MSRB rules

The MSRB got a green light for tighter reporting rules for dealers as the regulator starts to monitor the municipal fund securities market.

Sen. John Kennedy blasted the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board during a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee meeting.

Members of the Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday addressed confusion among issuers, broker-dealers and investors regarding disclosure.

Now that the SEC has approved the MSRB's proposal to require MA principals to pass a new exam, a content outline and pilot program are on the horizon.

SIFMA and BDA responded to the MSRB's request for comment on muni indices and benchmarks, and transparency was a major theme.

Underwriters and issuers alike have complained about the nature of disclosures under current guidance to the MSRB's rule G-17.

Distinguishing abusive `pennying' from less insidious behavior is key, dealers told the MSRB.

Examiners found that Mark Stewart Saunders was improperly relying on permission from a customer's daughter.

The board stands by its chief economist's conclusions after criticism from the Bond Dealers of America.

The MSRB should tread carefully in basing future research or rulemaking on its July study of secondary market spreads, BDA said.

FINRA found, and the SEC upheld, muni and other rule that violations Thaddeus North failed to prevent as chief compliance officer.

The first meeting for several new board members included discussions with other regulators and groups, the MSRB said Monday.

The number of MSRB-registered dealers has fallen by almost one-third since 2009 and FINRA and the MSRB have some concerns about it.

The municipal securities market is slowly looking more like the stock market.

The MSRB needs to better explain the mock advertisements in its compliance resource, a pair of industry groups told the board this week.

The MSRB, SEC, and FINRA will host an outreach event early next year as muni advisors prepare for a new principal exam among other requirements.

The Bond Dealers of America has formed a Fixed Income Market Structure Working Group to advise regulators, lawmakers and market participants on structural changes in the fixed income industry and marketplace.

Gary Hall, who became the new MSRB chair on Monday, says he has a "reverence" for the muni market.

SEC and MSRB officials responded to the concerns and frustrations of bond lawyers who were meeting in Chicago.

SIFMA is publishing a new model document that it says should help underwriters avoid regulatory risk.