Rule
Summary
Prohibits dealers and municipal advisors from giving gifts or providing services in excess of $100 to another person in relation to the municipal securities activities of such person’s employer and limits the giving and acceptance of non-cash compensation by dealers, subject to exceptions.
(a) Purpose. The purpose of this rule is to maintain the integrity of the municipal securities market and to preserve investor and public confidence in the municipal securities market, including the bond issuance process. The rule protects against improprieties and conflicts of interest that may arise when regulated entities or their associated persons give gifts or gratuities in relation to the municipal securities or municipal advisory activities of the recipients’ employers.
(b) Definitions. For purposes of this rule, the following terms have the following meanings:
(i) "Cash compensation" means any discount, concession, fee, service fee, commission, asset-based sales charge, loan, override or cash employee benefit received in connection with the sale and distribution of municipal securities.
(ii) “Municipal advisor” shall, for purposes of this rule, have the same meaning as in Section 15B(e)(4) of the Act, 17 CFR 240.15Ba1-1(d)(1)-(4), and other rules and regulations thereunder.
(iii) "Non-cash compensation" means any form of compensation received in connection with the sale and distribution of municipal securities that is not cash compensation, including, but not limited to, merchandise, gifts and prizes, travel expenses, meals and lodging.
(iv) "Offeror" means, with respect to a primary offering of municipal securities, the issuer, any adviser to the issuer (including, but not limited to, the issuer's financial advisor, municipal advisor, bond or other legal counsel, or investment or program manager in connection with the primary offering), the underwriter of the primary offering, or any person controlling, controlled by, or under common control with any of the foregoing; provided that, with respect to a primary offering of municipal fund securities, "offeror" shall also include any person considered an "offeror" under FINRA Rules 5110, 2320, or 2341 in connection with any securities held as assets of or underlying such municipal fund securities.
(v) “Person” means a natural person.
(vi) "Primary offering" means a primary offering as defined in Securities Exchange Act Rule 15c2-12(f)(7).
(vii) “Regulated entity” means a broker, dealer, municipal securities dealer or municipal advisor, but does not include the associated persons of such entity.
(c) General Limitation on Value of Gifts and Gratuities. No regulated entity or any of its associated persons shall, directly or indirectly, give or provide or permit to be given or provided any thing or service of value, including gratuities, in excess of $100 per year to a person (other than an employee or partner of such regulated entity), if such payments or services are in relation to the municipal securities or municipal advisory activities of the employer of the recipient of the payment or service. For purposes of this rule the term "employer" shall include a principal for whom the recipient of a payment or service is acting as agent or representative.
(d) Gifts and Gratuities Not Subject to General Limitation. The general limitation of section (c) of this rule shall not apply to the following gifts, provided that they do not give rise to any apparent or actual material conflict of interest:
(i) Normal Business Dealings. Occasional gifts of meals or tickets to theatrical, sporting, and other entertainments that are hosted by the regulated entity or its associated persons, and the sponsoring by the regulated entity of legitimate business functions that are recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as deductible business expenses; provided that such gifts shall not be so frequent or so extensive as to raise any question of propriety.
(ii) Transaction-Commemorative Gifts. Gifts that are solely decorative items commemorating a business transaction, such as a customary plaque or desk ornament (e.g., Lucite tombstone).
(iii) De Minimis Gifts. Gifts of de minimis value (e.g., pens, notepads or modest desk ornaments).
(iv) Promotional Gifts. Promotional items of nominal value displaying the regulated entity’s corporate or other business logo. The value of the item must be substantially below the $100 limit of section (c) to be considered of nominal value.
(v) Bereavement Gifts. Bereavement gifts that are reasonable and customary for the circumstances.
(vi) Personal Gifts. Gifts that are personal in nature given upon infrequent life events (e.g., a wedding gift or a congratulatory gift for the birth of a child).
(e) Prohibition of Use of Offering Proceeds. A regulated entity that engages in municipal securities activities or municipal advisory activities for or on behalf of a municipal entity or obligated person in connection with an offering of municipal securities is prohibited from requesting or obtaining reimbursement of its costs and expenses related to the entertainment of any person, including, but not limited to, any official or other personnel of the municipal entity or personnel of the obligated person, from the proceeds of such offering of municipal securities. For purposes of this prohibition, entertainment expenses do not include ordinary and reasonable expenses for meals hosted by the regulated entity and directly related to the offering for which the regulated entity was retained.
(f) Compensation for Services. The general limitation of section (c) of this rule shall not apply to compensation paid as a result of contracts of employment with or compensation for services rendered by another person; provided that there is in existence prior to the time of employment or before the services are rendered a written agreement between the regulated entity and the person who is to perform such services and such agreement includes the nature of the proposed services, the amount of the proposed compensation and the written consent of such person’s employer.
(g) Non-Cash Compensation in Connection with Primary Offerings. In connection with the sale and distribution of a primary offering of municipal securities, no broker, dealer or municipal securities dealer, or any associated person thereof, shall directly or indirectly accept or make payments or offers of payments of any non-cash compensation. Notwithstanding the foregoing and the general limitation of section (c) of this rule, the following non-cash compensation arrangements are permitted, provided that they are consistent with the applicable requirements of Regulation Best Interest, Rule 15l-1 under the Act:
(i) gifts that do not exceed $100 per individual per year and are not preconditioned on achievement of a sales target;
(ii) occasional gifts of meals or tickets to theatrical, sporting, and other entertainments; provided that such gifts are not so frequent or so extensive as to raise any question of propriety and are not preconditioned on achievement of a sales target;
(iii) payment or reimbursement by offerors in connection with meetings held by an offeror or by a broker, dealer or municipal securities dealer for the purpose of training or education of associated persons of a broker, dealer or municipal securities dealer, provided that:
(A) associated persons obtain the prior approval of the broker, dealer or municipal securities dealer to attend the meeting and attendance is not preconditioned by the broker, dealer or municipal securities dealer on achievement of a sales target or any other incentives pursuant to a non-cash compensation arrangement permitted by subsection (g)(iv);
(B) the location is appropriate to the purpose of the meeting, which shall mean an office of the offeror or the broker, dealer or municipal securities dealer, a facility located in the vicinity of such office, a regional location with respect to regional meetings, or a location at which a significant asset, if any, being financed or refinanced in the primary offering is located;
(C) the payment or reimbursement is not applied to the expenses of guests of the associated person; and
(D) the payment or reimbursement is not preconditioned by the offeror on achievement of a sales target or any other non-cash compensation arrangement permitted by subsection (g)(iv).
(iv) non-cash compensation arrangements between a broker, dealer or municipal securities dealer and its associated persons, or a company that controls the broker, dealer or municipal securities dealer and the associated persons of the broker, dealer or municipal securities dealer, provided that:
(A) the non-cash compensation arrangement is based on the total production of associated persons with respect to all municipal securities within respective product types distributed by the broker, dealer or municipal securities dealer;
(B) the non-cash compensation arrangement requires that the credit received for each municipal security within a municipal security product type is equally weighted; and
(C) no entity that is not an associated person of the broker, dealer or municipal securities dealer participates directly or indirectly in the organization of a permissible non-cash compensation arrangement.
(v) contributions by any person other than the broker, dealer or municipal securities dealer to a non-cash compensation arrangement between a broker, dealer or municipal securities dealer and its associated persons, provided that the arrangement meets the criteria in subsection (g)(iv).
Supplementary Material
.01 Valuations of Gifts. In general, gifts should be valued at the higher of cost or market value, exclusive of tax and delivery charges. When valuing tickets for sporting or other entertainment events, a regulated entity should use the higher of cost or face value. If gifts are given to multiple recipients, regulated entities should record the names of each recipient and calculate and record the value of the gift on a pro rata per recipient basis, for purposes of ensuring compliance with the general limitation of section (c).
.02 Aggregations of Gifts. Regulated entities must aggregate all gifts given by the regulated entity and each associated person of the regulated entity to a particular recipient that are subject to the general limitation of section (c) over the course of a year. Regulated entities must consistently aggregate all gifts on a calendar year basis, fiscal year basis, or rolling basis beginning with the first gift to any particular recipient.
.03 Promotional Gifts and “Other Business Logo.” Logos of a product or service being offered by a regulated entity, for or on behalf of a client or an affiliate of that regulated entity, would constitute an “other business logo” under subsection (d)(iv). The logo of a 529 college savings plan for which a regulated entity is acting as distributor, for example, would constitute such an “other business logo.”
.04 Personal Gifts. A gift that is personal in nature under subsection (d)(vi) is not subject to the general limitation of section (c) of this rule because that limitation applies only to payments or services that are in relation to the municipal securities or municipal advisory activities of the employer of the recipient. In determining whether a gift is personal in nature and not in relation to such activities of the employer of the recipient, a number of factors will be considered including, but not limited to, the nature of any pre-existing personal or family relationship between the associated person giving the gift and the recipient and whether the associated person or the regulated entity with which he or she is associated paid for the gift. When a regulated entity bears the cost of a gift, either directly or indirectly by reimbursing an associated person, the gift will be presumed to be given in relation to the municipal securities or municipal advisory activities, as applicable, of the employer of the recipient within the meaning of the general limitation of section (c) of this rule.
.05 Applicability of State or Other Laws. Regulated entities and their associated persons may be subject to other duties, restrictions or obligations under state or other laws in this area. Nothing contained in this rule shall be deemed to supersede any more restrictive provision of state or other laws applicable to the activities of regulated entities or their associated persons.
Compliance Resources
Compliance Resource
Publication date:
Compliance Tip of the Week Archive
Rule Number:
Rule G-3,
Rule G-7,
Rule G-8,
Rule G-9,
Rule G-10,
Rule G-11,
Rule G-12,
Rule G-13,
Rule G-14,
Rule G-15,
Rule G-17,
Rule G-18,
Rule G-19,
Rule G-20,
Rule G-21,
Rule G-23,
Rule G-27,
Rule G-32,
Rule G-34,
Rule G-37,
Rule G-40,
Rule G-42,
Rule G-44,
Rule G-45,
Rule G-47,
Rule G-48,
Rule A-11,
Rule A-12,
Rule A-13,
Rule D-10
Compliance Resource
Publication date:
Rule History
Rule G-20 Amendment History (since 2003)
- Release No. 34-89154 (June 25, 2020), 85 FR 39613 (July 1, 2020); MSRB Notice 2020-13 (June 26, 2020)
- Release No. 34-85699 (April 22, 2019), 84 FR 17897 (April 26, 2019); MSRB Notice 2019-11 (April 10, 2019)
- Release No. 34-76381 (November 6, 2015), 80 FR 70271 (November 13, 2015); MSRB Notice 2015-21 (November 9, 2015)
- Release No. 34-52555 (October 3, 2005), 70 FR 59106 (October 11, 2005); MSRB Notice 2005-52 (October 5, 2005)
Interpretive Guidance
Interpretive Guidance - Interpretive Notices
Publication date:
Dealer Payments In Connection With the Municipal Securities Issuance Process
The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (“MSRB”) is publishing this notice to remind brokers, dealers and municipal securities dealers (collectively, “dealers”) of the application of Rule G-20, on gifts, gratuities and non-cash compensation, and Rule G-17, on fair dealing, in connection with certain payments made and expenses reimbursed during the municipal bond issuance process. These rules are designed to avoid conflicts of interest and to promote fair practices in the municipal securities market.
Rule G-20, among other things, prohibits dealers from giving, directly or indirectly, any thing or service of value, including gratuities, in excess of $100 per year to a person other than an employee or partner of the dealer, if such payments or services are in relation to the municipal securities activities of the recipient’s employer. The rule provides an exception from the $100 annual limit for “normal business dealings,” which includes occasional gifts of meals or tickets to theatrical, sporting, and other entertainments hosted by the dealer (i.e., if dealer personnel accompany the recipient to the meal, sporting or other event), legitimate business functions sponsored by the dealer that are recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a deductible business expense, or gifts of reminder advertising. However, these “gifts” must not be “so frequent or so extensive as to raise any question of propriety.” Rule G-17 provides that, in the conduct of its municipal securities activities, each dealer shall deal fairly with all persons and shall not engage in any deceptive, dishonest or unfair practice.
Dealers should consider carefully whether payments they make in regard to expenses of issuer personnel in the course of the bond issuance process, including in particular but not limited to payments for which dealers seek reimbursement from bond proceeds, comport with the requirements of these rules. Payment of excessive or lavish entertainment or travel expenses may violate Rule G-20 if they result in benefits to issuer personnel that exceed the limits set forth in the rule, and can be especially problematic where such payments cover expenses incurred by family or other guests of issuer personnel. Depending on the specific facts and circumstances, excessive payments could be considered to be gifts or gratuities made to such issuer personnel in relation to the issuer’s municipal securities activities. Thus, for example, a dealer acting as a financial advisor or underwriter may violate Rule G-20 by paying for excessive or lavish travel, meal, lodging and entertainment expenses in connection with an offering (such as may be incurred for rating agency trips, bond closing dinners and other functions) that inure to the personal benefit of issuer personnel and that exceed the limits or otherwise violate the requirements of the rule.
Furthermore, dealers should be aware that characterizing excessive or lavish expenses for the personal benefit of issuer personnel as an expense of the issue may, depending on all the facts and circumstances, constitute a deceptive, dishonest or unfair practice. A dealer may violate Rule G-17 by knowingly facilitating such a practice by, for example, making arrangements and advancing funds for the excessive or lavish expenses to be incurred and thereafter claiming such expenses as an expense of the issue.
Dealers are responsible for ensuring that their supervisory policies and procedures established under Rule G-27, on supervision, are adequate to prevent and detect violations of MSRB rules in this area. The MSRB notes that state and local laws also may limit or proscribe activities of the type addressed in this notice.
By publishing this notice, the MSRB does not mean to suggest that issuers or dealers curtail legitimate expenses in connection with the bond issuance process. For example, it sometimes is advantageous for issuer officials to visit bond rating agencies to provide information that will facilitate the rating of the new issue. It is the character, nature and extent of expenses paid by dealers or reimbursed as an expense of issue, even if thought to be a common industry practice, which may raise a question under applicable MSRB rules.
The MSRB encourages all parties involved in the municipal bond issuance process to maintain the integrity of this process and investor and public confidence in the municipal securities market by adhering to the highest ethical standards.
NOTE: This notice was revised effective May 6, 2016. View Notice 2015-21 (November 9, 2015).
