Muni Think

John Buckley, professor in the graduate tax program at the Georgetown University Law Center and former chief Democratic tax counsel for the House Ways and Means Committee, says it's time for the muni bond community to get engaged in the tax reform debate.

With less than one month left before the Volcker Rule goes into effect, questions abound as to what it will look like and how it will affect the municipal market.

James E. "Scotty" Ness is remembered as a successful investor who loved his work and enjoyed widespread respect among his peers.

We would like to address several inaccuracies and misconceptions reflected in your Aug. 17 article "Los Angeles Boots S&P Pool Rating; City Angry Over Downgrades."

Despite predictions of increased municipal bond defaults, it is unlikely that filings under Chapter 9 of the United States Bankruptcy Code, which provides for the adjustment of a municipality's debts, will increase significantly.

Long-time bond attorney George B. Boyle died Aug. 14 in Pittsboro, N.C. He was 81.

I strongly believe it's time for all muni financial advisers to operate under the same set of stringent rules that have long-applied to registered broker-dealers who are also FAs.

It's no surprise that as more and more municipalities are dealing with the need to restructure their obligations, they are looking for a template for a Chapter 9 filing. And many are hoping that the highly publicized restructuring plan of Vallejo, Calif., will prove to be just that template.

In the April 13 story “Wisconsin Conduit on the March” by Yvette Shields, one could get the impression that the Wisconsin Public Finance Authority is a governmental entity created in that state because California wouldn’t do it and that the real beneficiaries are the trade association sponsors and private business interests, not any government.

Sources cited in the Bond Buyer’s March 10 article, “Interesting Times for BDA’s Boss,” make a a number of critical errors and misrepresentations in their references to CUSIP Global Services.