Municipal advisors

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.

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.

Registered advisory firm Dale Scott & Co. will pay $25,000, and one firm and one individual each will pay $10,000 for acting as unregistered solicitors.

Investor confusion about Harvey, Illinois, and a local library district contributed to a municipal advisor and broker-dealer facing Securities and Exchange Commission charges in a bond offering gone wrong.

Some stakeholders say the CUSIP requirement for MAs is needed, while other say it is burdensome.

Owners of two firms will join Hilltop Securites as managing directors, the firm said.

Achenbach, a former Moody’s analyst, opened AGVP Advisory to advocate for clean reliable energy and to do pubic finance consulting.

Issuers are concerned that the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board reopening discussion of Rule G-23 could bring back "shady" practices.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is on the lookout for municipal advisors skirting the Series 50 Exam.

Motions were filed to dismiss the Berkeley County School lawsuit, which alleges its CFO and finance team schemed to defraud the district.

Chief Financial Officer Dave Massaron said Detroit will work with Public Resources Advisory Group to build more robust investor relations as it looks to build out its debt model.

The Berkeley County School District said Hilltop Securities agreed to pay back fees the district paid to a predecessor firm from 2012 to 2014.

A former municipal advisor accused of billing a city thousands of dollars for services it did not receive is now facing criminal fraud charges.

The Berkeley County School District said its financial advisors and bond counsel were involved a fraud scheme that sent its CFO to prison.

Scott Mitnick, who was county administrator of Sutter County, California, will be a director at financial advisory firm KNN Public Finance.

Victor Quiroga Jr. previously was a vice president at Frost Bank.

The firm's new chief executive sees a wealth of assets, a positive employee culture, and great potential for growth.

The request for comment could be a prelude to a rule amendment dialing back one muni advisor responsibility.

The Minnesota-based advisory firm undertook a brand makeover designed to highlight its comprehensive suite of services.