Kent Hiteshew

In this second installment of a two-part series, David Dubrow and Kent Hiteshew propose reforms to improve disclosure standards in the municipal bond market, exploring both legislative and regulatory approaches. They outline eight key guidelines for enhancing transparency and consistency in municipal offering statements, aiming to bring these disclosures into the modern era and better protect investors.

Two municipal market veterans, David Dubrow and Kent Hiteshew, delve into the history and current state of disclosure practices in the municipal bond market, highlighting the flaws in the current system. In a follow up, the authors will explore potential paths to reform and key components of a uniform standard of disclosure for municipal securities.

Kent Hiteshew and Ivan Ivanov write that the United States municipal bond market suffers from fragmentation, poor liquidity, and inadequate disclosure due to the dominance of small, infrequent issuers who struggle to meet regulatory disclosure requirements. They argue that greater involvement of state-backed municipal bond banks could help address these issues by pooling smaller issuances, reducing borrowing costs, and streamlining disclosure obligations for local governments.