Further to our announcement Enhanced proxy voting services with Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) of 29 June 2011, we wish to remind you of the implementation of the enhanced proxy voting services in conjunction with ISS on
27 February 2012
Clearstream Banking will implement a new level of proxy voting services that will bring a number of additional benefits to customers throughout the life cycle of a proxy voting event.
Highlights of the enhanced proxy voting services
Quality and Coverage
- Timely notifications and competitive deadlines
- Dedicated research network ensuring highest quality information at the earliest opportunity
- Complete coverage supported by new workflow management, including independent generation of predictable events and analysis of meeting information across all asset lines for eligibility
- Comprehensive coverage of all meeting types for all Clearstream eligible securities
Service Flexibility
- Standing instructions supported using a number of different parameters
- Split and partial voting where permitted by market/issuer
- Choice of eligibility by market
- Power of attorney management with reminder issuance
- Availability of proxy voting experts at ISS, complementing Clearstream Customer Services
Connectivity
- ISO 15022 and 20022 via SWIFT, as well as ISS’s online platform, ProxyExchange™
- Customisable alerts and extensive reporting options
- Customisable user profiles and security settings in ProxyExchange™
- Original meeting documentation available online
Customer Impact
The existing proxy voting service will cease for all asset classes and meeting types on 27 February 2012.
Customers should subscribe to the enhanced service to continue to receive proxy voting information and to exercise voting rights through Clearstream.
A subscription pack with all of the necessary information required to take up the service will be sent to you shortly. We recommend that you subscribe at your earliest convenience to allow sufficient time for a seamless transition.
If you currently outsource your proxy voting to a third party provider, your Power of Attorney in place with Clearstream will be superseded by completion of a new Power of Attorney contained within the subscription pack.
ProxyExchange™ is ISS’ core processing platform and therefore all customers will be able to access the service via the platform. It is web based and requires no technical implementation. Whilst it is intuitive for core functionality, we can offer you the appropriate training in order to benefit from its many sophisticated features. User names/passwords will be issued after the completion of the subscription pack, at which stage bespoke security settings may also be agreed.
For customers wishing to access the service via SWIFT, it will be necessary to undertake a BIC key exchange with ISS unless already done. Please also note that SWIFT notifications will be sent directly from ISS and, similarly, vote instructions should be sent directly to them.
Additional Information
Subscription packs will be sent shortly and made available online on the Proxy voting page.
To schedule the appropriate platform training, or for any further information, please contact your Clearstream Banking Relationship Officer or request at PV-Register-Me@clearstream.com.