SEC

At a bond lawyer conference, lawyers said they've seen increased interest in self-reporting.

“The City of Harvey, through no fault of Comer’s and unrelated to Comer’s fiduciary obligations, tainted the district’s offering,” according to the defense.

Rich Moore takes over the top spot at NABL during the first day of a three-day annual conference in Chicago.

This is the second letter BDA has sent to the SEC in the last couple of months opposing any kind of relief for muni advisors involved in private placements.

Some say a case announced yesterday echoed one last year where traders allegedly lied to get priority in their orders for newly-issued bonds.

Thomas Muldoon should properly have placed his orders as dealer stock orders, the SEC found, but instead asked representatives to submit them as retail orders.

“A highly sophisticated frequent issuer may not need the same disclosures as a less sophisticated infrequent issuer,” the trade association for underwriters told the SEC.

The group sent a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission this week asking for fair dealing rule guidance to be better tailored to 529 savings plans.

“Reporting unauthorized transactions is certainly a good first step in building cooperation,” said one lawyer. “But there could be a lot more to it.”

The MSRB wants to work with other regulatory groups to decrease confusion surrounding suitability rules in conjunction with the SEC's new Regulation Best Interest.

Issuers and non-dealer muni advisors support the existing prohibition, while dealers asked the MSRB to provide some flexibility.

In Schwartz, MSRB loses an experienced lawyer, respected by his peers, as it faces a future without its longtime leader.

Her announcement comes at a time of scrutiny from lawmakers and the SEC.

Warren is among the most prominent Capitol Hill voices on issues related to financial regulation.

The SEC and Bank of Oklahoma differ in what they want a federal judge to do next in the Christopher Brogdon case, though both claim to have investors' best interests at heart.

SEC Chair Clayton’s comments that information on EMMA is subject to more scrutiny could be true for some participants depending on issuers’ reliance on the MSRB site.

The National Association of Municipal Advisors wants SEC staff action to protect MAs and possible eventual rulemaking to create "regulatory parity" between MAs and broker-dealers.

Clayton noted a trend of issuers being advised that information they supply on EMMA is subject to more anti-fraud scrutiny than information provided in other ways.

At its quarterly board meeting last week, the MSRB decided to do away with Rule G-34’s provision that all municipal advisors, whether dealer or non-dealer, have to apply for a CUSIP number in competitive sales.

GFOA is putting together a working group to address concerns about continuing disclosure in the municipal market, a topic increasingly discussed among stakeholders.