CEO sees project as ‘unique’ rival
to investor chat rooms
NEW YORK -- Broadridge Financial Solutions, the technology outsourcing
company, plans to launch an electronic shareholder forum that
distinguishes itself from other online investment forums by validating
participants as genuine shareholders.
The company revealed the project – which it is calling Investor Network
– in an earnings call last week. ‘We are uniquely positioned to create a
vibrant social network that validates real shareholders while allowing
both anonymity and accountability for any statements made online,’ said
Broadridge CEO Richard Daly on the call.
Broadridge’s proposal carries weight because the company has a virtual
monopoly over the retail shareholder communications market in the US, a
result of its extensive links with brokerage firms.
In the call, Daly said the SEC might decide shareholders have the right
to discuss their investments online in a secure environment. ‘If that was
the case, I can’t see it getting done in any way other than through the
plumbing we have in place,’ he commented. Daly confirmed he has had
meetings with SEC staff and chairman Christopher Cox on the topic.
Daly added, however, that Investor Network is still ‘early in its
development’ and experts working with Broadridge differ on the project’s
potential.
The SEC has been encouraging companies to set up e-shareholder forums
on their own websites for some time. In February, it changed its rules on
web disclosure to remove some of the liability issues that held firms back
from communicating with shareholders online.
‘E-shareholder forums are soon going to become a common communications
medium for shareholders and companies,’ predicts Michael O’Brien, vice
president of sales at iMiners, a technology company that sets up e-forums
on company websites.
‘The trend of companies using electronic shareholder forums to
communicate with shareholders via web 2.0 technology will continue to
accelerate, and we believe forums will become standard on company IR
websites in the near future.’
By Tim Human