SEC Company Response from HomeStreet, Inc. (HMST) (CIK 0001518715) (MCHB) — Apr 12, 2018
HomeStreet, Inc. (HMST) (CIK 0001518715)
Date: April 12, 2018 · CIK: 0001518715 · Accession: 0001213900-18-004324
AI Filing Summary & Sentiment
Referenced dates: April 10, 2018
Show Raw Text
CORRESP
1
filename1.htm
Sidley
Austin LLP
787
Seventh Avenue
New
York, NY 10019
+1
212 839 5300
+1
212 839 5599 Fax
AMERICA
· ASIA
PACIFIC · EUROPE
April 12, 2018
Via
EDGAR, Email and FedEx
Daniel
F. Duchovny
Special
Counsel
Office
of Mergers and Acquisitions
United
States Securities and Exchange Commission
Division
of Corporation Finance
100
F Street, N.E.
Washington,
D.C. 20549-3561
Re: HomeStreet,
Inc.
Preliminary
Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed April 3, 2018
File
No. 1-35424
Dear
Mr. Duchovny:
On
behalf of our client, HomeStreet, Inc. (the “Company,” “we,” “us”
or “our”), set forth below are our responses to comments received from the staff of the Division of
Corporation Finance (the “Staff”) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”)
by letter dated April 10, 2018, with respect to the Preliminary Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, File No. 1-35424 filed with the
Commission on April 3, 2018 (the “Preliminary Proxy Statement”).
Concurrently
with the submission of this letter, we have publicly filed an amended Preliminary Proxy Statement (the “Amended Preliminary
Proxy Statement”) on Schedule 14A. For your convenience, a copy of the Amended Preliminary Proxy Statement is enclosed
and has been marked to show changes to the Preliminary Proxy Statement.
For
your convenience, each response is prefaced by the exact text of the Staff’s corresponding comment in bold, italicized text.
All references to page numbers in the responses correspond to the Amended Preliminary Proxy Statement unless otherwise specified.
Capitalized terms used in this response letter, but not defined herein, have the meanings given to them in the Amended Preliminary
Proxy Statement.
United States Securities and Exchange Commission
Division of Corporation Finance
April 12, 2018
Page 2
Cover
Letter
1. We
note the disclosure in the fourth paragraph. Please revise to clarify that following
the Company’s receipt of BLOMF’s notice, and before the court ruling, the
Board determined that the notice was deficient and informed BLOMF accordingly. Please
insert a similar clarification in the relevant paragraphs on pages 6, 7, 12 and 21 of
the filing.
Response:
On
April 11, 2018, Roaring Blue Lion Capital sent the Company a letter, informing the Company that it no longer intends to
solicit proxies for BLOMF’s nominees or proposals but, instead, intends to solicit votes “AGAINST” certain
Board nominees and one or more of the Company’s proposals. Roaring Blue Lion Capital filed a Schedule 13D/A on EDGAR
the same day and attached such letter as Exhibit 99.14. In light of this development, we have deleted the fourth paragraph of
the cover letter. Otherwise, we acknowledge the Staff’s comment and have revised the relevant paragraphs on pages 6,
7, 12 and 21 of the Amended Preliminary Proxy Statement accordingly.
Background
to the Solicitation, page 16
2. We
note the disclosure in the fourth paragraph on page 16. The relevance of such disclosure
appears to be unclear. Please advise as to whether the extra weight given to the diversity
of Board candidates played a role in the decision not to appoint Mr. Griege to the Board.
Response:
We
acknowledge the Staff’s comment and have revised the relevant paragraphs on pages 17 and 18 of the Amended Preliminary
Proxy Statement accordingly.
3. The
disclosure on page 20 refers to the Company’s responses to BLOMF’s actions
of March 14 and March 21, but does not refer to the Company’s response to BLOMF’s
March 13 filing of the lawsuit. Please advise.
Response:
The
Company did not issue any press release or file any Current Report on Form 8-K with respect to the filing of the lawsuit. Instead,
the Company began preparing its brief in opposition to the motion, which the Company filed with the Court on March 28, 2018. BLOMF
filed its reply brief the following day.
United States Securities and Exchange Commission
Division of Corporation Finance
April 12, 2018
Page 3
Corporate
Governance, page 29
4. In
the “Board Leadership Structure” section that begins on page 30, please tell
us what consideration you have given to describing BLOMF’s proposal to separate
the roles of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer.
Response:
The
Board regularly engages in robust discussion regarding whether or not to separate the roles of Chairman of the Board and the Chief
Executive Officer, and the Board may decide to separate these two roles in the future. However, the Board believes that it is
in the best interests of all shareholders for the Board to retain discretion to make such a determination based on the specific
facts and circumstances present at any given time. If adopted, BLOMF’s proposed bylaw amendment would prohibit the exercise
of such discretion as it provides, “The Chairman shall not also hold any other Executive
Officer role or title.” We note also that any future amendment to the proposed amended bylaw would require a shareholder
vote. Furthermore, as Roaring Blue Lion Capital has now indicated that it does not intend to solicit proxies for BLOMF’s proposals
at the Annual Meeting, the Company does not believe any further disclosure is necessary, although we have included further
clarification of the Company’s current policies on pages 30 and 31 of the Amended Preliminary Proxy Statement.
* * * * *
Please
direct any questions that you may have with respect to the foregoing or any requests for supplemental information by the Staff
to Kai Haakon E. Liekefett at (212) 839-8744 or Beth E. Peev (312) 853-7443.
Very
truly yours,
SIDLEY
AUSTIN LLP
By:
/s/
Kai Haakon E. Liekefett
Name:
Kai Haakon
E. Liekefett
cc: Godfrey
B. Evans
Executive
Vice President, General Counsel,
Chief Administrative Officer & Corporate Secretary
HomeStreet, Inc.