On August 20, 2018 the SEC approved amendments to Rule 15c2-12 of the Securities Exchange Act to add two additional disclosure events to written continuing disclosure undertakings required to be obtained by underwriters in primary securities offerings. A copy of the final rule approving the amendments can be accessed here.
Continue Reading SEC Approves Amendments to Rule 15c2-12 to Address Bank Loan Disclosure Concerns

On May 23, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives approved Senate Bill 234, which creates the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Program. SB 234, which was approved by the Senate in January of this year, would help owners of agricultural, commercial and industrial properties obtain low-cost, long-term financing for energy efficiency, water conservation and renewable energy projects. The program would not include multifamily housing or other residential property.
Continue Reading Pennsylvania Legislature Approves New Municipal Alternative Energy Program

When Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) late last year, a much-heralded provision of TCJA was the reduction in the federal corporate income tax rate, from 35% to 21%. However, that reduction has had unforeseen consequences for the municipal bond industry. The reduction in the tax rate is expected to result in efforts by banks to increase the interest rates charged by banks for current outstanding loans to municipalities and 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations. Whether a bank may increase the interest rate on a loan will depend on the language of the loan documents. Even if the loan documents permit the bank to unilaterally increase the interest rate, some banks may be hesitant to do so, as the request is may be received poorly, potentially jeopardizing the bank’s ongoing relationship with the borrower.
Continue Reading Continuing Disclosure in the Municipal Bond Market: Importance of Compliance

On April 11, 2018, the Internal Revenue Service published Revenue Procedure 2018-26, a copy of which can be accessed here, which provides new guidance to issuers on the availability of remedial actions to preserve the tax-advantaged status of their bonds in the face of a violation of the tax rules. Rev. Proc. 2018-26 applies to tax-advantaged bonds generally, i.e. traditional tax-exempt bonds under section 103 of the Code, as well as federally taxable bonds that carry with them tax credit or direct pay subsidy benefits.
Continue Reading IRS Issues Guidance on Remedial Actions for Tax-Advantaged Bonds

On March 29, 2018, the National Association of Bond Lawyers (NABL) formally requested guidance from the IRS regarding the ability of municipal issuers to issue tax-exempt advance refunding bonds to refund taxable bonds after the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). The request comes on the heels of public statements by Treasury and IRS representatives regarding their belief that notwithstanding the passage of TCJA, municipal issuers may continue to issue tax-exempt advance refunding bonds to refund taxable bonds, so long as the taxable bonds to be refunded are not tax-advantaged bonds such as Build America Bonds, and the refunding otherwise complies with the requirements of section 149 of the Code and the regulations thereto.
Continue Reading NABL Requests IRS Guidance on Tax-Exempt Advance Refundings of Taxable Bonds

On December 20, 2017 Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA).  The legislation was signed by President Trump on December 22, 2017 and many key provisions of the law became effective on December 31, 2017.

The purpose of the TCJA was to stimulate economic growth through a major overhaul of the Internal Revenue Code.  One of the signature elements of the TCJA is the reduction of the federal corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%.  While this may be good news to the business community generally, the rate reduction presents potential unique problems for conduit borrowers, such as 501(c)(3) organizations, and lenders under tax-exempt bank loan structures.
Continue Reading Review and Analysis of Tax-Exempt Loan Documents Following Tax Cuts and Jobs Act