On September 29, 2004, the
Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (“MSRB”) published a notice requesting
comments on revised draft amendments to Rule G-38 relating to solicitation of
municipal securities business (the “September Notice”).[1] In connection with the draft amendments to
Rule G-38, certain related amendments to Rule G-37, on political contributions
and prohibitions on municipal securities business, were also proposed. This notice corrects an omission in the
draft amendments to Rule G-37 appearing in the September Notice.
It has come to the MSRB’s attention
that the definition of “solicitor MFP” contained in section (g)(ix) of the
draft amendments to Rule G-37 omitted language necessary to fully describe
those persons intended to be included within such definition. The term “solicitor MFP” was introduced in
the draft amendments to Rule G-37 to assist in more clearly setting forth the
fact that, under the draft amendments to Rules G-37 and G-38, independent
solicitors of a dealer, as well as solicitor personnel of any independent
solicitors that are entities, would be considered municipal finance
professionals of the dealer. However,
the language used in the September Notice inadvertently omitted to include as
solicitor MFPs those individuals who are already associated persons of a dealer
(but who are not partners, directors, officers or employees of the dealer) who
also solicit municipal securities business for the dealer but do not receive
payment specifically for such solicitation.[2] Such individuals currently are considered
municipal finance professionals for purposes of existing Rule G-37 and the
September Notice did not intend to omit such individuals from the definition of
solicitor MFP.
The language of that provision is
modified to read as follows:[3]
* * * * *
Rule G-37. Political Contributions and Prohibitions on Municipal Securities
Business
(a)-(f) No additional changes.
(g) Definitions.
(i)-(viii) No additional changes.
(ix) The term “solicitor MFP” of a broker, dealer or municipal securities
dealer means:
(A)-(B) No additional changes.
(C) any individual who is a partner, director, officer,
or employee or other associated person (not otherwise
described in clause (A) or (B) of this paragraph) of the broker, dealer
or municipal securities dealer and who solicits municipal securities business.
(x) No additional
changes.
(h)-(j) No additional changes.
* * * * *
In order to avoid further confusion, the MSRB is modifying the September
Notice to read as provided above. The
September Notice remains unchanged in all other respects. The September Notice, as modified, is
available at www.msrb.org/msrb1/archive/2004/RevRuleG-38Solicitation.htm. Comments on the modified September Notice
should be submitted no later than December 15, 2004.
October 12, 2004
[2] For example, Rule G-37 currently considers the president
of a bank or other company affiliated with a dealer who solicits municipal
securities business on behalf of the dealer to be a municipal finance
professional of the dealer, regardless of whether such individual receives
payment for such solicitation.
[3] Underlining indicates additions to
the language contained in the September Notice; strikethrough indicates
deletions from the language contained in September Notice. In addition, the description of this
provision in the second bullet appearing in the text of the September Notice
under the heading “SUMMARY OF REVISED DRAFT AMENDMENTS – Summary of Revised
Draft Amendments to Rule G-37 and Forms G-37/G-38 and G-37x” is modified to
read as follows:
● create a new definition of solicitor MFP, consisting of
independent solicitors, any solicitor personnel of an independent solicitor
that is an entity, and any partner, director, officer, or
employee or other associated person of the dealer who solicits
municipal securities business.