This Week in ESG and Impact Investing

SRI News
Research and Markets: Sustainable Investing for Institutional Investors. Risk ...
The Herald | HeraldOnline.com
Sustainable Investing for Institutional Investors: Risk, Regulation and Strategies explores the key issues related to "Socially Responsible Investment" (SRI) for institutional investors and trustees, including investment strategies, risk and returns ...
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The above is from the SEC's meeting on Rule 506 of Regulation D. This is an important provision that will allow small firms to raise up to $50 million under the JOBS Act. The result of the meeting is that a draft rule will be posted to the SEC website concerning the mechanics of this provision later today. 

News
Enbridge alienatingsocially responsible investors
Globe and Mail
The U.S. declaration that Enbridge Inc. ran a river spill cleanup like "Keystone Kops" has cost it a small investor, and a measure of credibility, after Vancity Investment Management said the pipeline company no longer meets its criteria for socially...
See all stories on this topic »Will Social Impact Investing Finally Pay Dividends?
Pro Bono Australia
There is now a shift from ethical and socially responsible investing – based on screening out investments associated with social and environmental damage – to social impact investing where commercial returns are blended with the creation of social and ...
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Pro Bono Australia

SRI News
Hedge fund firms accepting screens to get faith-based business
Pensions & Investments
Hedge fund managers hungry for institutional assets are increasingly willing to incorporate exclusionary screens into their investment approaches to keep portfolios in line with the socially responsible investment values of church-affiliated investors.
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Pensions & Investments

As C-SPAN noted, "The JOBS Act (Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act), designed to help small companies raise investment capital, was signed into law by President Obama on April 5, 2012. 

On June 26th, the TARP Subcommittee of  the House Oversight held a hearing on the Security and Exchange Commission's (SEC) efforts to implement the Act. The SEC had 270 days from the signing of the Act to set forth rules. Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) chaired the hearing. The JOBS Act relaxes some of the regulations put in place by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and establishes the creation of Internet funding portals to facilitate 'crowd funding,' the collective pooling of money to support business projects. Critics worry that the JOBS Act's relaxed regulations will encourage fraud." 

We attended the hearing and found that the SEC will be late in responding to the deadlines established by the law. No mention was made of the recent $2 billion dollar loss at JP Morgan or the LIBOR scandal…