Brandon A. Caywood

/My focus

In my practice, I provide guidance and technical structuring advice related to federal tax matters for a variety of finance transactions in the public finance area. I represent issuers, borrowers, underwriters, and lenders in connection with tax-exempt financings and similar transactions. My focus in these matters is to ensure that during the process of such financings, the tax-advantaged nature of the bonds is preserved. In addition, I assist issuers and borrowers with “post-issuance” compliance, providing guidance necessary to preserve the tax-advantaged status of their debt after issuance. 
I have represented counties, cities, towns, community colleges, school districts, fire districts, a variety of special tax districts, and governmental agencies throughout Arizona as bond counsel. My experience as bond counsel includes representing clients in transactions involving general obligation bonds, lease-purchase financing, conduit financing, revenue obligations, refunding bonds, specials assessment bonds, and industrial development bonds. In addition, I have experience providing representation in municipal finance transactions as underwriter’s counsel, bond counsel, issuer’s counsel, disclosure counsel, bank counsel, and borrower’s counsel, and have also served as election counsel in bond, lease, override, and alternative expenditure limitation elections.

My prior experience as bond counsel provides a unique perspective when evaluating federal tax matters. I’m sensitive to the challenges that can arise during the process of closing a transaction and leverage my experience to help clients navigate those challenges successfully.

/Looking ahead

Federal tax rules changes, rising interest rates, a global pandemic, among other things, changed the way some issuers approach debt financing. I will be monitoring the tax issues that arise from creative financing issuers may pursue to address these changes.

/Insights

• Arizona Association of School Business Officials (AASBO) Winter Conference 2024—“202: CD-Who? Back to the Basics of Continuing Disclosure (including ACFR Statistics)” (Presenter)
• National Association of Bond Lawyers—“Comments on Proposed Regulations for Section 6417 Elective Payments of Applicable Credits” (Working Group Member)
• Arizona Association of School Business Officials (AASBO) Spring Conference 2023—“302: Renewable Energy Project? Let’s Look at the 30% Direct IRS Subsidy From the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act” (Presenter)
• National Association of Bond Lawyers—“Supplemental Comments on IRS Notice 2022-49 and IRS Notice 2022-50” (Working Group Member)
• Stifel Bond Compliance Seminar, October 2021—“What Compliance Items are in the Bond Documents?” (Presenter)