Municipal New Issues: POS, OS, and Notice of Sale

Quick Answer

Municipal securities are exempt from Securities Act registration, so disclosure relies on MSRB rules and SEC Rule 15c2-12 instead of a prospectus. Underwriters deliver a Preliminary Official Statement before pricing, a final Official Statement posted to EMMA after pricing, and a Notice of Sale published in The Bond Buyer to solicit competitive bids from syndicates.

Municipal securities are exempt from Securities Act (SA) registration, so there is no federal registration statement and no "prospectus" in the traditional sense. Instead, the SEC and the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) impose a parallel disclosure regime on the underwriters. This section walks through the three municipal-offering documents you need to distinguish.

How does the municipal securities disclosure framework work?

Municipal securities qualify for an exemption under SA Section 3(a)(2) (covered more fully in Topic 6). Because they are not registered, there is no SEC-reviewed prospectus.

Disclosure is still required, however. It comes from two sources:

  • SEC Rule 15c2-12: requires underwriters to obtain and distribute disclosure documents before a competitive or negotiated new issue
  • MSRB rules: require underwriters to deliver final disclosure documents to customers and post them to EMMA (the MSRB's Electronic Municipal Market Access platform)

The municipal market created substitute documents that look like a preliminary and final prospectus but carry different names.

What is a Preliminary Official Statement in a municipal new issue?

The Preliminary Official Statement (POS) is the municipal equivalent of a red herring.

  • Prepared by or on behalf of the municipal issuer
  • Distributed before the final pricing, during the period when the underwriter is gauging interest
  • Sent to:
    • Potential underwriters (in a competitive bid)
    • Potential investors (after the underwriter is selected)
  • Does NOT contain the final interest rates, offering prices, or maturity schedule
  • Contains issuer information, legal opinions (preliminary), and the security's basic terms

Exam Tip: Gotchas

  • Municipal securities do not have a "prospectus." The equivalent disclosure documents are the POS (preliminary) and the OS (final). Do not call an OS a prospectus on the exam.

What is an Official Statement in a municipal new issue?

The Official Statement (OS) is the final municipal disclosure document.

  • Prepared after the issue is priced and awarded
  • Contains:
    • Final interest rates
    • Offering prices (or yields)
    • Maturity schedule
    • Sources and uses of funds
    • Final legal opinions
    • Security features (general obligation backing, revenue pledge, insurance wraps)

Delivery and EMMA posting:

  • Underwriters must deliver the OS to customers under MSRB rules
  • Underwriters must post the OS to EMMA, generally within 1 business day of receipt from the issuer
  • Amendments to the OS may be submitted to EMMA up to the 25th day after settlement

Think of it this way: The OS lives on EMMA after the deal closes so investors can always pull it up. That is why the 25-day amendment window exists: late corrections get posted to the same public document that purchasers can access.

What is a Notice of Sale in a municipal bond offering?

A Notice of Sale is a public announcement used to solicit competitive bids from underwriting syndicates on a new municipal issue.

  • Typically published in The Bond Buyer (the daily trade publication for municipal finance)
  • Used only in competitive offerings (most general obligation (GO) bonds)
  • Not used in negotiated offerings (most revenue bonds)

Contents of a Notice of Sale include:

  • Description of the issue (size, type, security features)
  • Maturity schedule
  • Bid date and time
  • Form of bid required: Net Interest Cost (NIC) or True Interest Cost (TIC)
  • Good-faith deposit requirement
  • Delivery date and settlement terms
  • Legal opinion requirements

Exam Tip: Gotchas

  • A Notice of Sale solicits underwriters, not investors. Investors do not respond to a Notice of Sale. If an exam question says a Notice of Sale went to retail customers, the wrong document was sent. Investors see the POS; underwriters bid from the Notice of Sale.

How do you identify the POS, OS, and Notice of Sale on the exam?

When an exam question describes a document, use these markers:

  • POS = preliminary disclosure for investors, no final prices
  • OS = final disclosure for investors, posted to EMMA, full terms included
  • Notice of Sale = announcement to underwriters soliciting competitive bids