In January 2005, the municipal
securities market is scheduled to convert from overnight “batch” systems for
trade reporting to “real-time” systems.
Under a proposal filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Rule
G-14 would be changed at that time to require submission of trade reports
within 15 minutes after trade execution rather than by midnight on trade date.[1] While the MSRB has proposed exceptions to
the 15-minute requirement that would apply to many of the trades executed on
the first day of trading in a new issue, some of the excepted trades will be
subject to a three-hour reporting requirement.
Other trades on the first day of trading may not qualify for an
exception and thus will have to be reported within 15 minutes. The MSRB is proposing for comment draft
amendments to Rule G-34 designed to help dealers meet these accelerated trade
reporting obligations on the first day of trading in an issue.
Rule G-34,
on CUSIP numbers and new issue requirements, requires underwriters to take
certain steps to ensure that the issues they underwrite can be processed in the
market’s systems for clearance, settlement and transaction reporting. One of the underwriter’s duties is to ensure
that CUSIP numbers are assigned in time for the initial trades in an issue to
be processed correctly on trade date.
Another important duty is to communicate the “initial trade date,” along
with the CUSIP numbers for the issue, to syndicate and selling group members on
the initial trade date. This alerts
syndicate and selling group members, who are likely to have pending orders in
the issue, of the day that they should execute their first transactions in the
issue and also notifies them of final CUSIP number assignments.
Since the timing for trade reports in a real-time
environment generally will be measured from the time of trade execution rather
than the day that the trade occurs, the draft amendments would replace the
concept of “initial trade date” with “time of formal award.” This term, reflecting the earliest time that
a trade in a new issue can be executed, would be defined as: (i) for negotiated
issues, the time that the bond purchase agreement (BPA) is executed; and (ii)
for competitive issues, the issuer’s official announcement of the award. The draft amendments also seek to accelerate
the time that underwriters notify other dealers of CUSIP numbers and the “time
of formal award.” The underwriter would
disseminate this information “as soon as possible,” with the dissemination of
all necessary information to be made no later than the time of the underwriter’s
first trade executions in the new issue.
The draft amendments also propose that the underwriter make this
information accessible to dealers other than just those in the underwriting
group in order to allow those dealers to report transactions correctly. Finally, modifications are proposed in the
deadlines for obtaining CUSIP numbers to ensure that CUSIP numbers will always
be available before the first transactions in the issue are executed.[2]
Like the current provisions in Rule
G-34, the draft amendments comport with a 1982 MSRB interpretive notice holding
that transactions cannot be executed or confirmed in a new issue prior to the
time of formal award. This policy is
discussed below, along with a more detailed explanation of the draft amendments.
Comments on the draft amendments
are requested and should be made no later than August 18, 2004. Responses to or questions about this notice
may be directed to Justin R. Pica, Uniform Practice Specialist. Written comments will be available for
public inspection.
EXISTING PROVISIONS OF RULE G-34 SUPPORTING OVERNIGHT TRADE REPORTING
Rule G-14 currently sets a midnight
deadline on trade date for dealers to submit trade reports for transaction
reporting purposes.[3] The requirement applies to new issue trades
as well as to secondary market trades.
Rule G-34 requires the underwriter[4]
of a new issue to take several actions so that syndicate and selling group
members can report their trades properly at the end of the first day of trading
in a new issue. Under the existing
requirements of the rule, the underwriter must: (i) ensure that CUSIP numbers
are assigned to the issue by the day that the issue is formally awarded; and
(ii) communicate the CUSIP numbers and the initial trade date for the issue to
syndicate and selling group members on the initial trade date. This latter provision allows syndicate and
selling group members to process and report their own transactions in the issue
in a coordinated and correct manner on the initial trade date.
The term “initial trade date” is defined in Rule
G-34 as follows: For negotiated issues,
it is the date that the BPA is executed or the date that allocations are first
made by the underwriter, whichever is later.
For competitive sales, it is the date the official award is made by the
issuer or the date that allocations are first made by the underwriter,
whichever is later. This definition
gives flexibility to the underwriter in determining the initial trade date on
which trading in an issue officially starts.
For example, if the underwriter chooses not to execute its first
transactions[5] on the
formal award date (as might be the case if the BPA is signed at night), it may
instead execute its first transactions on the next business day.
DRAFT AMENDMENTS TO RULE G-34
PROPOSED TO support real-time trade reporting
In January 2005, the transaction
reporting process for municipal securities will convert to a “real-time”
process, with most trades being subject to a 15-minute reporting
requirement. The MSRB has proposed in
Rule G-14 two exceptions to the fifteen-minute reporting requirement that will
apply to some transactions done on the first day of trading. Under those exceptions: (i) dealers that are
members of a syndicate or selling group[6]
that effect trades in a new issue at the list offering price may report trades
by the end of the first day of trading; and (ii) dealers that are not syndicate
or selling group members and that have not traded an issue in the previous year
may report trades within three hours of the time of trade execution.[7] While many trades executed during the first
day of trading will qualify for one of these exemptions, other trades (e.g.,
“non-list price” trades by syndicate or selling group members) will have to be
reported within 15 minutes of trade execution.
It also should be noted that the three-hour reporting exception, which
will generally be available to dealers outside the underwriting group on the
first day of trading, will require accelerated reporting of trades compared
with the current end-of-day reporting requirement. The draft amendments would modify existing provisions of Rule
G-34 to ensure that dealers can report trades in a timely manner in this
real-time processing environment.
“Time of Formal Award”
Since the timing for trade reports in a real-time
environment generally will be measured from the time of trade execution rather
than the day that the trade occurs, the draft amendments would replace the
concept of “initial trade date” with “time of formal award.” This term, reflecting the earliest time that
a trade in a new issue can be executed, would be defined as: (i) for negotiated
issues, the time that the BPA is executed; and (ii) for competitive issues, the
time of the issuer’s official announcement of the award. Although this is the earliest time that a
trade in a new issue can be executed, the underwriter is not required by MSRB
rules to execute trades at that time.
In cases in which a formal award occurs after the end of the business
day, or at night, for example, the underwriter might choose to execute its
first transactions on the next business day, just as is permitted under the
current language of Rule G-34.
Communication of CUSIP Numbers
and Time of Formal Award
Dealers other than the underwriter often will have pending orders
in a new issue and may need to report trades within a 15-minute or three-hour
time-frame on the first day of trading in an issue. Therefore, it will be important for those dealers to have
information alerting them to the time at which trade executions in the issue can
occur -- and the final CUSIP numbers for the issue -- as soon as possible after
this information is available. Toward
this purpose, the draft amendments state a duty of the underwriter to
communicate CUSIP numbers and the time of formal award “as soon as possible,”
and also state a firm deadline by requiring this to be done, in any event, no
later than the time that the underwriter executes its first transaction in the
issue.[8]
The requirement to provide information “as soon as
possible” includes the concept that CUSIP numbers may be available well in
advance of the time of formal award and should be disseminated as soon as
practical after they are known. It is
expected that this often would be the case in negotiated sales. The “time of formal award” also should be
communicated as soon as it is known, although it is not intended that this
would require an underwriter to make such a communication after normal business
hours, as might be the case if a BPA is signed at night. As discussed above, underwriters in this
case would retain the flexibility (with respect to Rule G-34 requirements) to
hold the issue overnight and to execute the first transactions in the issue on
the next day, at which time the required information could be disseminated. However, underwriters should be aware that,
when other dealers have pending orders in a new issue, those dealers will be
waiting for the underwriter’s announcement prior to executing their own
transactions. Therefore, it is
important that information on the time of formal award and CUSIP numbers not be
delayed unreasonably.
In the case of competitive issues, it is expected
that the underwriter winning an auction would communicate the CUSIP numbers and
time of formal award, together, shortly after the issuer announces the winner
of the auction. However, if there is a
lengthy delay between the opening of bids and the formal announcement (marking
the time that trades can be executed), the presumed underwriter may wish to
disseminate CUSIP numbers as soon as they are available in order to facilitate
trade processing once the formal award is announced. Comment is requested on this point. In addition, as discussed in more detail below, it may be
necessary in some cases for the winner of a competitive sale to delay making
the required communication of CUSIP numbers (and to delay trade executions) if
CUSIP numbers are not pre-assigned to the issue prior to the auction.
Broader Dissemination of
Information by Underwriters
It is expected that syndicate and selling group members
often will have pending orders in a new issue prior to its formal award and
will await the underwriter’s communication of the time of formal award before
executing trades and reporting them to the transaction reporting system. However, dealers outside the underwriting
group also may have pending orders in an issue and need to know the time of
formal award. Under the existing
provisions of Rule G-34, dealers that are not in the underwriting group do not
receive a communication from the underwriter notifying them of the “initial
trade date” of the issue. Possibly for
this reason, trade executions are sometimes reported by these dealers prior to
the date on which the issue is formally awarded, particularly in issues that
are priced a day or more in advance of the formal award. These trade reports made prior to the formal
award of an issue are inconsistent with existing MSRB interpretations stating
that trades cannot be executed prior to that time.[9] The inability of dealers outside the
underwriting group to know the timing of the formal award also may be the
source of some problems in the comparison of inter-dealer trades in new
issues.
To address the situation, the draft amendments
propose that, instead of communicating necessary information only to syndicate
and selling group members, as required by Rule G-34 today, the underwriter
would disseminate the information in “a manner reasonably designed to reach
market participants that may trade the issue.”
The proposed requirement is designed to ensure that all dealers that may
have pending orders in an issue on the first day of trading have access to the
required information so that trades can be reported at the proper time. For large issues that are widely sold in the
market, this effectively would require dissemination of the information on an
electronic platform that provides real-time bond information and that is
generally accessible to dealers. Unlike
the current provision in Rule G-34, the requirement to disseminate information
would apply to sole underwriters as well as to syndicate managers. However, the draft amendments also
contemplate that the method of dissemination would be appropriate to the type
of offering. For example, in the case
of a limited placement or a small offering where the underwriter knows all of
the parties that will have trades on the first day of trading, notification to
those parties would be sufficient to satisfy the rule and further dissemination
of the information would not be necessary.
The draft amendments do not specify or suggest
particular electronic platforms by which a required dissemination should be
made. However, as noted in the “Request
for Comment” section below, the Board is requesting comment on whether suitable
platforms exist for this purpose and what possible alternatives might be.
Timing for CUSIP Number Assignment
A final provision of the draft
amendments proposes a modification in the underwriter’s deadline for CUSIP
number assignment. For negotiated
issues, the draft amendments change the existing requirement that assignments
be made by the “business day on which the BPA is signed” to a requirement that
numbers be assigned “by the time of formal award.” For competitive issues, the draft amendments would change the
deadline from “date of award” to “the first execution of a transaction by the
underwriter.” The draft amendments do
not affect existing provisions in Rule G-34 that require a dealer acting as
financial advisor in connection with a competitive sale to ensure that CUSIP
numbers are pre-assigned to the issue.
However, for various reasons CUSIP numbers are not always pre-assigned
to competitively bid issues. A number
of dealers have pointed out that, in a real-time environment, it will not be
possible for the winning underwriter to have the CUSIP numbers assigned by the
time of formal award under these circumstances. During normal business hours, the underwriter in these situations
generally can obtain CUSIP numbers within an hour or two, at which time
notifications would be made and trade executions in the issue could begin.
SUMMARY OF DRAFT AMENDMENTS AND COMPARISON WITH EXISTING PROVISIONS OF
RULE G-34
The changes
proposed in the draft amendments are summarized and compared to the current
requirements in Rule G-34 in the following tables:
Underwriter
Must Ensure CUSIP Numbers Are Assigned By:
|
Current Provision of Rule G-34
|
Negotiated Issues:
Competitive Issues:
|
|
Proposed Provision for real-time environment
|
Negotiated Issues:
Competitive Issues:
|
Underwriter Must Communicate Information So that
Other Dealers Can Report Transactions on First Day of Trading:
|
Current Provision of Rule G-34
|
What is communicated:
- CUSIP
numbers, identifying information for issue, and initial trade date
Who it is communicated to:
- Syndicate
and selling group members
When communication must be made:
|
|
Proposed Provision for real-time environment
|
What is communicated:
Who it is communicated to:
When communication must made:
|
REQUEST FOR COMMENT
The MSRB requests comment on the
draft amendments. Comment is
specifically requested on how the announcement of award is made by issuers in
the case of competitive sales and whether this generally occurs within a short
period of time after bids are opened.
Comment also is specifically requested on the requirement for
underwriters to communicate information to dealers outside the underwriting
group and how this may be done. Dealers
may wish to comment on whether there currently exist electronic venues in the
marketplace (e.g., internet sites, information vendors, syndicate
services, etc.) by which underwriters could make announcements that provide
reasonable access to all dealers. If no
such venue currently exists, or if there would be problems in making effective
announcements through all existing venues, should the MSRB provide such a
special-purpose solution, using newsgroup posting and/or e-mail notification
technology?
“TIME OF TRADE” and Real-Time Trade Reporting
of New issue TRADES
The planned implementation of
real-time transaction reporting has generated questions about transaction
reporting of new issue trades, particularly trades done on the first day of
trading. For example, questions have
been raised about how transaction reporting obligations can be handled if CUSIP
numbers have not yet been assigned or are not available to a dealer with a
pending order. The draft amendments
should help to answer some of these questions.
Other questions more directly concern the time at which trades are
considered to be executed and thus when they must be reported. These questions often involve negotiated
issues where final pricing occurs a day or more before the BPA is
executed. During this time, dealers
often accept priced orders, conditionally allocate to those orders, and may
make other conditional trading commitments.
The existing MSRB rules and interpretations in this area are summarized
below along with an explanation of how time of trade execution is determined
for transaction reporting purposes.
Time of Trade Execution in New Issue Trading
Existing transaction reporting
procedures require that “time of trade” (along with trade date) be included in
the trade report that is submitted overnight.[10] In the real-time system, time of trade will
be even more important since it will be used to measure compliance with the
15-minute reporting requirement.
Transaction reporting procedures define the “time of trade” as the time
when a contract is formed for a sale or purchase of
municipal securities at a set price[11] and set quantity.[12] For purposes of transaction
reporting, this is considered to be the same as the time that a trade is
“executed.”
Regardless of whether a trade
occurs in the new issue or secondary market, the deadline for reporting the
trade is measured from the time of its execution. In new issue offerings, however, the time at which execution can
occur is dependent on the status of the formal award of the issue. Once a new issue of securities has been
formally awarded by the issuer, transactions may be executed on a “when, as and
if-issued” (WAII) basis even though the securities technically have not been
issued.[13] However, in a 1982 Interpretative Letter,
the MSRB noted that a dealer can not execute or confirm transactions in an
issue prior to the formal award by the issuer.[14] “Formal award” in this context means: (i)
the signing of a BPA for negotiated issues; or (ii) the official award of the
issue for competitive sales. After
formal award, a pending order in an issue may be executed by the dealer and the
deadline for trade reporting is triggered.
Although trade
executions and trade confirmations are not permitted prior to the time of
formal award, the MSRB has specifically recognized that dealers often solicit
orders, accept orders and (after final pricing decisions are made)
conditionally allocate to orders, even though the formal award has not yet
occurred. In its 1982 Interpretive
Letter, the MSRB noted that it did not intend to call into question the
validity of “pre-sale” orders received for a syndicate’s securities or the
practice of soliciting such orders. It
noted that such orders “are expressions of the purchasers’ firm intent to buy
the new issue securities in accordance with the stated terms, and that such
orders may be filled and confirmed immediately upon the award of the
[competitive] issue or the execution of the bond purchase agreement.”[15] Rule G-11(g) on syndicate practices,
specifically recognizes conditional allocations. It requires syndicate managers to complete allocations “within 24
hours of the sending of the commitment wire” but provides that, if allocations
are made prior to the formal award, “such allocations shall be made subject to
the signing of the purchase contract or awarding of the securities, as
appropriate, and the purchaser shall be informed of this fact.”
The transaction reporting
requirement of Rule G-14 is not triggered by a conditional allocation. Such conditional allocations do not create
WAII securities transactions because no securities have been formally
authorized for sale in a specific form by the issuer. Once issue details are finalized at the time of formal award, the
underwriter can execute the trade in accordance with the commitments made
through the order it received and the conditional allocation it made. At this time, the transaction reporting
deadline would be set based on the time of execution. Whether a conditional allocation is considered to be executed
immediately at the time of the formal award, or at a later time chosen by the
underwriter, would depend upon the understanding of the parties when the order
was accepted and the conditional allocation was made. For example, when formal awards are made after normal business
hours or late in the day, it is typical for underwriters to delay trade
executions until the next business day.
Under MSRB Rule G-8, dealers generally must maintain in their books and
records the time of receipt of orders as well as the time that the orders are
executed.
The MSRB is aware that
dealers or investors receiving conditional allocations from syndicates may
sometimes accept orders for the securities that they have been (conditionally)
allocated prior to the formal award of the issue. The prohibition on executing and confirming trades prior to the
formal award of an issue applies to all dealers – not just those in the underwriting
or selling group. Therefore, just as in
the case of a syndicate making a conditional allocation, a dealer that accepts
an order for securities that have been conditionally allocated cannot execute
that order prior to the formal award.
It is important for all dealers who may have orders in a new issue – not
just those dealers in the syndicate or underwriting group – to be aware of the
prohibition on executing trades prior to the time of formal award.[16] The draft amendments to Rule G-34 are
designed to facilitate the flow of information so that these dealers will know
the earliest time that trades can be executed in a new issue and will have the
information to ensure that trade reports can be made in a timely manner after
execution occurs.
Existing
transaction reporting procedures are keyed to the time that a trade is executed
rather than the time that an order is received or accepted conditionally for
execution. It has been noted that this
can create apparent anomalies in reported trade data in some new issue
offerings where there are conditional trading commitments made prior to the
time of formal award. The prices for
those transactions may reflect market conditions that existed prior to the time
of the formal award, even though the time of trade execution will necessarily
be after the formal award. If market
conditions have changed in the intervening period, the first prices reported
for the issue may not be reliable indicators of current market conditions. The Board is reviewing this issue to
determine whether transaction reporting procedures could be changed to address
the anomaly, for example, by requiring an additional indicator on the
transaction report of new issue trades that are executed on the basis of a
conditional trading commitment.
June 18, 2004
* * *
Text of Draft Amendment*
Rule G-34: CUSIP Numbers and New Issue Requirements
(a) New Issue Securities.
(i) Assignment of CUSIP Numbers.
(A) Except as otherwise provided
in this section (a), each broker, dealer or municipal securities dealer who
acquires, whether as principal or agent, a new issue of municipal securities
from the issuer of such securities for the purpose of distributing such new
issue (“underwriter”) shall apply in writing to the Board or its
designee for assignment of a CUSIP number or numbers to such new issue. The broker,
dealer or municipal securities dealer underwriter shall make such
application as promptly as possible, but in no event later than, in the case of
negotiated sales, a time sufficient to ensure assignment of a CUSIP number or
numbers on or prior to the business day on which time the
contract to purchase the securities from the issuer is executed; or, in the
case of competitive sales, the date of award time of the first
execution of a transaction in the new issue by the underwriter. A broker,
dealer or municipal securities dealer acting as a financial advisor to an
issuer in connection with a competitive sale of an issue shall ensure that
application for a CUSIP number or numbers is made in sufficient time to permit
assignment of CUSIP numbers prior to the date time of award. The
broker, dealer or municipal securities dealer shall provide to the Board or its
designee In making an application for CUSIP number assignment, the
following information shall be provided:
(1) complete name of issue and
series designation, if any;
(2) interest rate(s) and maturity
date(s) (provided, however, that, if the interest rate is not established at
the time of application, it may be provided at such time as it becomes
available);
(3) dated date;
(4) type of issue (e.g., general
obligation, limited tax or revenue);
(5) type of revenue, if the issue
is a revenue issue;
(6) details of all redemption
provisions;
(7) the name of any company or
other person in addition to the issuer obligated, directly or indirectly, with
respect to the debt service on all or part of the issue (and, if part of the
issue, an indication of which part); and
(8) any distinction(s) in the security or source of
payment of the debt service on the issue, and an indication of the part(s) of
the issue to which such distinction(s) relate.
(B) The information required by
subparagraph (i)(A) of this section (a) shall be provided in accordance with
the provisions of this subparagraph. At the time application is made the
broker, dealer or municipal securities dealer making such application shall
provide to the Board or its designee a The application shall include a copy
of a notice of sale, official statement, legal opinion, or other similar
documentation prepared by or on behalf of the issuer, or portions of such
documentation, reflecting the information required by subparagraph (i)(A) of
this section (a). Such documentation may be submitted in preliminary form if no
final documentation is available at the time of application. In such event the
final documentation, or the relevant portions of such documentation, reflecting
any changes in the information required by subparagraph (i)(A) of this section
(a) shall be submitted when such documentation becomes available. If no such
documentation, whether in preliminary or final form, is available at the time
application for CUSIP number assignment is made, such copy shall be provided
promptly after the documentation becomes available.
(C) The provisions of paragraph
(i) of this section (a) shall not apply with respect to any new issue of
municipal securities on which the issuer or a person acting on behalf of the
issuer has submitted an application for assignment of a CUSIP number or numbers.
to such issue to the Board or its designee.
(D) In the event that the proceeds
of the new issue will be used, in whole or in part, to refund an outstanding
issue or issues of municipal securities in such a way that part but not all of
the outstanding issue or issues previously assigned a single CUSIP number is to
be refunded to one or more redemption date(s) and price(s) (or all of an
outstanding issue is to be refunded to more than one redemption date and
price), the broker, dealer or municipal securities dealer shall apply in
writing to the Board or its designee for a reassignment of a CUSIP number to
each part of the outstanding issue refunded to a particular redemption date and
price and shall provide to the Board or its designee the following information
on the issue or issues to be refunded:
(1) the previously assigned CUSIP
number of each such part or issue;
(2) for each such CUSIP number,
the redemption dates and prices, to be established by the refunding;
(3) for each such redemption date
and price, a designation of the portion of such part or issue (e.g., the
designation of use of proceeds, series, or certificate numbers) to which such
redemption date and price applies.
The broker, dealer or municipal
securities dealer underwriter also shall provide documentation
supporting the information provided pursuant to the requirements of this
subparagraph (D).
(ii) Application for Depository Eligibility, CUSIP
Number Affixture and Initial Communications. Each broker, dealer or
municipal securities dealer who acquires, whether as principal or agent, a new
issue of municipal securities from the issuer of such securities for the
purpose of distributing such new issue ("underwriter")
shall carry out the following functions:
(A) Except as otherwise provided
in this subparagraph (ii)(A), the underwriter shall apply to a securities
depository registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, in
accordance with the rules and procedures of such depository, to make such new
issue depository-eligible. The application required by this subparagraph
(ii)(A) shall be made as promptly as possible, but in no event later than one
business day after award from the issuer (in the case of a competitive sale) or
one business day after the execution of the contract to purchase the securities
from the issuer (in the case of a negotiated sale). In the event that the full
documentation and information required to establish depository eligibility is
not available at the time the initial application is submitted to the
depository, the underwriter shall forward such documentation as soon as it is
available; provided, however, this subparagraph (ii)(A) of this rule shall not
apply to:
(1) an issue of municipal
securities that fails to meet the criteria for depository eligibility at all
depositories that accept municipal securities for deposit; or
(2) any new issue maturing in 60
days or less.
(B) The underwriter, prior to the
delivery of such securities to any other person, shall affix to, or arrange to
have affixed to, the securities certificates of such new issue the CUSIP number
assigned to such new issue. If more than one CUSIP number is assigned to the
new issue, each such number shall be affixed to the securities certificates of
that part of the issue to which such number relates.
(C) The underwriter, on initial
trade date, shall communicate as promptly as possible announce
the information listed below in a manner reasonably designed to reach market
participants that may trade the new issue.
All information shall be announced no later than the time of the first
execution of a transaction in the new issue by the underwriter. the
following information to syndicate and selling group members:
(1) the CUSIP number or numbers assigned to the
issue and descriptive information sufficient to identify the CUSIP number
corresponding to each part of the issue assigned a specific CUSIP number; and
(2) the initial trade date time
of formal award. For purposes of
this subparagraph (a)(ii)(C), initial trade date time of formal award
shall mean, for competitive issues, either the date time of
the issuer announces the award, or the first date allocations are
made to syndicate or selling group members, whichever date is later, and,
for negotiated issues, either the date time on which
the contract to purchase the securities from the issuer is executed, or the
first date allocations are made to syndicate or selling group members,
whichever date is later.
(D) For any new issue of municipal
securities eligible for comparison through the automated comparison facilities
of a registered clearing agency under section (f) of rule G-12, the underwriter
shall provide the registered securities clearing agency responsible for
comparing when, as and if issued transactions with:
(1) final interest rate and
maturity information about the new issue as soon as it is available; and
(2) the settlement date of the new
issue as soon as it is known and shall immediately inform the registered
clearing agency of any changes in such settlement date.
(iii) Underwriting Syndicate. In the event a
syndicate or similar account has been formed for the purchase of a new issue of
municipal securities, the managing underwriter shall take the actions required
of the underwriter under the provisions of this section (a).
(b) - (c) No changes.