Form MA: Application for Municipal Advisor Registration

Instructions for the Form MA Series
Form MA: Application for Municipal Advisor Registration
Form MA-I: Information Regarding Natural Persons Who Engage in Municipal Advisory Activities
Form MA-NR: Designation of U.S. Agent for Service of Process for Non-Residents
Form MA-W: Notice of Withdrawal from Registration as a Municipal Advisor

General Instructions
Read these General Instructions carefully before filing Form MA, Form MA-I, Form MA-NR, or
Form MA-W. Specific instructions for certain items in Forms MA and MA-I, and General
Instructions to Form MA-NR appear after these General Instructions. Failure to follow
instructions or properly complete any of the forms may result in your registration being delayed
or your application rejected.
Italicized terms are defined or described in the Glossary of Terms appended at the end of these
instructions.
1.

Where can an applicant obtain more information on Form MA, Form MA-I, Form
MA-NR, Form MA-W, and electronic filing of these forms with the SEC?
The Commission provides information about its rules with respect to municipal advisors
and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as well as the submission of these forms, on its
website at: http://www.sec.gov/info/municipal.shtml. A comprehensive explanation of
the requirements in these forms is provided in the release issued by the Commission on
______, 2013, in adopting the rules relating to municipal advisor registration, which can
be viewed at http://www.sec.gov.

2.

Who should file these forms?
a. Form MA
A partnership, corporation, trust, limited liability company, limited liability partnership,
sole proprietorship, or other organized entity that engages in municipal advisory activities
(i.e., a municipal advisory firm) must register with the Commission on Form MA. The
same form is also used to amend a previously submitted Form MA, and to file the
required annual update described in General Instruction 8 below.
b. Form MA-I
A municipal advisory firm must complete and file Form MA-I with respect to each
natural person associated with the firm and engaged in municipal advisory activities on
the firm’s behalf, including employees of the firm. Independent contractors are included
in the definition of “employee” for these purposes. The same form is also used to amend
a previously submitted Form MA-I. A natural person doing business as a sole proprietor

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must complete and file Form MA-I in addition to Form MA and must amend each form
whenever applicable, as described below.
c. Form MA-NR
Every municipal advisory firm that is a non-resident of the United States must file a
completed and executed Form MA-NR together with its initial application for registration
on Form MA and submit a new Form MA-NR when required by filing an amendment to
Form MA with the new Form MA-NR attached. See “General Instructions to Form MANR,” Instruction 4, below. A sole proprietor should file Form MA-NR as an attachment
to his or her Form MA.
In addition, a municipal advisory firm must file a separately completed and executed
Form MA-NR for (i) every general partner and/or managing agent of the firm that is a
non-resident, and (ii) every non-resident natural person associated with the firm and
engaged in municipal advisory activities on the firm’s behalf. Form MA-NR must be
completed and executed by these persons regardless of whether the firm itself is
domiciled in the United States or is a non-resident filing a Form MA-NR on its own
behalf. Form MA-NR for general partners and/or managing agents is filed by the firm
together with the firm’s Form MA. Form MA-NR for natural persons associated with the
firm and engaged in municipal advisory activities on the firm’s behalf is filed by the firm
together with the Form MA-I relating to the natural person associated with the firm.
Unlike the other forms in the Form MA series, which are completed online and signed
electronically, Form MA-NR must be printed out and signed manually by both the nonresident and the person designated as agent for service of process. Each of the signatures
must be separately notarized, and a scanned copy of the signed and notarized form must
then be attached as a PDF file to the Form MA or Form MA-I being submitted.
However, it is the obligation of the municipal advisory firm, not the obligation of the
general partner, managing agent, or natural person associated with the firm, to file the
executed Form MA-NR with the Commission as an attachment to Form MA or Form
MA-I, as applicable.
Failure to attach a signed and notarized Form MA-NR, where required, for a nonresident municipal advisor or for any non-resident general partner or managing agent
of a municipal advisory firm or non-resident natural person associated with the
municipal advisory firm and engaged in municipal advisory activities on behalf of the
firm, may delay SEC consideration of the municipal advisor’s application for
registration.
d. Form MA-W
A business entity (including a sole proprietorship) that is registered as a municipal
advisor but is no longer required to be registered must file Form MA-W to withdraw its
registration. Specific instructions for completing Form MA-W are included on the form.
(When a natural person with respect to whom a municipal advisory firm filed Form MA-I
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is no longer associated with the firm or no longer engaged in municipal advisory
activities on behalf of the firm, the firm must file an amendment to the Form MA-I to
indicate this change.)
3.

How is Form MA organized?
The main body of Form MA asks a number of questions about the municipal advisor, the
municipal advisor’s business practices, the persons who own and control the municipal
advisor, and the persons who engage in municipal advisory activities on behalf of the
municipal advisor. All items must be completed except where otherwise indicated.
Form MA also contains several supplemental schedules that must be completed where
applicable:
•

Schedule A asks for information about the municipal advisor’s direct owners and
executive officers.

•

Schedule B asks for information about the municipal advisor’s indirect owners.

•

Schedule C is used to amend information on either Schedule A or Schedule B.

•

Schedule D asks for additional information on certain items and provides space for
explanations.

Form MA also contains Disclosure Reporting Pages (“DRPs”), which require further
details about events and proceedings involving the municipal advisor and/or the
municipal advisor’s associated persons that the applicant was required to report on the
main body of the form. These include Criminal Action DRPs, Regulatory Action DRPs,
and Civil Judicial Action DRPs.
Form MA also includes an “Execution Page” where the form is signed. More detail on
the Execution Page is provided below.
4.

How is Form MA-I organized?
The main body of Form MA-I asks a number of questions about a sole proprietor and
natural person associated with a municipal advisory firm and engaged in municipal
advisory activities on the firm’s behalf, including the residential history and employment
history, and other businesses in which such person is engaged. All items must be
completed except where otherwise indicated.
Form MA-I also contains DRPs that require further details of events and proceedings
involving the sole proprietor and natural person associated with a municipal advisory firm
and engaged in municipal advisory activities on the firm’s behalf that the filer was
required to report on the main body of the form. These include DRPs for reportable
instances of Criminal Action, Regulatory Action, Investigations, Terminations,
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Judgments/Liens, Civil Judicial Action, and Customer Complaint/Arbitration/Civil
Litigation.
5.

Who must sign Form MA or MA-I?
The individual who signs the form depends upon the municipal advisor’s form of
organization:
•
•
•
•

For a sole proprietorship, the sole proprietor (both forms);
For a partnership, a general partner;
For a corporation, an authorized principal officer; or
For all others, an authorized individual who participates in managing or directing the
municipal advisor’s affairs.

For purposes of these electronic forms, the signature is a typed name.
6.

Where does an applicant sign Form MA?
The municipal advisor must sign the appropriate Execution Page – either the:

7.

•

Domestic Municipal Advisor Execution Page, if the municipal advisory firm
(including a sole proprietor) is a resident of the United States; or

•

Non-Resident Municipal Advisor Execution Page, if the municipal advisory firm
(including a sole proprietor) is not a resident of the United States. Non-Resident
municipal advisors must also file Form MA-NR as specified in General Instruction
2.c. above.

Where does a municipal advisory firm sign Form MA-I?
The municipal advisory firm must sign Form MA-I in Item 7 of the form.

8.

When does Form MA need to be updated or amended?
Every municipal advisory firm must renew Form MA each year by filing an annual
update within 90 days after the end of its fiscal year (calendar year for sole proprietors).
In addition to the annual update, a municipal advisor must promptly file an amendment
to its Form MA whenever a material event has occurred that changes the information
provided in the form.
Each time a firm accesses its Form MA after its initial filing of the form, the information
from the firm’s most recent previous filing will appear. Only the information that has
changed will need to be amended; the applicant will not need to complete the entire form
again.

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For purposes of Form MA, a material event will be deemed to have occurred if:
•

Information provided in response to Item 1 (Identifying Information), Item 2 (Form
of Organization), or Item 9 (Disclosure Information) becomes inaccurate in any way;
or

•

Information provided in response to Item 3 (Successions), Item 7 (Participation or
Interest of Applicant or Associated Persons of Applicant in Municipal Advisory
Client or Solicitee Transactions), or Item 8 (Owners, Officers, and Other Control
Persons) becomes materially inaccurate.

Note: If submitting an amendment between annual updates, a municipal advisor is not
required to update the responses to Item 4 (Information About Applicant’s Business),
Item 5 (Other Business Activities), Item 6 (Financial Industry and Other Related
Affiliations of Associated Persons), or Item 10 (Small Businesses) even if the responses
to those items have become inaccurate.
A non-resident municipal advisory firm must promptly file an amendment to Form MA
to attach an updated opinion of counsel – see General Instruction 13 below – after any
changes in the legal or regulatory framework or the firm’s physical facilities that would
impact the ability of the municipal advisory firm, as a matter of law, to provide the
Commission with access to its books and records or to inspect and examine the municipal
advisory firm.
Failure to amend or update Form MA as required by this instruction is a violation of
SEC rule 15Ba1-5 and could lead to the revocation of registration. See Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 section 15B(c)(2), 15 U.S.C. 78o-4(c)(2).
9.

When does Form MA-I need to be updated or amended?
Form MA-I must promptly be amended whenever any information previously provided
on Form MA-I becomes inaccurate.

10.

How does a municipal advisor file a Form MA, MA-I, MA-NR, or MA-W?
A municipal advisor must complete and submit the relevant form, including any required
attachments, electronically. Form MA is considered “filed” with the Commission upon
submission of a completed Form MA, together with all required additional documents,
including required filings of Form MA-I, to the Commission’s Electronic Data Gathering,
Analysis, and Retrieval (“EDGAR”) system. See more at General Instruction 14 below.
When a municipal advisor’s submitted Form MA is accepted by the Commission, the
municipal advisor will receive an SEC file number with an 867- prefix. As used in the
forms, the terms “MA Registration Number” and “Municipal Advisor Registration
Number” refer to this same SEC file number.

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Form MA-NR, which must be printed out, signed, and notarized before being filed, is
submitted in PDF format as an attachment to Form MA or Form MA-I, as applicable.
11.

How does an applicant start the process of filing electronically?
Each form of the Form MA series, to be filed, must be submitted electronically to
EDGAR. General information about EDGAR is available at
http://www.sec.gov/info/edgar.shtml, where the EDGAR Filer Manual can also be
accessed. We recommend that applicants read this filer manual before they begin using
the system.
If you are already a filer on the EDGAR system: You may proceed directly to the
Commission’s primary EDGAR filing website at https://www.edgarfiling.sec.gov and
navigate the links to the Form MA series. Then, you will be given a choice of which
form in the series to access and complete.
If you are new to EDGAR: Before you can electronically file with the SEC on
EDGAR, you must become an EDGAR filer with authorized access codes. To do so, log
on to the following website: https://www.filermanagement.edgarfiling.sec.gov/.
Through this website, you will be able to create a “Form ID” and submit it to the SEC for
authorization.
Upon accessing the site, you will see a screen with a warning about use of government
websites for unauthorized purposes, followed by some brief instructions. At the bottom
of the screen, you will see a button that says “Press Here to Begin,” through which you
can access Form ID. Make sure that you specify municipal advisors, where indicated,
when accessing the form. Complete the form online and submit it to the SEC. When the
form is accepted, you will receive, via e-mail, a unique CIK (Central Index Key) number.
After receiving your CIK number, return to the same website
(https://www.filermanagement.edgarfiling.sec.gov/). Use your CIK and a passphrase to
create your EDGAR access codes. Once you have your access codes, you will be able to
use EDGAR. Log on to the primary EDGAR filing website at
https://www.edgarfiling.sec.gov/ and navigate the links to the Form MA series. Then,
you will be given a choice of which form in the series to access and complete.

12.

What other legal designations and representations are made in signing the
Execution Page of Form MA and Form MA-I?
Form MA: By signing the Execution Page of Form MA, if you are an authorized
signatory of a domestic municipal advisory firm (see General Instruction 5 above), you
are appointing on behalf of your firm the Secretary of State or other legally designated
officer of the state in which the firm maintains its principal office and place of business
as the firm’s agent to receive service of process. You are also attesting to the truth and
correctness of the information provided in the form. In addition, you are declaring on
behalf of the firm that the firm’s books and records will be preserved and available for
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inspection and that any person having custody of the books and records is authorized to
make them available to federal regulators.
If you are signing Form MA on behalf of a non-resident municipal advisory firm, you
must use the version of the Execution Page that is specifically required for such firms.
(See General Instruction 6.) On this page, you are attesting to the truth and correctness of
the information the firm is providing on the form and making the same representations as
a U.S. firm regarding books and records. Additionally, the signatory is agreeing on
behalf of the firm to provide, at the firm’s own expense, current, correct, and complete
copies of the firm’s books and records to the SEC upon request. A non-resident
municipal advisory firm must designate its agent for service of process, however, on a
separate form, Form MA-NR.
Form MA-I: If you are an authorized signatory of a domestic municipal advisory firm
filing Form MA-I with respect to a natural person associated with the firm and engaged
in municipal advisory activities on behalf of the firm, by signing the Execution Page of
Form MA-I, you are attesting to the truth and correctness of the information provided in
the form. You are also attesting that the municipal advisory firm has obtained and
retained written consent from the natural person associated with the firm that service of
any civil action brought by, or notice of any proceeding before, the SEC or any selfregulatory organization in connection with the individual’s municipal advisory activities
may be given by registered or certified mail to the individual’s address given in Item 1 of
the form.
If you are filing Form MA-I as a sole proprietor, by signing the Execution Page of Form
MA-I, you are consenting that service of process may be given to you by registered or
certified mail to the address you have supplied in Item 1of the form. You are also
attesting to the truth and correctness of the information you have provided in the form.
13.

What is the opinion of counsel that is required to be filed by a non-resident
municipal advisory firm?
A non-resident municipal advisory firm must attach to the Execution Page of its Form
MA an opinion of counsel that the municipal advisor can, as a matter of law, provide the
Commission with access to its books and records and that the municipal advisor can, as a
matter of law, submit to inspection and examination by the Commission.

14.

In what circumstances must additional documents be attached to Form MA or
Form MA-I?
As already noted, an applicant filing a Form MA or a municipal advisory firm filing Form
MA-I must complete the entire form online, including, where applicable, Schedules A, B,
C, and D (in the case of Form MA) and any DRPs that are required. Note that these
schedules and the DRPs comprise the form itself, and are not considered attachments.
The signatures that are required on Form MA and Form MA-I are executed
electronically; thus no paper document must be copied and attached to evidence a
signature.
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In certain circumstances, however, a filing requires the attachment of a copy (or copies)
of an additional document (or documents) when the online Form MA or Form MA-I is
submitted. Such copies must be filed in PDF format. Filers will be prompted to attach
each such document at the appropriate place in the relevant online form. Filings that
require such PDF attachments include:

15.

•

Documents relating to criminal actions. The Criminal Action DRPs of Form MA and
Form MA-I require that applicable court documents (e.g., criminal complaint,
information or indictment as well as judgment of conviction or sentencing
documents) and other supporting documentation must be attached to, and filed
electronically with, the form in conjunction with the DRPs.

•

Manually-signed Form MA-NR (for non-residents). Form MA-NR is accessed
electronically via links within Form MA and Form MA-I, and the information
requested by the form may be entered online. However, the form must be printed out
and signed manually – both by the non-resident (an authorized signatory in the case
of a firm) and by the designated agent for service of process – and each of the
signatures must be notarized. After the signatures and notarizations are completed,
Form MA-NR must be attached in PDF format to the Form MA or Form MA-I.

•

Written authorization to sign a Form MA-NR. When a Form MA-NR is signed on
behalf of a municipal advisory firm or a natural person (whether a general partner,
managing agent, or person associated with the firm and engaged in municipal
advisory activities on the firm’s behalf) pursuant to a written authorization (e.g., a
board resolution or power of attorney), a copy of the authorization must be attached
in PDF format together with the signed and notarized Form MA-NR.

•

Written contractual agreements relating to a Form MA-NR. When a written
contractual agreement or other written document exists that evidences (a) the
designation and appointment of the U.S. agent for service of process by the nonresident for whom a Form MA-NR is being filed, and/or (b) the agent’s acceptance of
such designation and appointment, a copy of the document must also be attached in
PDF format together with the signed and notarized Form MA-NR.

•

Opinion of Counsel for non-resident municipal advisory firms. As described in
General Instruction 13, a non-resident municipal advisory firm must attach to its
Form MA an opinion of counsel that the municipal advisor can comply with certain
requirements. A copy of the opinion must be attached in PDF file format.

What if the deadline for submitting an initial filing, an annual update, or
amendment to a form falls on a day on which the Commission is not open for
business?
If the deadline for submitting an initial filing, annual update, or amendment to a form
occurs on a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday on which the Commission is not open for
business, then the deadline shall be the next business day.
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Federal Information Law and Requirements
Section 15B(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 [15 U.S.C. 78o-4(a)] authorizes the SEC
to collect the information required by Forms MA, MA-I, MA-NR, and MA-W. The SEC collects
the information for regulatory purposes. Filing Form MA and Form MA-I (where applicable) is
mandatory for municipal advisors who are required to register with the SEC. Filing Form MAW is mandatory for a municipal advisor that has a Form MA on file but is no longer required to
be registered. Filing Form MA-NR is mandatory for each non-resident municipal advisor, nonresident general partner or non-resident managing agent of a municipal advisor, and nonresident natural person who is a person associated with the municipal advisor and engaged in
municipal advisory activities on its behalf. The SEC maintains the information submitted on
these forms and, unless otherwise specified, makes it publicly available. The SEC will not
accept forms that do not include the required information.
SEC’s Collection of Information
An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of
information unless it displays a currently valid control number. The Securities Exchange Act of
1934 authorizes the SEC to collect the information on Form MA from applicants and on Form
MA-I from municipal advisory firms. See 15 U.S.C. 78o-4. Filing of the form is mandatory.
The main purpose of Form MA is to enable the SEC to register municipal advisors. Every
applicant for registration with the SEC as a municipal advisor must file Form MA electronically
with the SEC. See 17 CFR 240.15Ba1-2(a). The purpose of Form MA-I is to enable the SEC to
collect information about natural persons associated with a municipal advisory firm and engaged
in municipal advisory activities on behalf of the firm.
When an applicant for registration successfully transmits a Form MA and/or Form MA-I to the
SEC’s electronic systems, the SEC does not make a finding that the form has been completed or
submitted correctly. Form MA must be updated annually by every municipal advisory firm, no
later than 90 days after the end of its fiscal year (calendar year for sole proprietors). Form MA
also must be amended promptly during the year to reflect changes as described in these
instructions. Form MA-I must be filed by every municipal advisory firm with respect to each
natural person associated with the firm and engaged in municipal advisory activities on behalf of
the firm. Form MA-I also must be amended promptly whenever any information previously
provided becomes inaccurate. The SEC maintains the information on the forms and, unless
otherwise specified, makes it publicly available through the SEC website.
Anyone may send the SEC comments on the accuracy of the burden estimate on page 1 of the
forms, as well as suggestions for reducing the burden. The Office of Management and Budget
has reviewed this collection of information under 44 U.S.C. 3507.
The information contained in the forms is part of a system of records subject to the Privacy Act of
1974, as amended. The SEC has published in the Federal Register the Privacy Act System of
Records Notice for these records.

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Intentional misstatements or omissions of fact constitute federal criminal violations.
See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a)

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Specific Instructions for Certain Items in Form MA
These instructions provide further detail and explain how to complete certain items in Form MA.

1. Item 3: Successions
If the applicant (i) is not currently registered as a municipal advisor and has taken over
the business of a registered municipal advisor or (ii) was registered as a municipal
advisor but has changed its structure or legal status (e.g., form of organization,
composition of a partnership, or date or state of incorporation), a new organization has
been created that has its own registration obligations under the Exchange Act. The
applicant in these situations must file in accordance with the instructions below. In
addition, the applicant may rely on special registration provisions in the SEC’s rules for
“successors” to registered municipal advisors that are designed to ease the transition to
the successor municipal advisor’s registration.
In situation (i), follow the instructions below under: “Succession by Application.” In
situation (ii), follow the instructions below under “Succession by Amendment.”
a. Succession by Application. If the applicant is not registered with the SEC as a
municipal advisor, and is acquiring or assuming substantially all of the assets and
liabilities of the advisory business of a registered municipal advisor, file a new initial
application for registration on Form MA. The applicant will receive a new SEC file
number. The applicant must file the new application within 30 calendar days after the
succession. On the application, make sure to check “Yes” to Item 3, enter the date of
the succession in Item 3, and complete Section 3 of Schedule D.
Until the SEC declares the new registration effective, the applicant may rely on the
registration of the acquired municipal advisor, but only if the acquired municipal
advisor is no longer engaged in municipal advisory activities. Once the new
registration is effective, a Form MA-W must be filed with the SEC to withdraw the
registration of the acquired municipal advisor.
b. Succession by Amendment. If a new municipal advisor is formed solely as a result
of a change in form of organization, composition of a partnership, or date or state of
incorporation of an existing registered municipal advisor, and there has been no
practical change in control or management, the new municipal advisor may file an
amendment to the Form MA of the predecessor municipal advisor to reflect these
changes rather than file a new, initial application. The new municipal advisor will
keep the same SEC file number, and no Form MA-W should be filed. On the
amendment, make sure to check “Yes” to Item 3, enter the date of the succession in
Item 3, and complete Section 3 of Schedule D. The amendment must be submitted
within 30 calendar days after the change or reorganization.
2. Item 4: Information About Applicant’s Business

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Guidance for Newly-Formed Municipal Advisors: Several questions in Item 4 that ask
about municipal advisory activities assume that the municipal advisor has been in
existence for some time. For newly-formed municipal advisors, responses to these
questions should reflect the applicant’s current municipal advisory activities (i.e.,
activities at the time of filing of the Form MA), with the following exceptions:
•

Applicant should base responses to Item 4-I, J, and K on the types of compensation
the applicant expects to accept; and

•

Applicant should base responses to Item 4-L on the types of municipal advisory
activities in which the applicant expects to engage during the next year.

3. Additional Information
Complete the final section of Schedule D – “Miscellaneous” – if any response to an item
in Form MA requires further explanation or if the applicant wishes to provide additional
information.
Specific Instructions for Certain Items in Form MA-I
These instructions provide further detail and explain how to complete certain items in Form MA-I.

1. Item 1: Identifying Information
A. The Individual
CRD Number. Some individuals may have an assigned number, known as a CRD
Number, in the CRD system for the registration of broker-dealers and broker-dealer
representatives or in the IARD system for investment advisers and investment adviser
representatives. You are not required to provide an individual’s CRD number if the
individual does not have one.
Social Security Number. A social security number is needed for regulatory purposes.
However, the version of completed Form MA-I that will be available for viewing by the
public will not show a social security number.
B. Municipal Advisory Firms Where the Individual Is Employed
Office. The phrase “office from which the individual is or will be supervised” in
subsection (2) of Item 1-B requires you to provide the information requested even if the
individual does not work at that location.
2. Item 2: Other Names
This item requires you to enter – besides the full legal name you provided in Item 1 – any
other name that the individual has used or is using, or by which the individual is known
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or has been known, since the age of 18. Be certain to include, for example, nicknames,
aliases, and names used before or after marriage.
3. Item 3: Residential History
You must provide all the addresses at which the individual has resided for the past 5
years, leaving no gaps greater than 3 months between addresses. Post office boxes are
not acceptable. This information is needed for regulatory purposes. However, the
version of completed Form MA-I that will be available for viewing by the public will not
show the private residential addresses that you enter.
4.

Item 4: Employment History
You must provide the individual’s entire employment history for the past 10 years,
leaving no gap greater than 3 months between entries. All entries must include beginning
and end dates of employment. Account for full-time and part-time employment, selfemployment, military service, and homemaking. Unemployment, full-time education,
extended travel, and other, similar statuses must also be included, and entered on the line
provided for “Name of Municipal Advisor or Company.”

5. Item 5: Other Business
Provide information regarding any other business in which the individual is currently
engaged, whether as a proprietor, partner, officer, director, employee (including
independent contractor), trustee, agent, or otherwise. If you do not know exactly the
number of hours the individual devotes to this business, give a reasonable estimate. If the
number of hours per week or month varies, provide an average.
6. Item 6: Disclosure Questions
Note that an affirmative answer to certain disclosure questions may make an individual
subject to statutory disqualification as defined in Section 3(a)(39) and Section 15B(c) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
7. Item 7: Signature
Signature is effected by typing a name in the designated signature field. By typing a
name in this field, the signatory acknowledges and represents that the entry constitutes in
every way, use, or aspect, his or her legally binding signature. Submit the signed form
electronically with the Commission. Note that if the individual is a non-resident, you
must attach a manually-signed Form MA-NR to the form.
General Instructions to Form MA-NR
1.

When must a Form MA-NR be filed?

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Form MA-NR must be filed for each non-resident municipal advisory firm and each nonresident general partner and/or managing agent of a municipal advisor at the time of the
municipal advisory firm’s initial application for registration on Form MA as an
attachment to the form. In addition, a municipal advisory firm must file Form MA-NR as
an attachment to each Form MA-I filed by the firm for a non-resident natural person
associated with the firm and engaged in municipal advisory activities on the firm’s behalf
when the firm initially files the Form MA-I.
2.

Must more than one Form MA-NR be filed per municipal advisory firm?
In certain circumstances, yes. When you are filing a Form MA on behalf of a municipal
advisory firm, and one or more general partners and/or managing agents of the firm is a
non-resident, you must attach a separate Form MA-NR designating an agent for U.S.
service of process for each such person, signed by that person and the designated agent.
This requirement applies even when the firm itself is a non-resident and you are attaching
a Form MA-NR on the firm’s own behalf. You must attach a Form MA-NR for each
such other person even if the person has previously designated an agent for service of
process on a Form MA-NR filed by another municipal advisor. If you are filing Form
MA-I, you must attach a Form MA-NR for every non-resident natural person associated
with the firm and engaged in municipal advisory activities on behalf of the firm.

3.

Must a Form MA-NR be filed at any time other than a municipal advisor’s initial
registration?
Yes. An SEC-registered municipal advisory firm that becomes a non-resident after the
municipal advisor firm’s initial application has been submitted must file a Form MA-NR
within 30 days of becoming a non-resident. The same applies when a general partner or
managing agent of a municipal advisory firm becomes a non-resident. A municipal
advisory firm must also file Form MA-NR within 30 days of the date that a non-resident
becomes a general partner or managing agent of a municipal advisory firm if this occurs
after the firm initially registers on Form MA. In such cases, the municipal advisor must
file an amendment to Form MA, with the new Form MA-NR attached.
A municipal advisory firm must file a Form MA-NR together with Form MA-I if, after
the firm’s initial registration, a non-resident natural person becomes associated with the
firm and engages in municipal advisory activities on the firm’s behalf. In addition, a
municipal advisory firm must file a Form MA-NR if a natural person associated with the
firm and engaged in municipal advisory activities on behalf of the firm becomes a nonresident after the firm has filed a Form MA-I relating to that individual. The firm must
file the Form MA-NR within 30 days of such individual becoming a non-resident.
Note: As discussed elsewhere in these instructions, a non-resident municipal advisory
firm that is filing a Form MA must also comply with two further requirements. In
addition to completing Form MA-NR, the firm must (a) complete the special execution
page of Form MA required for non-residents, which includes an undertaking regarding
books and records (see General Instruction 12); and (b) attach to Form MA an opinion of
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counsel that the municipal advisory firm, as a matter of law, can provide the Commission
with access to its books and records and can submit to inspection and examination by the
Commission (see General Instruction 13).
4.

When must a new Form MA-NR be filed?
A new Form MA-NR must be filed promptly if a previously-filed Form MA-NR becomes
invalid or the information in it becomes inaccurate. (This is accomplished by submitting
an amendment to Form MA with the new MA-NR attached. No other changes to any
information in Form MA need be made in the amendment if not otherwise required.)
This includes any change to the name or address of the non-resident municipal advisory
firm, general partner, managing agent, or natural person associated with the firm and
engaged in municipal advisory activities on the firm’s behalf, as well as any change to the
name or address of the agent for service of process of the municipal advisory firm,
general partner, managing agent, or natural person associated with the firm. Each nonresident municipal advisory firm, general partner, managing agent, and natural person
associated with the firm and engaged in municipal advisory activities on the firm’s behalf
must promptly appoint a successor agent for service of process and the municipal advisor
must file a new Form MA-NR if the non-resident municipal advisor, general partner,
managing agent, or natural person associated with the firm discharges its identified agent
for service of process or if its agent for service of process becomes unwilling or unable to
accept service on behalf of the non-resident municipal advisor, general partner,
managing agent, or natural person associated with the firm.

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GLOSSARY OF TERMS
1. Affiliate, affiliated, affiliation: An affiliate of a person is (i) all the person’s officers,
partners, or directors (or any person performing similar functions); (ii) all persons directly or
indirectly controlling or controlled by the person; and (iii) all of the person’s current
employees (other than employees performing only clerical, administrative, support or similar
functions).
2. Annual Update: Within 90 calendar days after a municipal advisory firm’s fiscal year end
(calendar year for sole proprietors), the municipal advisory firm must file an “annual update,”
which is an amendment to the municipal advisor firm’s Form MA that updates the responses
to any item for which the information is no longer accurate.
3. Associated Person or Associated Person of a Municipal Advisor: Any partner, officer,
director, or branch manager of a municipal advisor (or any person occupying a similar status
or performing similar functions); any other employee of such municipal advisor who is
engaged in the management, direction, supervision, or performance of any municipal
advisory activities relating to the provision of advice to or on behalf of a municipal entity or
obligated person with respect to municipal financial products or the issuance of municipal
securities (other than employees who are performing solely clerical, administrative, support
or similar functions); and any person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or
under common control with such municipal advisor.
4. Charge, charged: Being accused of a crime in a formal complaint, information, or indictment
(or equivalent formal criminal charge).
5. CFTC: Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
6. Chief Compliance Officer: The officer in charge of the municipal advisor’s compliance
program.
7. Client or Municipal Advisory Client: Any of the municipal advisor’s clients. This term
includes clients from which the municipal advisor receives no compensation. If the municipal
advisor also engages in activities that are not municipal advisory activities, this term does not
include clients on behalf of whom those activities are conducted.
8. Contingent Fees: Any fee or payment for services provided where the fee is payable upon a
condition to be satisfied.
9. Control: The power, directly or indirectly, to direct the management or policies of a person,
whether through ownership of securities, by contract, or otherwise.
•

Each of the municipal advisor’s officers, partners, or directors exercising executive
responsibility (or persons having similar status or functions) is presumed to control the
municipal advisor.

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•

A person is presumed to control a corporation if the person: (i) directly or indirectly has
the right to vote 25 percent or more of a class of the corporation’s voting securities; or (ii)
has the power to sell or direct the sale of 25 percent or more of a class of the corporation’s
voting securities.

•

A person is presumed to control a partnership if the person has the right to receive upon
dissolution, or has contributed, 25 percent or more of the capital of the partnership.

•

A person is presumed to control a limited liability company (“LLC”) if the person: (i)
directly or indirectly has the right to vote 25 percent or more of a class of the interests of
the LLC; (ii) has the right to receive upon dissolution, or has contributed, 25 percent or
more of the capital of the LLC; or (iii) is an elected manager of the LLC.

•

A person is presumed to control a trust if the person is a trustee or managing agent of the
trust.

10. CRD: The Web Central Registration Depository (“CRD”) system operated by FINRA for the
registration of broker-dealers and broker-dealer representatives.
11. Discretionary Authority: The municipal advisor has discretionary authority or manages
assets on a discretionary basis if it has the authority to decide which securities to purchase
and sell for a client. The municipal advisor also has discretionary authority if it has the
authority to decide which investment advisers to retain on behalf of a client.
12. Employee: This term includes an independent contractor who engages in municipal
advisory activities on the municipal advisor’s behalf.
13. Enjoined: This term includes being subject to a mandatory injunction, prohibitory injunction,
preliminary injunction, or a temporary restraining order.
14. Federal Banking Agency: This term includes any Federal banking agency as defined in
Section 3 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1813(q)).
15. Federal Regulatory Agency: This term includes any Federal banking agency and the
National Credit Union Administration.
16. Felony: For jurisdictions that do not differentiate between a felony and a misdemeanor, a
felony is an offense punishable by a sentence of at least one year imprisonment and/or a fine of
at least $1,000. This term also includes a general court martial.
17. FINRA: Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.
18. Foreign Financial Regulatory Authority: This term includes (i) a foreign securities
regulatory authority; (ii) another governmental body or foreign equivalent of a self-regulatory
organization empowered by a foreign government to administer or enforce its laws relating to
the regulation of municipal advisor-related activities; and (iii) a foreign membership
organization, a function of which is to regulate the participation of its members in the
municipal advisor-related activities.
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19. Found: This term includes adverse final actions, including consent decrees in which the
respondent has neither admitted nor denied the findings, but does not include agreements,
deficiency letters, examination reports, memoranda of understanding, letters of caution,
admonishments, and similar informal resolutions of matters.
20. Guaranteed Investment Contract: This term includes any investment that has specified
withdrawal or reinvestment provisions and a specifically negotiated or bid interest rate, and
also includes any agreement to supply investments on 2 or more future dates, such as a forward
supply contract; provided, however, that the contract relates to investments of proceeds of
municipal securities or municipal escrow investments.
21. IARD: The Investment Adviser Registration Depository (“IARD”) system operated by FINRA
for the registration of investment advisers and investment adviser representatives.
22. Investigation: This term includes: (i) grand jury investigations; (ii) SEC investigations after
the “Wells” notice has been given; (iii) FINRA investigations after the “Wells” notice has
been given or after a “person associated with a member,” as such term is defined by The
FINRA By-Laws, has been advised by the staff that it intends to recommend formal
disciplinary action; (iv) NYSE Regulation investigations after the “Wells” notice has been
given or after a person over whom NYSE Regulation has jurisdiction, as defined in the
applicable rules, has been advised by NYSE Regulation that it intends to recommend formal
disciplinary action; (v) formal investigations by other SROs; or (vi) actions or procedures
designated as investigations by other federal, state, or local jurisdictions. The term
investigation does not include subpoenas, preliminary or routine regulatory inquiries or
requests for information, deficiency letters, “blue sheet” requests or other trading
questionnaires, or examinations.
23. Investment Adviser: As defined in Section 202(a)(11) of the Investment Advisers Act of
1940.
24. Investment-Related: Activities that pertain to securities, commodities, banking, insurance, or
real estate (including, but not limited to, acting as or being associated with an investment
adviser, broker-dealer, municipal securities dealer, government securities broker or dealer,
issuer, investment company, futures sponsor, bank, or savings association).
25. Investment Strategies: The term includes plans or programs for the investment of proceeds
of municipal securities that are not municipal derivatives or guaranteed investment contracts,
and the recommendation of and brokerage of municipal escrow investments.
26. Involved: Engaging in any act or omission, aiding, abetting, counseling, commanding,
inducing, conspiring with, or failing reasonably to supervise another in an act.
27. Managing Agent: Any person, including a trustee, who directs or manages, or who
participates in directing or managing, the affairs of any unincorporated organization or
association other than a partnership.
28. Minor Rule Violation: A violation of a self-regulatory organization rule that has been
designated as “minor” pursuant to a plan approved by the SEC. A rule violation may be
638

designated as “minor” under a plan if the sanction imposed consists of a fine of $2,500 or less,
and if the sanctioned person does not contest the fine. (Check with the appropriate selfregulatory organization to determine if a particular rule violation has been designated as
“minor” for these purposes.)
29. Misdemeanor: For jurisdictions that do not differentiate between a felony and a misdemeanor,
a misdemeanor is an offense punishable by a sentence of less than one year imprisonment
and/or a fine of less than $1,000. This term also includes a special court martial.
30. MSRB or Board: Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board.
31. Municipal Advisor: Absent the availability of an exclusion under 17 CFR 240.15Ba11(d)(2) or an exemption under 17 CFR 240.15Ba1-1(d)(3), this term means a person (who is
not a municipal entity or an employee of a municipal entity) that (i) provides advice to or on
behalf of a municipal entity or obligated person with respect to municipal financial products
or the issuance of municipal securities, including advice with respect to the structure, timing,
terms, and other similar matters concerning such financial products or issues; or (ii)
undertakes a solicitation of a municipal entity or obligated person.
32. Municipal Advisor-Related: Conduct that pertains to municipal advisory activities
(including, but not limited to, acting as, or being an associated person of, a municipal
advisor).
33. Municipal Advisory Activities: This term means the following activities that, absent the
availability of an exclusion under 17 CFR 240.15Ba1-1(d)(2) or an exemption under 17 CFR
240.15Ba1-1(d)(3) to the definition of municipal advisor, would cause a person to be a
municipal advisor: (i) providing advice to or on behalf of a municipal entity or obligated
person with respect to municipal financial products or the issuance of municipal securities,
including advice with respect to the structure, timing, terms, and other similar matters
concerning such financial products or issues; or (ii) solicitation of a municipal entity or
obligated person acting in such capacity.
34. Municipal Advisory Firm: Any organized entity that is a municipal advisor, including sole
proprietors.
35. Municipal Derivatives: Any swap (as defined in Section 1a(47) of the Commodity
Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. 1a(47)) and section 3(a)(69) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(69)), including any rules and regulations thereunder) or security-based
swap (as defined in Section 3(a)(68) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C.
78c(a)(68), including any rules and regulations thereunder) to which (i) a municipal entity is
a counterparty; or (ii) an obligated person, acting in such capacity, is a counterparty.
36. Municipal Entity: Any State, political subdivision of a State, or municipal corporate
instrumentality of a State, including (i) any agency, authority, or instrumentality of the State,
political subdivision, or municipal corporate instrumentality; (ii) any plan, program, or pool
of assets sponsored or established by the State, political subdivision, or municipal corporate
instrumentality or any agency, authority, or instrumentality thereof; and (iii) any other issuer
of municipal securities.
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37. Municipal Financial Products: Municipal derivatives, guaranteed investment contracts, and
investment strategies.
38. Non-Resident: (i) In the case of an individual, one who resides in or has his principal office
and place of business in any place not subject to the jurisdiction of the United States; (ii) in the
case of a corporation, one incorporated in or that has its principal office and place of business
in any place not subject to the jurisdiction of the United States; or (iii) in the case of a
partnership or other unincorporated organization or association, one having its principal office
and place of business in any place not subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.
39. NYSE Regulation: NYSE Regulation, Inc.
40. Obligated Persons: Any person, including an issuer of municipal securities, who is either
generally or through an enterprise, fund, or account of such person, committed by contract or
other arrangement to support payment of all or part of the obligations of the municipal
securities to be sold in an offering of municipal securities. This term does not include: (i)
providers of municipal bond insurance, letters of credit, or other liquidity facilities; (ii) a
person whose financial information or operating data is not material to a municipal securities
offering, without reference to any municipal bond insurance, letter of credit, liquidity facility,
or other credit enhancement; or (iii) the federal government.
41. Order: A written directive issued pursuant to statutory authority and procedures, including an
order of denial, exemption, suspension, or revocation. Unless included in an order, this term
does not include special stipulations, undertakings, or agreements relating to payments,
limitations on activity, or other restrictions.
42. Person: An individual, sole proprietorship, or a firm. A firm includes any partnership,
corporation, trust, limited liability company (“LLC”), limited liability partnership (“LLP”), or
other organization.
43. Principal Place of Business or Principal Office and Place of Business: The executive office
of the municipal advisor from which the officers, partners, or managers of the municipal
advisor direct, control, and coordinate the activities of the municipal advisor.
44. Proceeding: This term includes a formal administrative or civil action initiated by a
governmental agency, self-regulatory organization or foreign financial regulatory authority; a
felony criminal indictment or information (or equivalent formal charge); or a misdemeanor
criminal information (or equivalent formal charge). This term does not include other civil
litigation, investigations, arrests or similar charges effected in the absence of a formal criminal
indictment or information (or equivalent formal charge).
45. Resign: relates to separation from employment with any employer, is not restricted to
municipal advisor-related or investment-related employments, and would include any
termination in which allegations are a proximate cause of separation, even if the individual
initiated the separation.
46. Self-Regulatory Organization or SRO: Any national securities or commodities exchange,
registered securities association, or registered clearing agency. For example, the Chicago
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Board of Trade (“CBOT”), FINRA, MSRB, and NYSE Regulation are self-regulatory
organizations.
47. SEC or Commission: Securities and Exchange Commission.
48. Solicitation or Solicitation of a Municipal Entity or Obligated Person: A direct or indirect
communication with a municipal entity or obligated person made by a person, for direct or
indirect compensation, on behalf of a broker, dealer, municipal securities dealer, municipal
advisor, or investment adviser that does not control, is not controlled by, or is not under
common control with the person undertaking such solicitation for the purpose of obtaining or
retaining an engagement by a municipal entity or obligated person of a broker, dealer,
municipal securities dealer, or municipal advisor for or in connection with municipal financial
products, the issuance of municipal securities, or of an investment adviser to provide
investment advisory services to or on behalf of a municipal entity or obligated person. The
term does not include advertising by a broker, dealer, municipal securities dealer, municipal
advisor, or investment adviser, or solicitation of an obligated person, if such obligated
person is not acting in the capacity of an obligated person or the solicitation of the obligated
person is not in connection with the issuance of municipal securities or with respect to
municipal financial products.
49. Solicitee: A person whom another person has solicited or intends to solicit.
50. State Regulatory Agency: This term includes any State securities commission (or any agency
or officer performing like functions); State authority that supervises or examines banks,
savings associations, or credit unions; or State insurance commission (or any agency or office
performing like functions to the above).
51. Supervised Person: Any of the municipal advisor’s officers, partners, directors (or other
persons occupying a similar status or performing similar functions), or employees, or any other
person who engages in municipal advisory activities on the municipal advisor’s behalf and is
subject to the municipal advisor’s supervision or control.

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