News Topic: Activist investors

HopFed was ordered to pay the legal fees for Stilwell Group, which sued the bank after its directors passed a bylaw intended to keep the investor off its board. ... Read full article

The Seattle company, which is gearing up for a proxy battle with Blue Lion Capital, appointed a former U.S. Bancorp executive to fill a board vacancy. ... Read full article

Blue Lion Capital, which had a recent request for a board seat rejected, plans to nominate multiple people to run for the board at HomeStreet's next annual meeting. ... Read full article

The activist investor, which has pressured the company in the past to find a buyer, fell short in an attempt last year to gain representation. ... Read full article

Blue Lion Capital has complained about the company's reliance on mortgages and bank acquisitions. ... Read full article

A representative from Basswood Capital will become a director in May. ... Read full article

Eagle Bancorp vigorously defended itself after a potential short seller made claims of dubious insider dealings, pushing back harder than many banks have in the past. ... Read full article

Eagle is trying to debunk claims by Aurelius Value that CEO Ronald Paul and other directors are involved in an insider loan scheme. Eagle dismissed the report as an effort by short sellers to manipulate its stock. ... Read full article

HomeStreet's CEO said mortgage expansion and bank acquisitions — concerns highlighted recently by Blue Lion Capital — are helping the company diversify. ... Read full article

Ancora Advisors has a history of pressing banks and thrift to find buyers. ... Read full article

CapStar in Tenn. claims Gaylon Lawrence violated the Change in Bank Control Act by building a 10% stake without prior Fed approval. The company is convinced Lawrence's long-term plan includes a hostile takeover. ... Read full article

The company, which has faced pressure to sell from an activist investor, had been operating with an interim leader since December. ... Read full article

The key to an unsolicited bid is to avoid looking like a bully. That requires clear communication with a target's investors, employees and clients — along with any other banks you might eventually want to buy. ... Read full article

Stilwell Group, which has been pressuring the Ohio company to sell itself, fell 36,000 votes shy of taking a board seat. ... Read full article

Anchor Bancorp in Laney, Wash., lowered its expectations in the face of impatient investors and buyers’ concerns about antitrust, credit quality and other issues. ... Read full article

Stilwell Group, an activist investor, is alleging that HopFed chief John Peck bought two properties from the then-chairman of the Kentucky company's compensation committee and that the deals were a conflict of interest. ... Read full article

Noah Breslow, who drew opposition from a hedge fund that wants the online small-business lender to pursue a new course, won 84% of the vote Tuesday. ... Read full article

Some shareholders can help increase corporate accountability using a little-known but effective tool called a shareholder proposal. But now this tool is threatened by financial reform legislation. ... Read full article