(Bloomberg) -- Jefferies Financial Group Inc. and Truist Financial Corp. are winning a larger number of muni bond sales up for auction this year, the latest evidence of the shake up in the market after large banks like Citigroup Inc. pulled back.
So far this year, Jefferies was third among competitive managers, up from twelfth three years ago, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Truist has jumped to seventh after winning more than three dozen deals this year.
In competitive auctions, state and local governments sell their bonds to the lowest bidder. That’s in contrast to so-called negotiated transactions where a manager is selected ahead of time. In an era of shrinking margins, underwriters are scrutinizing which types of deals to manage.
“We are playing offense,” said Todd Bleakney, head of municipal finance at Truist, which has managed more than 40 competitive deals since the firm won its first major auctions in late 2023. “We are super excited about the space and opportunity. There’s always need for liquidity and another competitor.”
The gains in competitive deals are part of a broader strategy by Jefferies, Truist and other up-and-coming firms to grab share during a rebound that’s pushing sales to a record. Citigroup’s exit opened market share. Plus, a shift in muni talent allowed seasoned bankers to land at smaller firms.
The footprint of some bulge-bracket firms also has shrunk on the competitive side. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. — which ranked eighth for competitive deals and managed about $2.3 billion in both 2017 and 2018 — did not underwrite any competitive transactions in 2023. It has managed just three this year worth $152 million. A spokesperson for the bank declined to comment.
That’s in contrast to Jefferies, which has managed 83 competitive deals worth almost $6.7 billion this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. That’s up from 14 deals worth $1.68 billion in 2021.
“We have made a concerted effort over the past several years to support the competitive new issue market, which is in line with the firm’s overall strategy of investing while others pull back,” Vicken Kalaydjian, co-head of municipal sales and trading at Jefferies, said in an emailed statement.
READ: Citigroup, UBS Exit Munis After Market’s Profits Plummet by 50%
Competitive deals are up 30% this year while negotiated sales have jumped 45%. And to be sure, major players like Bank of America Corp. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. top the charts. The transactions coming through auctions represent about 18% of the $415 billion in long-term issuance. Those offerings provide an option for banks to start to build relationships and land more lucrative contracts down the line.
“We have continuously sought to support our clients’ financing needs in the primary negotiated market, the secondary market and the competitive market,” said Beth Coolidge, who became the head of public finance at Oppenheimer & Co. after heading up the Midwest practice for UBS Group AG before the Swiss bank shuttered much of its muni underwriting business.
“With the exit of market participants over the past year, we are increasingly seeing issuers engage with firms that provide support and service across all aspects of the business,” Coolidge said.
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