MSRB plans relocation in move it says will save millions of dollars

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board plans to relocate to a smaller Washington, D.C. office space in 2027, a move the MSRB says will save it $6 million over the life of the lease.

The MSRB inked a new lease for 30,407 square feet of office space at 1101 K Street, N.W., according to a CBRE (CBRE) report on Washington, D.C. office figures, which identified the deal as among notable Q4 2025 lease transactions. The MSRB is currently located at 1300 I Street, N.W. in Washington, D.C.

The CBRE (CBRE) report described the market effect of the MSRB's new lease as a contraction. The decision to move is part of the MSRB's "ongoing commitment to strong fiscal discipline and responsible expense management," an MSRB spokesperson said Monday, adding that the relocation is currently planned for the first half of 2027.

The MSRB exercised an option to terminate the lease on its current location early "and reduce our office space by over 20%," the spokesperson said.

"The new office will be smaller, more efficient, and right sized for our future needs," the MSRB spokesperson said. "By making this move, MSRB will save $6 million over the life of the lease in addition to the 5.2% cost reduction included in our FY 2026 budget."

Created by Congress in 1975, the MSRB is a self-regulatory organization. It receives no federal appropriations and instead is funded primarily from fees paid by the dealers and municipal advisors it regulates.

News of the planned MSRB office move and the savings it is expected to bring drew a positive reaction from Michael Decker, senior vice president for research and public policy at the Bond Dealers of America.

"Good stewardship of industry resources is important for the MSRB," Decker said in an email Monday. "BDA agrees with reasonable cost savings measures for the board, and this office move would seem to fit that description."

Last month, the MSRB received Securities and Exchange Commission approval for a multi-year rate card for dealers and municipal advisors. The approved rate card replaces the MSRB's annual rate-setting model and establishes assessment rates through 2029.

"This approach to a multi-year rate card provides greater transparency, less volatility, and certainty in fees, while supporting MSRB's ability to fulfill its statutory mission to protect investors, issuers and the public interest," MSRB Board Chair Natasha A. Holiday said in a December press release the MSRB issued following the approval.

The MSRB has been in its current space on I Street NW for about ten years, and had previously been located in Alexandria, Virginia.