One of ISS Governance Services’ most popular reports shows board independence levels continuing to rise as companies work toward meeting US stock exchange listing standards and the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Average board independence has reached a record high of 70 percent, up from 69 percent last year, and 64 percent five years ago. This is only one of the key findings and trends reported in Board Practices/Board Pay 2005, which covers topics such as board leadership, classified boards, board committees, service on multiple boards, and total remuneration, among many others. This year's study looked at 1,275 S&P Super 1,500 companies that held annual meetings between Jan. 1 and July 31, 2004. The data analyzed were extracted primarily from proxy statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. To view a sample of the report, please click here. The underlying data can be purchased to accompany this report. Please click here to purchase both the report and research data. BPBP05$600.00 All sales are final and non-refundable. For ISS Governance Bookstore questions, please email bookstore@riskmetrics.com.