DALLAS — Two executives of First Southwest Co. have joined the boards of key rulemaking and regulatory authorities for the municipal bond industry.
Michael Bartolotta, vice chairman of First Southwest, will serve a three-year term on the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board.
Bartolotta also serves on the board of directors of First Southwest Co., First Southwest Holdings LLC, and PlainsCapital Bank. He is an active member of the board of directors of TexSTAR, a local government investment pool, and the board of visitors of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
“With more than 22 years of experience in public finance as a financial adviser and underwriter for a wide variety of clients and issuers, Michael is an excellent addition to MSRB,” said Hill A. Feinberg, chairman and chief executive officer of First Southwest.
John Muschalek, managing director at First Southwest, was appointed to the National Adjudicatory Council of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. The NAC reviews all disciplinary decisions issued by FINRA hearing panels and presides over disciplinary matters that have been appealed to or called for review by the council.
Muschalek has served as chief financial officer and financial and operations principal for First Southwest. Active in Dallas civic affairs, he has also served on the board of directors of the Wilkinson Center.
Feinberg called Muschalek “a logical choice for the NAC.”
“He has served on numerous committees and in leadership positions for FINRA as well as for the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association,” Feinberg noted.
The MSRB was established by Congress in 1975 to protect investors and promote a fair and efficient municipal securities market. The board, which is composed of members from the public, banks, and municipal securities broker-dealers, institutes the rules regulating securities firms, banks, and the general municipal market for the protection of the individual. MSRB also collects and disseminates market information.
FINRA is the largest independent regulator for all securities firms doing business in the United States and oversees nearly 4,800 brokerage firms, about 172,000 branch offices and approximately 646,000 registered securities representatives.
First Southwest is a leading investment banking and financial services firm in Texas, conducting business throughout the Southwest.
