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To explain the current status of the SEC’s year-old Municipalities Continuing Disclosure Cooperation (MCDC) initiative, which encourages municipal securities issuers, borrowers, and underwriters to self-report possible securities law violations related to inaccurate representations in offering documents concerning an issuer’s prior continuing disclosure compliance.

Discusses the purpose of the MCDC, recent remarks by the chief of the SEC’s Municipal Securities and Public Pensions Unit, the SEC’s first cease-and-desist order, and the independent consultant compliance review required by MCDC settlement terms. Recommends how an MCDC self-reporter should respond to a call from the SEC.

Thus far, the SEC has provided little detail regarding the MCDC enforcement process. Members of the SEC enforcement staff have said that underwriter MCDC cease-and-desist orders will be announced in the “coming months” and that issuers will not be named in these enforcement actions.

Practical guidance from experienced financial services lawyers.

To explain the first enforcement action the USA Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has brought under “pay to play” rules for investment advisers since those rules were adopted nearly four years ago.

First, the article provides a summary of the SEC enforcement action against TL Ventures Inc., a Philadelphia-area private equity firm. Next, the article provides a historical context and some key provisions of the rules. Finally, the article provides political contribution policy and procedure recommendations.

Political corruption in the municipal market has been a focus of the SEC for several years and is likely to continue to be a top priority. Investment advisers should ensure they have sufficient policies and procedures in place to avoid a two-year ban on business with a state or local government as the result of a political contribution.

The article provides the facts underlying the SEC’s enforcement action, the historical context of municipal market pay-to-play rules, a summary of the pay-to-play prohibitions, and recommendations for avoiding rule violations. The article would be of interest to investment advisers, public pension plans, municipal securities underwriters, brokers, and dealers as well as state and local governments.