SIFMA has hired Leon J. Bijou as managing director and associate general counsel in a bid to expand its municipal bond expertise.
Global bond underwriting activity declined by 29% in 2008 to $4.33 billion, the lowest level since 2000, according to data from Dealogic Holdings PLC of London.
The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board has submitted a plan for approval by the SEC today to collect and disseminate critical market information about auction rate bonds and other variable-rate municipal securities.
Fully 91% of firms said a lack of clarity about the way the federal government’s Troubled Asset Relief Program works is making them less willing to participate in it.
It's understandable that bargain hunters are drawn to beaten-down stocks, but they may be doing themselves a disservice if they don't also consider junk bonds
The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board has promoted two staff members to new roles and hired a new member to its senior management team.
In an effort to breathe life into the struggling economy, the Treasury Department will inject $250 billion into banks, while the FDIC took steps to help depositors.
The Charles Schwab Corp. short-term-bond fund that blew up this year because of its exposure to mortgage-backed securities is now costing the firm as a result of significant legal losses.
“This is a tough environment to launch a new financial product,” said Neel Kashkari, assistant secretary of the Department of the Treasury, but “never has the market needed this financial product as much as we need it now.”
Fifth Third Asset Management Inc. is selling off all its municipal bond funds to Federated Investors Inc., according to the website fundaction.com.
Many financial advisers consider municipal bonds to be relatively safe investments, but that image took a hit last week when Jefferson County, Ala., moved a step closer to what could be the largest municipal bond default in U.S. history.
MBIA Inc. and Ambac Financial Group Inc. rallied in early trading following a positive report from Standard and Poor’s.
A tax-exempt strategy that utilizes exchange traded funds investing in municipal bonds has been announced by Curian Capital.
Berkshire Hathaway reported net earnings declined to $2.88 billion from $3.12 billion a year ago.
Prudential Financial yesterday agreed to settle allegations from the SEC that it used reinsurance contracts to overstate its income by more than $200 million.
In response to the credit crisis, a group of financial industry executives unveiled a plan today to improve risk management.
The SEC has voted unanimously to help investors find free financial information about muni bonds on the Internet.
The member firms on the new committees have agreed to take a series of actions to enhance the U.S. covered-bond market.
