Issuers Amending Bylaws to Reflect Possibility of Dual Record Dates

First Niagara Financial Group, Inc. Form 8-K on 9/23/10 (SEC file no. 0-23975)
News Corp. Form 10-K on 8/6/10 (file no. 1-32352)
Standard Parking Corp. Form 8-K on 1/27/10 (file no. 0-50796)

Companies set a date — known as the “record date” — on which persons who are shareholders on such date are entitled to receive notice of a meeting and to vote at the meeting. If a shareholder sells after the record date, that person (who no longer holds the shares) still has the right to vote. This can mean that holders without an economic stake in the matter can influence the outcome of a vote.  

Effective in August 2009, changes to the Delaware General Corporation Law allow boards to fix one record date for determining stockholders entitled to notice of a stockholder meeting and a separate record date for determining the stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting.  Each of the filings listed above report amendments to the company's bylaws approved by the board of directors, and each present the restated bylaws as an exhibit.