Rankings

Regional bond issuance slipped by 31% in the first half and volume was down sharply in Florida.

Assured Guaranty and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP expanded their business even as muni volume shrank amid political uncertainty.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch used a big second quarter to overtake Citi at the top of the municipal league tables, while Morgan Stanley, RBC Capital Markets and Goldman Sachs moved up in the first half rankings.

Assured Guaranty and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP increased their leads in the municipal bond insurance and bond counsel rankings in the first quarter, as political uncertainty and higher interest rates cut into the volume of transactions.

Wells Fargo dropped to eighth place among municipal underwriters, hurt by last year's phony accounts scandal. Citi maintained its lead in the ranking.