Search results for

The Court of Appeal (Murray v Yorkshire Fund Managers Limited) recently considered the question of to whom rights of confidence in business information belong.

The Fed has proposed changes to Regulation K which liberalize the rules governing expansion in the US for international banks. By Connie Friesen and David Nissenbaum of Richards & O’Neil LLP, New York

The government has accepted most of the proposals for reform of the financial sector put up by the government-appointed private sector committee on financial sector competitiveness made public its report offering detailed proposals to promote Singapore as Asia's premier financial centre.

The US's principal federal anti-discrimination law – Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 – has a long extraterritorial reach. Not only does it apply to employees of US and foreign employers working within the US, but it also covers US employees working abroad if the company for whom they work is controlled by a US entity. However, Title VII does not apply to foreign nationals working outside the US.

After the 1992 enactment of the regulatory scheme for the securitization of mortgage assets, the government prepared a draft Royal Decree to regulate securitization funds for non-mortgage assets. Approval of this Royal Decree is expected in the next few months.

Nearly five years ago, Italian pension schemes were reorganized (Legislative Decree No. 124/93) and subsequently modified by the general reform on pension law (Law No. 335/95). The reforms were intended to reduce state social security costs, saving resources for a pension system that would be competitive in Europe. Unfortunately they have been partially delayed in the system.

English law recognizes both legal interests (eg the interest of a registered holder of shares) and equitable interests (eg the interest of a beneficiary in shares held on his behalf under a trust). Although the High Court has had jurisdiction to enforce rules of both common law and equity for over 120 years, whether a rule has its origins in law or equity may be significant now. Two recent decisions of the Court of Appeal demonstrate this.

Despite some growing pains, Russia is still the world’s favourite emerging market. Moscow is the place to be thanks to a wealth of large potential clients and a market still short of lawyers. Nick Ferguson reports

The Spanish Government is selling the remaining tranche of its holding in Argentaria (Corporacion Bancaria de Espana), one of Spain's four leading banking groups, in an international public offering. The stock is valued at approximately US$2.1 billion. Representing Argentaria is US firm Davis Polk & Wardwell, New York. Coordinating the lawyers is the head of Davis Polk's securities practice, Jeffrey Small. Also involved is financial institutions partner Margaret Tahyar in the London office. Advising Argentaria in Spain is Garrigues & Andersen.

Bell Atlantic has launched a US$2.4 billion convertible bond. The five-year deal is the largest international equity-linked offering to date. Bell could not sell shares direct because of US regulations which prohibited an equity offering within two years of its merger with Nynex, the New York telephone company, last year. The bonds, which were distributed largely to non-US investors, will be exchangeable into Bell's 25% stake in New Zealand Telecom after 18 months. Davis Polk & Wardwell advised the lead managers, SBC Warburg. Davis Polk's team was led by capital markets partners Winthrop Conrad in New York and Sandy Whitman in London.