Bank of New York Co. questioned the...

Bank of New York Co. questioned the preliminary results of a proxy battle that showed Irving Bank Corp., its longstanding takeover target, had retained control of its board. However, Owen Brady, Bank of New York spokesman, said the company had not made a formal challenge to the proxy count, released earlier this week by Irving. Bank of New York claims that Wilmington, Del.-based Corporation Trust Co., the independent inspector of elections, had not included at least 650,000 shares “that holders attempted to vote in favor of the Bank of New York” in its count.