If your shares are held in “street name” by a broker, bank or other nominee, that person, as the record holder of your shares, is required to vote your shares according to your instructions. Your bank, broker or other nominee will send you directions on how to vote those shares, which may include the ability to instruct the voting of your shares by telephone or on the Internet.
If your shares are held by a broker, bank or other nominee and you wish to vote online while virtually attending at the meeting, you will need to access the live audio webcast of the meeting at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/STT2024 and follow the instructions for shareholder voting.
What are the Board’s recommendations on how to vote my shares?
The Board of Directors recommends a vote:
• | Item 1— FOR election of the 12 nominees named herein as directors (page 23) |
• | Item 2— FOR approval of the advisory proposal on executive compensation (page 88) |
• | Item 3— FOR ratification of the selection of the independent registered public accounting firm (page 91) |
Additionally, if other matters are presented at the annual meeting, the persons named in the proxy card as proxy holders are authorized to vote on the additional matters as they determine.
Who pays the cost for soliciting proxies by State Street?
State Street will pay the cost for the solicitation of proxies by the Board. The solicitation of proxies will be made primarily by mail and electronic means. State Street has retained Morrow Sodali, LLC to aid in the solicitation of proxies for a fee of $17,500, plus expenses. Proxies may also be solicited by employees of State Street and its subsidiaries personally, or by mail, telephone, fax or email, without any remuneration to such employees other than their regular compensation. State Street will reimburse brokers, banks, custodians, other nominees and fiduciaries for forwarding these materials to their principals to obtain authorization for the execution of proxies.
What is householding?
Some banks, brokers and other nominee record holders may be “householding” our proxy statements, annual reports and related materials. “Householding” means that only one copy of these documents may have been sent to multiple shareholders in one household. If you would like to receive your own set of State Street’s proxy statements, annual reports and related materials, or if you share an address with another State Street shareholder and together both of you would like to receive only a single set of these documents, please contact your bank, broker or other nominee.
May I change my vote?
If you are a registered shareholder, you may change your vote or revoke your proxy at any time before it is voted by notifying the Secretary in writing, by returning a signed proxy with a later date, by submitting an electronic proxy as of a later date or by virtually attending the meeting and voting online during the meeting. If your shares are held in “street name,” you must contact your bank, broker or other nominee for instructions on changing your vote.
What constitutes a quorum?
A majority of the votes entitled to be cast on a matter constitutes a quorum for action on that matter. A share represented for any purpose at the annual meeting will be deemed present for determination of a quorum for the entire meeting and for any adjournment of the meeting; unless (1) a shareholder attends solely to object to lack of notice, defective notice or the conduct of the meeting on other grounds and the shareholder does not vote the shares or otherwise consent that they are to be deemed present or (2) in the case of an adjournment, a new record date is set for that adjourned meeting. Shares present virtually during the annual meeting will be considered shares represented in person at the meeting.
What vote is required to approve each item?
Since it is an uncontested election of directors at the annual meeting, a nominee for director will be elected to the Board if the votes cast “for” the nominee’s election exceed the votes cast “against” the nominee’s election (Item 1). If the votes cast “against” the nominee’s election exceed the votes cast “for” the nominee’s election, the nominee will not be elected to the Board. However, under Massachusetts law, if an incumbent director is not elected to the Board, that incumbent director will