Ticker Talk

Charles Schwab Corp., the No. 1 online broker, plans to expand its presence in the municipal bond market by underwriting tax-exempt securities. Bucking a trend of companies leaving the muni market because of low profits, Schwab said bringing new bond issues to market will help it meet increasing interest in the securities from individual investors. “There’s been a lot of demand from our clients, and we’ve doubled the size of our muni business over the last two years,” said Jim White, senior vice president of fixed income at the San Francisco-based company. “We’re starting out slowly, just dipping our toes, but we’d like to run some of our own deals.”