Financial regulations

Puerto Rico-based Ocean Capital is trying to gain control of several local tax-free income funds by electing members to the funds' board of directors, but current board members have refused to give up their seats.

Issuers need to be careful with bonds specifically marketed as green, said the head of Office of Municipal Securities.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has come forward with a proposal that would expand the Names Rule to include any language associated with ESG related metrics.

Municipal advisors are seeking more and better communication from regulators and enforcers, NAMA Executive Director Susan Gaffney says. Kyle Glazier hosts. (24 minutes)

SIFMA CEO Ken Bentsen and Head of Municipals Leslie Norwood discuss developments at the organization, the legislative outlook, and regulatory developments related to ESG. Kyle Glazier hosts. (28 minutes)

The New York Fed has called on regulators to issue updated rules on money market funds, but the market effects are quickly transforming the market.

Sanchez was instrumental in drafting the municipal advisory regulatory regime during his previous stint at the SEC.

Emily Brock, director of the federal liaison center at the Government Finance Officers Association, takes time out to talk with Chip Barnett at The Bond Buyer’s National Outlook Conference about infrastructure spending. She also looks at the possibility of Congress approving the return of tax-exempt advance refundings and the SEC and MSRB’s focus on issuers ESG disclosures. (17 minutes)

Todd Cipperman, founding principal of Cipperman Compliance Services, talks with Chip Barnett about compliance and disclosure and regulation by the federal government in 2022. (42 minutes)

The Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed amendments to its money market fund rules, which it has tinkered with repeatedly since the Great Recession.

Mark Zehner has retired from his position as deputy chief of the SEC's public finance abuse unit, a position that Rebecca Olsen, former director of the Office of Municipal Securities, has taken over.

The position has been held by Rebecca Olsen since 2018.

Public finance issuers are taking an increased interest in the applications of blockchain and distributed ledger technology, and it is entering the market in multiple ways.

Making the Federal Reserve's Municipal Liquidity Facility a permanent emergency lending program would be “valuable and forward thinking," Connecticut Treasurer Shawn Wooden told a House subcommittee.

The board will have 15 members for its fiscal year starting Oct. 1.

It was a busy quarterly board meeting for the MSRB.

Robert Clarke Brown has joined the Board of Directors for the remainder of the fiscal year.

The use of alternative trading systems is growing, accounting for 21% of all trades in 2020.

From the return of advanced refundings to a direct-pay bond option, Michael Decker and Brett Bolton highlight the work the Bond Dealers of America are focused on in 2021, and the challenges and ultimate resilience of the municipal market since the onslaught of COVID. Lynne Funk and Kyle Glazier host. (30 minutes)

From ESG to infrastructure, regulation to legislation, SIFMA's President and CEO Ken Bentsen and Managing Director and Associate General Counsel Leslie Norwood discuss what SIFMA members are prioritizing on Wall Street and in Washington when it comes to munis. Lynne Funk and Kyle Glazier host. (34 minutes)