Bonds

Despite a rating upgrade ahead of the deal, Louisiana paid a wider spread to a 10-year benchmark when it sold general obligation bonds Tuesday than it did a year ago. In Tuesday’s pricing, the state paid a 15 basis point spread to the Triple-A benchmark evaluated by BVAL for the 2034 maturity, with 5% coupons.

S&P Global Ratings on Wednesday upgraded its long-term rating on Detroit’s unlimited-tax general obligation debt to investment grade, raising it to BBB from BB-plus. The outlook is stable. The rating agency said the change reflected a stronger financial position and its “increased confidence in the city’s ability to sustain balance within the construct of its

When a ransomware attack struck the city of Huber Heights, Ohio, Nov. 12, it first showed up in a 911 dispatch center computer. A Russian hacker group known as Black Suit, said City Manager Richard Dzik, went on to encrypt multiple city servers and machines, and ultimately gained access to the data of about 5,000

Munis were a touch firmer in spots Tuesday as the primary market ramped up and investors awaited Wednesday’s inflation report to give further guidance on Fed rate cuts. U.S. Treasuries were firmer and equities were mixed at the close. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Tuesday was at 65%, the three-year at 64%, the five-year at 61%,

Texas, where the use of public-private partnerships (P3s) by the state transportation department has been stymied, is now looking to end a 52-year agreement for a toll lane project that was partially financed with private-activity bonds.  The Texas Transportation Commission voted March 28 to terminate a 2016 comprehensive development agreement (CDA) with Blueridge Transportation Group,

Municipals were steady to slightly weaker in spots Monday ahead of a rebound in issuance that tops $8.5 billion. U.S. Treasuries were weaker and equities were up. Triple-A yield curves saw yields rise up to three basis points, depending on the scale, further softening ahead of a growing new-issue slate and the last week before

New York State officials extended the state’s fiscal 2025 budget deadline a second time Thursday as legislators aim to resolve challenges, including education and affordable housing funding, with another new deadline — Monday, April 8. And another deadline extension seems likely, as many lawmakers will be traveling today to see the solar eclipse, including Gov.

California lawmakers fine-tuned their March budget proposal, cutting spending by $17.3 billion ahead of formal discussions to get a head start on difficult decisions amid a record deficit. Gov. Gavin Newsom, Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas announced they reached an agreement Thursday, providing specifics about how they plan to

Following another better-than-expected jobs report, U.S. Treasuries sold off and were volatile throughout the session leading municipals to see a weaker, but more muted tone than their taxable counterparts. Equities rallied. The March employment report sent “the bond market in panic mode over Fed cuts being delayed,” according to Bryce Doty, senior portfolio manager/vice president at

Miami-Dade County, Florida, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has dropped plans for a proposed a $2.5 billion municipal bond referendum in November that would have funded infrastructure projects. Instead, the mayor said Thursday she will work to propose an even larger bonding plan that will include money for transit projects. Proceeds from the “305 Future Ready”

The Department of Transportation and Baltimore County have reached an agreement to divert a previously awarded DOT grant to help nearby ports accommodate more cargo following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. That comes along with the announcement Thursday that DOT’s Federal Transit Administration will allocate $20.5 billion to state and local government

In a ceremony watched by thousands of issuers, the White House Thursday unveiled an overhaul of how it sends billions of federal funds to cities, states and nonprofits in an effort to cut red tape, expand the pool of grant recipients and simplify reporting and compliance. “The changes being finalized and announced today are historic

Fitch Ratings’ new U.S. local government rating criteria is expected to lead to changes to about 550 ratings in the next six months. Fitch adopted the new criteria — which will affect cities, counties, school districts, and special districts — after working on the revision since the fall. The criteria will also be used to

Municipals were little changed Thursday as the primary market saw several large deals price to good demand as investors see current muni yields more enticing after the rise in triple-A curves Tuesday and Wednesday. U.S. Treasuries were slightly firmer and equities were down near the close. There has been some trepidation from buyers over the

Munis saw a weaker tone Wednesday as muni yields were cut up to five basis points, depending on the scale, marking a second day of selling pressure, as few deals priced in the primary. U.S. Treasuries were slightly firmer across most of the curve and equities were mixed. “Much like other periods in recent years

Rice Financial Products Co. was sued by a former employee who claims she was fired for raising concerns about the firm’s work on a federal program that provides low-cost loans to historically black colleges and universities. Gyliane Morgan alleges the company retaliated against her in 2020 after she pointed to the firm’s oversight failings —

The bankruptcy of Iowa City’s Mercy Hospital is closer to an end with the resolution last week of a dispute between the committee of unsecured creditors, which had filed a complaint on March 25, and trustee Computershare Trust and bondholder representative Preston Hollow Community Capital.  The plan support agreement reached raised the estimated dollar amount

Municipals played catch up to U.S. Treasury weakness and sold off Tuesday as supply pressure and secondary selling caught up to the asset class. Equities ended down. Triple-A yields rose seven to 12 basis points, depending on the scale, while USTs yields rose up to four basis points. Before Tuesday’s selloff, muni yields have been

Private activity bonds issued for Los Angeles International Airport’s multi-billion-dollar people mover project were affirmed at junk by Fitch Ratings last week as the public-private project’s completion date was pushed out another six months. Fitch affirmed the speculative-grade BB-plus rating on California Municipal Finance Authority’s $1.2 billion senior lien revenue bonds issued on behalf of

Munis were little changed Monday as U.S. Treasuries sold off and equities ended mixed. Following the conclusion of the first quarter, munis are seeing losses for the year with the asset class returning negative 0.39% for the year and March returns were at 0.00%, noted Jason Wong, vice president of municipals at AmeriVet Securities. The