But all of these companies attempted to deprive shareholders of the chance to vote on these proxy access proposals. Bank of America Corp (NYSE:BAC) and Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) successfully blocked these proposals after writing no-action letters asking the SEC staff to confirm that they would not recommend enforcement action for omitting these proposals from their 2012 proxies. Charles Schwab Corp (NYSE:SCHW), Wells Fargo & Co (NYSE:WFC), and The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) also submitted no-action letters to block proxy access proposals from their 2012 proxies, but the SEC indicated that these companies failed to provide adequate grounds for omitting them. While these proposals didn't pass when they came to a shareholder vote, a significant minority — 31%-33% — supported the proposals at all three companies. Who is listening? Encouraged by the significant shareholder support in 2012, Western Union shareholder Norges Bank renewed pressure to increase shareholder access this year.