Equiniti’s Market Engagement Business Unites Corporate and Fund Proxy Under the D.F. King Brand, Adding Notified Investor Engagement Capabilities to Every Campaign

D.F. King Business Becomes the Only Proxy Firm in North America to Combine Corporate, Fund and Debt Proxy Services with a Leading Investor Relations Platform and Global PR Newswire

Key Facts:

• Fund Proxy Solutions, formerly EQ Fund Solutions, now operates as a business unit of D.F. King, delivering end-to-end proxy campaigns for open-end and closed-end funds, Business Development Companies (BDCs) and Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs), powered by the ProxyIQ platform.
• Fund clients gain access to D.F. King's relationships, plus shareholder communications, ownership intelligence and campaign analytics from across Equiniti's Market Engagement division, which includes Notified. 
• D.F. King sits in Equiniti’s Market Engagement segment alongside Notified. Clients gain access to investor events and webcasts, virtual and hybrid AGMs, shareholder microsites, GlobeNewswire distribution and ownership intelligence.
• D.F. King has a new logo and website at dfking.com.
• Clients keep their current contacts and proxy professionals, and day-to-day service does not change.
  
  

NEW YORK, Oct. 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Equiniti today announced that D.F. King and EQ Fund Solutions have combined under the D.F. King brand. The combined business is now part of Equiniti’s Market Engagement segment, which also includes Notified. Corporate issuers and funds can now work with one partner to understand who owns their shares, communicate with those shareholders and their advisors throughout the year, and secure the vote when it matters.

All of Equiniti’s U.S. proxy and governance work now goes to market as D.F. King:

• Corporate Proxy: Solicitation, contested situations and activism defense.
• Fund Proxy: Delivered by Fund Proxy Solutions (formerly EQ Fund Solutions). The unit provides end-to-end campaigns, including mailing, solicitation, tabulation and contested fund defense. It serves open-end and closed-end funds, business development companies (BDCs), master limited partnerships (MLPs), insurance companies and trade organizations, and runs on ProxyIQ, a predictive analytics platform built for speed, transparency and data-driven insight.
• Debt Services: Information, tender and exchange agent services. D.F. King has ranked as the #1 U.S. information agent in liability management for six consecutive years.
• Governance Advisory: Board, shareholder engagement and annual meeting strategy.
  
  

Why the Businesses Are Coming Together

Corporate issuers and funds now face the same problem. Retail ownership is more dispersed, more shares sit in intermediary and omnibus accounts, and turnout keeps falling. Compressed timelines make quorum harder to reach, and a shortfall means an adjourned meeting, added cost and delay. Retail shareholders are also changing. More of them manage investments through self-directed, mobile-first platforms with little direct relationship to the companies and funds they own.

Proxy firms have traditionally engaged with shareholders only when a vote is coming. The new D.F. King is built to cover more of the capital markets value chain. It combines proxy and governance expertise with Notified’s investor communications infrastructure and Equiniti’s ownership data, so clients can identify shareholders earlier, reach them through the channels they actually use and engage the vote at meeting time.

What Clients Now Have Access To

• Governance and Proxy Advisory: Strategic guidance, campaign intelligence and shareholder engagement expertise for routine, special and contested meetings.
• Proxy Execution: Campaign strategy, shareholder identification, solicitation, tabulation, vote projections, reporting and certification across corporate, fund and debt situations.
• Ownership Intelligence: Who holds the stock, who controls the vote and where positions are moving.
• Investor Education Events and Webcasts: Notified’s event and webcast platform for reaching retail and institutional holders before the vote.
• Virtual and Hybrid AGMs: End-to-end meeting delivery on Notified infrastructure.
• Purpose-Built Microsites: Campaign hubs with content, FAQs, voting instructions and automated reminders. They reduce friction for shareholders and give advisors one authoritative reference point.
• Shareholder Communications and GlobeNewswire Distribution: Notified’s IR and PR solutions extend visibility beyond the proxy mailing, so shareholders find accurate, timely information across news, search and AI channels.
• Analytics and Measurement: A single view of voting progress, reach and outreach effectiveness through ProxyIQ campaign intelligence and Notified platform data.
  
  

A Modern Brand for a Modern Engagement Model

D.F. King has helped companies and funds engage their securityholders since 1942. Its updated logo and website at dfking.com reflect how the firm works today: data-driven, digital-first and focused on year-round engagement, with the depth of experience clients have always relied on.

“Corporate issuers and funds want the same thing: to know their shareholders and reach them early enough to matter,” said Erik Carlson, CEO of Market Engagement at Equiniti. “Bringing D.F. King together with Notified gives clients one team for ownership intelligence, investor communications, governance and the vote itself, so they can keep shareholders engaged year-round. Most proxy firms can’t offer that breadth, and certainly not for both corporates and funds.”

“Fund campaigns have always come down to scale, speed and data,” said Paul Torre, President, D.F. King. “Our fund clients now have more than 80 years of proxy experience behind every campaign, with ProxyIQ and the technology today’s proxy contests demand. They also gain communications, event and analytics capabilities that get shareholders informed and voting earlier. Day to day, they’ll work with the same people they know.”

“Notified already works with more than half of the S&P 500 on investor communications,” said Mike Madalon, Managing Director and Co-Head of Corporate Proxy at D.F. King. “Now those IR teams can run their AGM and their proxy campaign with the same provider. It simplifies a vendor landscape that’s gotten far too crowded.”

Existing D.F. King and EQ Fund Solutions clients keep their current contacts and proxy professionals, with no change to day-to-day service.

About D.F. King
D.F. King, an Equiniti company, has helped public companies, funds and issuers engage their securityholders and achieve successful outcomes since 1942. The firm provides proxy solicitation, corporate governance advisory, contested solicitation and activism defense for public companies; end-to-end proxy solutions for mutual funds and closed-end funds; and information, tender and exchange agent services for debt transactions, where it has ranked as the #1 U.S. information agent in liability management for six consecutive years. D.F. King combines decades of experience with an omni-channel engagement model and proprietary data. Learn more at dfking.com.

About Equiniti
Equiniti delivers trusted data, intelligent insight and seamless administration across the full equity ownership lifecycle. We help issuers, investors and employees navigate complexity, strengthen market engagement and achieve better outcomes through technology-powered solutions backed by expert service. Our 5,000+ global associates support more than 12,000 organizations and over 20 million shareholders worldwide.

About Notified
Notified, part of Equiniti’s Market Engagement segment, helps public relations and investor relations professionals earn attention, measure engagement and deliver results through its integrated platforms, Content OS™ and IR Hub™, and the GlobeNewswire distribution network. More than 50% of the S&P 500 trust Notified’s solutions and services.

Media Contact
mediainquiries@equiniti.com

D.F. King, an Equiniti Company: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is this the same D.F. King that operates in the UK?
No. D.F. King, an Equiniti company, operates in the United States. A separate firm with a similar name, D.F. King Ltd., operates in London as part of MUFG Corporate Markets and is unrelated to Equiniti or this announcement.

Which services carry the D.F. King name?
All of Equiniti’s U.S. corporate proxy, fund proxy, debt services and governance advisory work now operates under D.F. King. Fund proxy is delivered by Fund Proxy Solutions, formerly EQ Fund Solutions, a business unit of D.F. King.

What types of funds does Fund Proxy Solutions cover?
Fund Proxy Solutions provides end-to-end proxy support, from campaign strategy through vote certification, for open-end and closed-end funds, BDCs, MLPs, insurance companies and trade organizations.

Why is Equiniti making this change?
Corporate issuers and funds increasingly need ownership insight, shareholder communications and proxy execution working together, not handled by separate vendors at separate times. Retail ownership is more dispersed, more shares sit in intermediary and omnibus accounts, and compressed timelines make quorum harder to reach. Bringing D.F. King and Notified together in the Market Engagement segment lets clients identify shareholders earlier and reach them through the channels they use most.

What changes for existing clients?
Nothing day to day. Clients keep their current contacts, proxy professionals and service, with access to a broader set of capabilities.

What does Notified do?
Notified, part of Equiniti’s Market Engagement segment, helps public relations and investor relations professionals earn attention, measure engagement and deliver results through its integrated platforms, Content OS™ and IR Hub™, and the GlobeNewswire distribution network. More than 50% of the S&P 500 trust Notified’s solutions and services.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7113380d-e2c3-46a2-bc48-97e45b656e79