Kristen Grind from Business Journal compiles a list of the groups recommending withholds from WaMu directors.

Her list:

* Change to Win(CtW) Investment Group: The group works with union-sponsored pension funds that hold 4.6 million shares of the company. CtW members also participate in public pension funds that hold an additional 30 million shares in the company.

* American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Employees Pension Plan: Directly owns about 10,000 shares, and the 1.5 million members of the union own about 3.5 percent of the company through various public retirement systems.

* RiskMetrics/ISS: A proxy advisory service with $35 trillion in assets under management. The advisory firm doesn't break out specific company figures. Typically the firm advises 15 to 20 percent of shareholder vote at large companies like WaMu, according to CtW.

* Glass Lewis: A proxy advisory service that typically advises between 8 and 10 percent of the shareholder vote at large companies like WaMu, according to CtW.

* Proxy Governance: A proxy advisory service that typically advises between 3 to 5 percent of shareholder vote at large companies, according to CtW.

* Egan-Jones Proxy Services: This proxy service has issued a report advising withhold votes against certain members of the board. Its holdings were unavailable.

Posted by Anna Mumford on April 11, 2008 3:44 PM