Based on two court cases, two former JPMorgan bankers want the SEC's pay-to-play case involving Jefferson County, Ala.'s failed sewer deals dismissed.

Louisiana issuers should take advantage of the SEC's initiative to self-report continuing disclosure lapses, the State Bond Commission urged Thursday.

A Republican congressman is pushing the Securities and Exchange Commission to limit the scope of its disclosure violations self-reporting program to the last two years, warning that if it does not he and other lawmakers may seek a legislative solution.

Four Senators from both sides of the aisle are warning the Treasury Department that the tax consequences of proposed rules could deter state and local governments and businesses from using institutional money market funds for cash management.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has permanently barred a former employee of a broker-dealer and investment advisory firm from the financial markets and ordered him to pay more than $200,000 of restitution to a customer he swindled.

Utah Treasurer Richard Ellis is making a push to educate his state's issuers about the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Municipalities Continuing Disclosure Cooperation initiative, which many public officials remain uninformed about.

Bond lawyers and issuers are frustrated that the Securities and Exchange Commission did not specify the disclosure failures that led to its settlement with a California school district on Tuesday. They said it leaves them with no helpful guidance on what kinds of disclosures the SEC is focusing on in its Municipalities Continuing Disclosure Cooperation voluntary enforcement initiative.

The Securities and Exchange Commission settled its first case under its Municipalities Continuing Disclosure Cooperation initiative after charging a school district in California with misleading bond investors about its past compliance with its continuing disclosure obligations.

Chicago named one of its financial consultants, Martin J. Luby, as its independent registered municipal advisor to evaluate financing proposals as it seeks to comply with new regulations without stemming creative financing suggestions.

The Government Finance Officers Association has issued an alert for issuer officials urging them to approach the Securities and Exchange Commission's continuing disclosure self-reporting program cautiously, and advising the group's members that attempts to lobby the SEC for changes to the initiative have been largely unsuccessful.

New York State will receive about $3.59 billion as part of a settlement with BNP Paribas for violating United States economic sanctions.

The Bond Dealers of America is making another push for changes to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Municipalities Continuing Disclosure Cooperation initiative after the SEC rejected BDA's earlier requests to narrow the scope of the program and extend its deadline.

As many state and local governments across the country begin their July 1 fiscal year, a new federal law going into effect is of particular interest to municipal governments that issue bonds.

Some broker-dealers and some issuers have distorted the truth about the municipal advisor rule, said a former Securities and Exchange Commission lawyer who worked on the new regulatory regime.

The SEC's latest action continues to illustrate the commission's intent to vigorously enforce the muni bond space, securities lawyers said, and might also illustrate why issuers might hesitate to participate in its controversial self-reporting program.

Harvey, Ill. and its comptroller, Joseph T. Letke, are accused of misusing bond proceeds and misrepresenting investment risks in a civil complaint filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission that led to an injunction blocking an upcoming issue planned by the Chicago suburb.

Moody's downgraded the ratings of King's Daughters Medical Center, Ky., to A3 from A2, with a continued negative outlook, partly because of a $41 million Department of Justice settlement.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged a Philadelphia-area private equity firm with violating pay-to-play rules by receiving advisory fees from the city and state pension funds following campaign contributions an associate made to state and local officials. It is the first case brought by the SEC under its pay-to-play rules for investment advisers.

The Securities and Exchange Commission's investigation of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey must determine if investors needed to know about $1.8 billion of controversial spending, securities law experts said. Others said any SEC enforcement action would not be a fix for the authority's problems.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority censured and imposed a $200,000 fine on the former Howe Barnes Hoefer & Arnett in Chicago for excessive markups of zero-coupon municipal bonds and U.S. Treasury and agency STRIPS, questionable trading practices, and supervisory failures.