MSRB rules

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board will hold its first meeting of fiscal 2025 on October 23 and 24, under its new chair, Warren "Bo" Daniels.

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California entered a final judgment against Matthias O'Meara and Choice Advisors, fining them $312,572 and $187,337, respectively.

The banking giant has been fined for reporting 65,335 municipal securities transactions that it shouldn't have, violating MSRB Rule G-14 on customer transaction reporting and MSRB Rule G-27 on supervision.

Daniels assumes the role at a pivotal time for the regulator, which in the next year will see the launch of a new EMMA system, and implement its first new budget since 2023.

The Louisiana native looks back on five years with the board, including two years as chair and one as vice chair.

The Commission approved changes to MSRB Rule G-14 on customer transaction reporting, paving the way for dealers and stakeholders to work with the MSRB to establish a reasonable path forward.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority found that the firm had not included the non-transaction-based compensation indicator on 23,000 municipal securities transactions.

Dealers are welcoming the widening of the exceptions to manual trades and de minimis trading activity but are still asking regulators to prove why such a move is necessary.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority adds Morgan Stanley to the growing list of firms charged with mark-up and mark-down failures on municipal securities transactions.

The amendments to MSRB rule A-12 on registration would cause bank dealers to disclose associated persons, the same requirements that currently apply to non-bank dealers.

The three new members will serve four-year terms beginning with the board's new fiscal year in October.

Riedl First Securities Company of Kansas has been fined $15,000 by FINRA for charging unfair prices, violating MSRB Rule G-30 on fair pricing and MSRB Rule G-27 on supervision.

The Jeffrey Matthews Financial Group has been charged $110,000 for charging unfair prices on 86 municipal bond transactions a week after being dinged for Reg BI violations.

During its final quarterly meeting for the FY 2024 fiscal year, the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board elected a new chair and vice chair, and approved a $48.8 million budget for the upcoming year.

Philadelphia-based Janney Montgomery Scott has been fined by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority for reporting inaccurate times of trade on 391 municipal securities transactions.

The Jeffrey Matthews Financial Group has been fined by FINRA for failing to achieve compliance with Regulation Best Interest.

The board's next quarterly meeting, scheduled for July 24-25, will include a review of market regulations, structure, and transparency issues .

Birmingham, Alabama-based FNBB Capital Markets has been fined by the regulator for failing to include certain mark-ups and mark-downs on dealer confirmations sent to retail customers.

The amendments add disclosure scenarios, slightly update the definition of materiality as well as clarify details of supplementary material.

The Supreme Court decision in SEC v. Jarkesy held that Congress can't force regulated entities to defend themselves in the SEC's in-house court, but likely won't change much for the Public Finance Abuse Unit.