Investor protection looks set for quite a bumpy ride, thanks to two just-announced mergers.  The proposed acquisitions of RiskMetrics by MSCI and of Bowne by RR Donnelley seem likely to impact everything from…

The foundations of Islamic finance may be trembling by dint of the controversial reasoning in a recent English court decision. Some Shariah-based contracts may now be interpreted in a manner that now places them under a cloud of doubt...

Clever structuring has been known to let many a party have their cake and eat it too. Of late, reverse mergers between PRC and U.S. companies are proving themselves more useful than a simple listing on the NASDAQ or NYSE…

As PE deals heat up, Telecom provider RCN Corporation announced last week that it has entered into a $1.2 billion merger agreement with private equity firm Abry Partners...

Oil wildcatters are seeking liquid gold in what was once one of the furthest corners of the British Empire, whether labeled the Falklands or Las Malvinas. Along with this quest has come a parallel quest for funding…

Not quite as controversial as the delayed release of Bank of America’s secret bonus agreements with Merrill but still noteworthy, Daimler has disclosed the details of its exit from Chrysler…

Smart money investor John Paulson is placing his bets on SuperYellowPages’ emergence from bankruptcy. After emerging from reorganization under Chapter 11 and incurring more than $9 billion in...

Conflict-based lawsuits are the latest in anti-takeover protection -- and are fraught with concerns for lawyers, clients and shareholders alike. Suits against major firms remind: while sometimes...

After unanimous approval by independent members of its board of directors, specialty finance REIT Crystal River Capital, Inc. agreed to merge with...

Film stars, exotic real estate bubbles and international intrigue lend Dubai a patina of the sensational that masks an Olympian accomplishment in the emirate:  The near-instantaneous creation of a sophisticated financial regulatory regime…

Over the past six months, observers have raised concerns about the possible impact of several legislative changes on the securitization of vehicles and equipment in Canada…

Crown Media Holdings, owner and operator of the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel, and Hallmark Cards, have approved and executed a…

France Telecom and Deutsche Telekom may have gotten a rare, lucky break from competition authorities in Europe after a review of their proposed JV merging the Orange UK and T-Mobile UK brands…

The dual-listed airlines of the PRC are faced with dual challenges: they must contend with a travel boom (a good problem) as well as the glare of regulators, including the SEC…

Pension and related risk disclosures were once an overlooked component of annual reports. Fast-forward a few years and the mere boilerplate disclosures of…

A spotlight was shined on the lack of transparency, standardization, and disclosure of credit default swaps and other OTC derivatives in the depths of the credit crisis. Now some regulators are searching for solutions...

Boston Scientific’s acquisition of Guidant in 2006 came with an unexpected liability – criminal charges. In a recently filed plea agreement...

Corporate raider Carl Icahn is at it again, but this time his target is in the entertainment sector. Icahn recently filed a cash tender offer for up to 13.2 million shares in Vancouver-based Lions Gate Entertainment…

Goldman’s equity-based pay packages are back in spotlight, as Goldman’s managing directors face new requirements from the financial services giant. MDs are now being required to hold more equity…

A little known, but recently notorious, corner of the commercial real estate world is actually going through an upsurge. Led by Passco, Inland, and American Realty Capital, it's powered by unique legal structures…

Named after the Chinese word for peace, Ping An Insurance’s latest move is generating anything but a peaceful response. Recently, Ping An announced that it will be gradually unlocking…

After last year’s global financial services crisis, the PRC government has been hard at work to prevent a doomsday scenario from occurring. The China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) in particular is faced with oxymoronic challenges…

Most companies have critical stress points – particular customers, suppliers, licenses or services upon which they are highly reliant for future success. But when that stress point fractures, things can get very ugly. Just ask CINRAM International...

Shareholder landscapes continued to tremble this week as key advisory player RiskMetrics signed up to merge with MSCI in a deal valued at over $1.5 billion, payable in cash and stock…

Out with the old and in with the new is rarely the case when it comes to classified boards, but corporate governance tides are rising against staggered boards. Companies like e-Bay, E*Trade Financial, and…

Citigroup, like many other banks and corporations, is continuing its Slimfast diet of divestments. The mega-bank is planning to spin off part of its Primerica life insurance. Citigroup will retain a stake and…

China’s oil behemoths are noteworthy not only for their globe-spanning acquisitions, but also for the clever corporate and disclosure strategies that accompany them. Sinopec, PetroChina and CNOOC, have together…

The Federal Reserve’s Term Asset-Backed Lending Facility (TALF) is soon coming to an end, and companies like CIT and Sallie Mae are sad to see it go…

In the midst of the global financial crisis, financial executives were still making out like bandits. But at last, things may be looking up for compensation crusaders. Bank of America’s recently filed preliminary annual meeting proxy details...

Even as a relatively novel component of the global economy, Islamic finance must still accommodate a number of often divergent interests – some of them by their natures inherently difficult to satisfy…

Diamond Foods, the processor and marketer of culinary in-shell snack ingredient nuts, has entered into a Share Purchase Agreement to buy the entire issued share capital of…

If necessity is the mother of invention, then desperation may just be the mother of market abuse. And desperation appears to be more widely felt in the generics-pressed pharmaceutical industry…

Bankruptcy may be hardest on companies, but it’s no picnic for their landlords either.  With once-blockbuster tenants like Movie Gallery and Blockbuster reeling from the twin impacts of RedBox and the recession, already-troubled commercial real estate companies are…

Terra Capital, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Terra Industries Inc, is offering to exchange up to $600 million in notes issued through a private placement for…

With memories of $147 per barrel of oil still reverberating, the CFTC wants to make sure that number is never seen again, and is proposing anti-speculation rules heralded to accomplish just that. These rules seem to fall short of their goal…

The Kuwait China Investment Company (KCIC) continues to spread its reach into the East Asian market. In documents filed last week, Redgate Media Group, a Cayman Islands corporation...

AAA ratings, like the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus, were great gift givers once upon a time, but no longer exist. At least General Electric and Berkshire Hathaway have found that out the hard way…

Despite the potential size of the domestic television watching market, media content remains one of the most controlled sectors in China’s economy. Many point to incidents such as the banning of Facebook…

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has been flexing its regulatory muscle, even while its standard-bearer, Hector Sants, is retiring. Recent moves include record fines and criminal proceedings…

Canada’s Competition Bureau has perhaps never been as active on multiple fronts as it has been over the past year. A new commissioner, broad changes to the Competition Act, new…

Looks like the technology industry is in for a small shake-up with the acquisition of semiconductor supplier Silicon Storage Technology, Inc. by its competitor and Cerberus affiliate, Microchip Technology Inc…