UNITED BANKSHARES INC/WV 8-K

What Happened

• United Bankshares Inc. (UBSI) filed an 8-K on May 18, 2026 reporting the results of its Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Shareholders elected all 14 director nominees to one-year terms, ratified Ernst & Young LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal 2026, and approved, on an advisory basis, the compensation of the company’s named executive officers (say-on-pay).
• The director votes and other tallies were reported in the company’s proxy mailed on or about April 1, 2026.

Key Details

• Directors: All 14 nominees were elected. For votes ranged from about 98.7 million to 104.7 million "For" votes; the largest "Withheld" count was 6,325,416 for P. Clinton Winter. There were 17,740,845 broker non‑votes and 41,615 votes uncast reported for the director elections.
• Auditor ratification: Ernst & Young LLP was ratified with 118,925,575 For, 3,680,997 Against, and 216,229 Abstentions.
• Advisory executive compensation vote: Say-on-pay passed with 100,970,987 For, 3,536,801 Against, 574,168 Abstentions, and 17,740,845 broker non‑votes.
• Proxy mailing: The matters voted on were described in the Proxy Statement mailed to shareholders on or about April 1, 2026.

Why It Matters

• Board continuity: Electing all 14 nominees maintains the current board composition and governance continuity for the coming year, which can affect strategic oversight and risk management.
• Auditor confirmation: Ratification of Ernst & Young LLP confirms the company’s external auditor for the 2026 fiscal year, which matters for financial reporting and audit continuity.
• Shareholder sentiment on pay: The advisory approval of executive compensation indicates majority shareholder support for the company’s pay practices, though the vote is non‑binding. The presence of significant broker non‑votes on non‑routine matters reduced the total voting base on those items.