One of the major – and growing – themes for municipal bond investors is their shift toward evaluating issuers through an environmental, social, and governance (or ESG) lens. This session includes an active Green Bond issuer, a portfolio manager of the bond market’s first dedicated Green Bond fund, and a leading investment banker for sustainable infrastructure financings. Our panelists explained how issuers can gain an edge with investors by being transparent about ESG credit factors and green bond reporting, plus how borrowers can do so more effectively with their current resources. We also reviewed a brand new BondLink feature that will support issuers highlighting their ESG credit factors, whether for more traditional bond offerings, specific Green, Social, or Sustainability financings, or simply ongoing reporting.

Following the disruptions our education system faced during the pandemic, bond proposals for school districts have drastically increased more than local governments, surpassing cities, counties, and utility districts. In Texas, recent bond elections may have set a new record for the total amount of debt on the ballot. School districts continue to rely on these financings. But macro conditions have introduced new volatility that can make school bond sales more difficult to execute efficiently. Listen to this session to hear Carmen Arrieta-Candelaria, CFO at Fort Worth Independent School District & David Webb, Public Finance Director at Stifel, walk issuers through bond marketing strategies, particularly for ISDs. We’ll also share insights about setting your bond election up for success within your communities.

The muni bond market has quickly gone from a seller’s market to a buyer’s. Massive outflows from mutual funds, inflation expectations, anticipated Fed rate increases, and now the war in Ukraine have led to significant volatility. Interest rates moving sharply higher and lower has made price discovery difficult for issuers. Listen to this session to hear BondLink’s veteran muni issuers, Colin MacNaught and Tom Paolicelli, walk issuers through the do’s and don'ts outlined by bond investors today. We shared the most effective strategies for issuers to navigate these turbulent conditions and generate as much investor awareness as possible.

The muni bond market has quickly gone from a seller’s market to a buyer’s. Massive outflows from mutual funds, inflation expectations, anticipated Fed rate increases, and now the war in Ukraine have led to significant volatility. Interest rates moving sharply higher and lower has made price discovery difficult for issuers. Listen to this session to hear BondLink’s veteran muni issuers, Colin MacNaught and Tom Paolicelli, walk issuers through the do’s and don'ts outlined by bond investors today. We shared the most effective strategies for issuers to navigate these turbulent conditions and generate as much investor awareness as possible.

A lot is up in the air for 2022, but you can be sure of one thing - institutional investors will continue to independently evaluate credit and make purchasing decisions based on the strength of information issuers provide both before and after the sale. Watch this session to hear from Jamie Richardson, now Managing Director of Research for Municipals at Fidelity.He pulled from his years of experience at Fidelity and drew from his unique background working at the State of New Hampshire to guide you through the year to come. This was a great session for anyone who’s looking to issue debt in 2022. Come get your bearings, understand how to prioritize their time better leading up to a bond sale, and gain insight into the growing importance of ongoing transparency.

Taxabale offerings attract a wide variety of interest that spans traditional muni holders, corporate buyers, and international investors. Hal detailed his unique experiences working with municipal and corporate issuers on both taxable and tax-exempt offerings during this webinar. Issuers who understand the similarities between these markets and recognize what researchers expect from both types of sellers can gain a meaningful advantage with the buy-side. This corporate perspective could be particularly critical if the Build America Bond program is re-authorized by the federal government. It's also valuable for issuers who seek to make inroads with international buyers when issuing Green Bonds or with investors who focus on ESG factors in their evaluations.

A lot happens between the time a bond sale hits the new issue calendar and an investor actually places an order. Regardless of market conditions, fund inflows, or other prevailing factors, municipal analysts are constantly re-evaluating new offerings to make sure they fit their investment criteria. Mary Colby and Tammy Eng, two leaders from Charles Schwab, detailed all the ‘little things’ municipal issuers can do to stand out and get a definitive “yes” from buy-side decision makers. They even offered real examples of what has helped or hurt deals they’ve researched lately so issuers have a clear view of how internal rating systems are functioning today.

The first three sessions in our event with Nixon Peabody focused on areas of disclosure that are evolving rapidly. For the final session, we recapped considerations for the use of social media to connect with the market, ESG disclosures, and emergency event disclosures and offered a comprehensive checklist so that you and your financing team are as prepared as possible going forward.

Our market, once dominated by individual mom & pop buyers, has experienced a massive institutional shift over the past decade. In fact, customer purchases over $1 million have grown 46% during this time. Issuers who understand the lasting impacts of these shifts today, and how to continue adapting to them, can undoubtedly benefit from this growing class of investors. Howard Cure, Partner & Director of Municipal Bond Research at Evercore Wealth Management, joined this session to discuss how SMAs are approaching credit evaluations today, and what his shop specifically looks for in new deals.

Separately managed accounts, or SMAs, have steadily become more important to #muniland issuers as their assets under management have ballooned. In fact, over one third of outstanding muni bonds are now held in SMAs or mutual funds. Given the rise of SMAs over the past decade, issuers & their finance teams will benefit from having a granular understanding of the unique opportunities and challenges the “professional retail” buyer now presents for future bond sales. Nathan Harris, Senior Vice President & Co-Director, Municipal Research at Appleton, joined us to discuss how one leading SMA approaches their credit research, surveillance, and investment selections.

Our speakers draw from their expertise as some of the largest bond investors, top muni market professionals, peer issuers, and corporate IR leaders. These sessions are brief but packed with actionable ideas and tips. Check out the full agenda and view the webinar recordings on-demand.