A compliance outreach program for municipal advisors and municipal dealers – originally set for last November but postponed due to the recent federal government shutdown – has been rescheduled for January.
The program, which will be hosted jointly by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, will now be held on Jan. 21 and Jan. 22, 2026, a Dec. 10 email to registrants said.
An earlier email announced that the program, originally scheduled for Nov. 18 and 19, had been postponed due to the shutdown. On Nov. 12, President Donald Trump signed a bill into law ending the shutdown.
"In staying mindful of the continued uncertainty surrounding the shutdown and its potential impact on our regulatory partners' participation in the event, we have decided to reschedule the event at this time to ensure a comprehensive and multi-regulatory perspective that makes this program valuable," that email, sent Oct. 27, said.
The MSRB and FINRA, self-regulatory organizations that don't rely on taxpayer dollars for their funding, remained fully operational during the shutdown. However, the SEC, a federal agency, operated in accordance with the agency's plan, which called for "only an extremely limited number" of SEC staff members to be available in order to respond to emergencies.
The January event is a free, virtual program that will offer municipal market participants an opportunity to hear from SEC, MSRB and FINRA staff regarding "timely regulatory and compliance matters for municipal advisors and dealers," according to information available on FINRA's website.
The upcoming program will provide "practical and tailored discussions addressing top concerns and interests among municipal securities dealers and municipal advisors, including conflicts of interest, broker-dealer primary offering and pricing practices, compliance concerns, and other key municipal market topics," the website said.
The agenda for the compliance outreach program will be posted at a later date, FINRA's website said.
