1. The Many Faces of Disclosure
Recent Developments in Municipal Securities Disclosure
“Municipal Advisors” under the Dodd-Frank Act
John O. Renken
Hawkins Delafield & Wood LLP
San Francisco

2. Developments Relating to the Municipal Securities Market
SEC Enforcement Actions
Federal Legislation
Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) Pension Accounting Proposal
National Association of Bond Counsel Pension Disclosure Project

3. Hawkins Advisories
“SEC Adopts Rules for Asset-Backed Securities,” January 25, 2011
“Municipal Advisor Registration – Effect of Proposed Rules on Issuer and Obligor Boards,” January 12, 2011
“SEC Proposes to Exempt Municipal Securities from Risk Retention Rules,” March 30, 2011

4. Recent SEC Enforcement Action
State of New Jersey (August 2010)
Misleading disclosures relating to:
Underfunding of pension plan
Reason(s) for underfunding
Potential effect(s) of underfunding
Change from market value valuation method to actuarial valuation method
SEC found that the actuarial valuation did not accurately present the current value of the pension plans

5. Recent SEC Enforcement Action
State of New Jersey (con’t)
“Due to a lack of disclosure training and inadequate procedures relating to the drafting and review of bond disclosure documents, the State made material misrepresentations and failed to disclose material information regarding [pension obligations] in bond offering documents.”

6. Recent SEC Enforcement Action
Key takeaways:
SEC focus on the accuracy of financial (here, pension) disclosure
SEC emphasis on
Written disclosure controls
Disclosure training

7. Federal Legislation Dodd-Frank Act
Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act
H.R. 6484, Public Employee Pension Transparency Act
Tax Exemption/Tax Credit Proposals

8. Dodd-Frank Act Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board Changes
Including registration of “Municipal Advisors”
Governmental Accounting Standards Board Changes
Within the SEC
Creation of Office of Municipal Securities (New)
Creation of Office of Credit Ratings (New)
Securitization
Risk Retention
Exemption for municipal securities under March 30, 2011 SEC proposed rule
Disclosure
Derivatives and Swaps

9. Municipal Advisors Prior to Dodd-Frank:
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
“Brokers”
“Dealers”
Investment Advisers Act of 1940
“Investment Advisers”

10. “Broker”
“Any person engaged in the business of effecting transactions in securities for the account of others.” Section 3(a)(4) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

11. “Dealer”
“Any person engaged in the business of buying and selling securities for such person’s account” Section 3(a)(5) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

12. “Investment Adviser”
“Any person who, for compensation, engages in the business of advising others as to the value of securities or as to the advisability of investing in, purchasing or selling securities.” Section 202(a)(11) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940

13. Section 975 of the Dodd-Frank Act
Municipal Advisors
Under Dodd-Frank:
Required to register with the SEC
Fiduciary duty between “municipal advisor” and the municipal entity for which it is acting as a municipal advisor
“Municipal advisors” subject to additional anti-fraud provisions
Section 975 of the Dodd-Frank Act

14. Municipal Advisor Registration
SEC adopted Rule 15Ba2-6T (an “interim final temporary rule”) to enable municipal advisors to satisfy the statutory requirement to register with the SEC
Effective October 1, 2010
Expires December 31, 2011

15. Municipal Advisor Fiduciary Duty
“A municipal advisor and any person associated with such municipal advisor shall be deemed to have a fiduciary duty to any municipal entity for whom such municipal advisor acts as a municipal advisor, and no municipal advisor may engage in any act, practice or course of business which is not consistent with a municipal advisor’s fiduciary duty or that is in contravention of any rule of the [MSRB].”
Exchange Act Section 15B(c)(1)

16. Municipal Advisor Anti-Fraud
“No municipal advisor shall make use of the mails or any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce to provide advice to or on behalf of a municipal entity or obligated person with respect to financial products, the issuance of municipal securities or to undertake a solicitation of a municipal entity or obligated person, in connection with which such municipal advisor engages in any fraudulent, deceptive or manipulative act or practice.”
Exchange Act Section 15B(a)(5)

17. Municipal Advisor
“a person (who is not a municipal entity or an employee of a municipal entity) that (i) provides advice to or on behalf of a municipal entity or an obligated person with respect to municipal financial products [“municipal derivatives,” “guaranteed investment contracts” or “investment strategies”] or the issuance of municipal securities, including advice with respect to the structure, timing, terms and other similar matters concerning such financial products or issues; or (ii) undertakes solicitation or a municipal entity.” Section 975 of the Dodd-Frank Act

18. Municipal Advisor Exclusions
The following are not “municipal advisors”:
A broker, dealer or municipal securities dealer serving as an underwriter
An investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940
Attorneys offering legal advice or providing services that are of a “traditional legal nature”
And, by the exclusion within the defined term:
Municipal entity
“Employees” of a municipal entity

19. Municipal Advisor Exclusions
“Employee”:
Dodd-Frank does not define “employee”
SEC views in the Proposing Release:
Should include any elected member of the governing body of the municipal entity
Should include appointed members if they are ex officio members by virtue of holding an elective office
“The Commission does not believe that appointed members of a governing body of a municipal entity that are not elected ex officio members should be excluded from the definition of ‘municipal advisor’.”
No clarification with respect to the application of “employee” to obligated persons

20. Scope of “Municipal Advisor”
What we notice about the new defined term:
Unlike “broker,” “dealer” and “investment adviser,” there is no requirement that a “municipal advisor” be engaged in the business or receive compensation
Included within the definition are those who advise “obligated persons,” in this context including:
Multifamily developers
Health care systems
Universities

21. “Municipal Advisor” Challenges
Failure to recognize that the governing board of a municipal entity (or an obligated person) cannot be a municipal advisor to such entity
Distinction between
Elected board members of municipal entities; and
Non-elected board members of municipal entities and all employees and governing body members of obligated persons
is inappropriate
Overbreadth of “providing financial advice”
Adoption of approving resolution?
Questions of the financing team during board meeting?