AMCOL International declares 4Q dividend, adjusts voting rules

HOFFMAN ESTATES — AMCOL International Corp. declared a quarterly dividend of 18 cents a share for the fourth quarter of 2011, payable on January, 12, 2012 to shareholders of record as of December 8.

AMCOL also said its board of directors has amended bylaws to adopt a majority-voting standard in uncontested director elections, as well as amending its corporate governance guidelines to include a resignation requirement for directors who fail to receive a majority vote.

These amendments are effective immediately.

“The adoption of a majority-voting standard reflects our continued commitment to sound corporate governance,” said Ryan McKendrick, President and Chief Executive Officer of AMCOL.

Previously, directors were elected under a plurality-voting standard, in which candidates receiving the most votes were elected regardless of whether those votes constituted a majority. Plurality voting will continue to apply in contested director elections.

If an incumbent director does not receive the required vote for re-election, the amended guidelines require the Nominating and Governance Committee to decide whether to recommend that the board accept the director’s resignation, and the board will ultimately determine whether to accept the resignation.