Jonathan Hemmerdinger

Bond Dealers of America has tapped Susan Collet to become its senior vice president for government relations, starting July 9.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. has agreed to pay $44.6 million to settle a 2008 class-action lawsuit in which municipal bond issuers accused the firm of bid-rigging of muni contracts.

WASHINGTON — A federal judge has delayed sentencing of CDR Financial Services and its founder David Rubin for several months, granting the Department of Justice additional time to complete complex calculations of restitution.

The MSRB has proposed to discontinue the practice of temporarily masking the exact par value of large muni bond trades disseminated on a near real-time basis over the online EMMA system.

WASHINGTON — Non-farm payroll employment rose 69,000 in May and the unemployment rate increased to 8.2%, the Labor Department reported Friday.

Non-farm payroll employment rose 69,000 in May and the unemployment rate increased to 8.2%, the Labor Department reported Friday.

The MSRB has issued a concept release seeking public feedback about whether to require underwriters and municipal advisors to disclose third-party payments on the online EMMA system.

WASHINGTON — Seasonally adjusted initial jobless claims climbed 10,000 to 383,000 for the week ending May 26, while continuing claims fell 36,000 to 3.242 million for the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board issued a concept release Thursday seeking public feedback on whether to require underwriters and municipal advisors to disclose third-party payments.

Seasonally adjusted initial jobless claims climbed to 383,000 for the week ending May 26, while continuing claims fell to 3.242 million for the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board has launched an online guide designed to help retail investors better understand the municipal bond market and the roles and responsibilities of muni bond brokers.

The increasing popularity of electronic brokerage has led the MSRB to examine whether retail investors who trade municipal securities through broker-dealers' online systems have adequate protection under its rules.

Criteria for the expanded definition of sophisticated municipal market professional (SMMP), which takes effect July 9.

Broker-dealers will not have to make the same disclosures to wealthier, more sophisticated individual investors that they do to other investors under a revised MSRB interpretative notice approved by the SEC.

WASHINGTON — Lawrence Sandor has been named the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board's deputy general counsel for regulatory support.

WASHINGTON — Seasonally adjusted initial jobless claims declined 2,000 to 370,000 for the week ending May 19, while continuing claims fell 29,000 to 3.260 million for the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

Seasonally adjusted initial jobless claims declined to 370,000 for the week ending May 19, while continuing claims fell to 3.260 million for the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

WASHINGTON — The Governmental Accounting Standards Board released a guide last week designed to help taxpayers and others glean useful information from school districts' financial statements.

Financial regulators on Thursday defended the practice of settling federal charges brought against financial firms without requiring them to admit they did anything wrong.

The National Association of Bond Lawyers released a document containing guidance and suggestions to help issuers provide appropriate disclosures about their public pension systems in bond documents.