blog, these types of increases have been attributed to “the proliferation of small accounts through no-fee trading platforms.” Many retail traders now hold very small numbers of shares of a large number of stocks, some as a result of recent opportunities to buy fractions or “slices” of shares that ultimately add up to one or more whole shares. And, in a number of cases, the retail traders didn’t even buy the shares; they were “gifted” by retail brokers as rewards for opening a new account or doing some other good deed for the benefit of the broker. It can all add up to surprisingly big charges for proxy distribution costs. But now there may be a bit of relief available—the SEC has just approved an NYSE proposal to “prohibit member organizations from seeking reimbursement, in certain circumstances, from issuers for forwarding proxy and other materials to beneficial owners.” “Certain circumstances” refers to free promotional shares awarded to account holders by brokerages. Notably, the blog raises the good question of how the exclusion will be enforceable in practice.