Bonds

The Federal Reserve said that banks reported tighter standards and continued weak demand for loans in the second quarter, extending a trend that began before recent stresses in the banking sector emerged. The proportion of U.S. banks tightening terms on commercial and industrial loans for medium and large businesses rose to 50.8%, up from 46%

With mass transit systems elsewhere still coping with the financial strains of the pandemic, the Fortress Investment Group-backed Brightline train system in Florida and its bonds provide one more small piece of evidence that, for now, Miami is hot in more ways than one. The momentum from an upcoming extension to Orlando — in combination

July municipal bond issuance fell 8% from 2022 as issuers dealt with another month of mixed macroeconomic concerns and rising interest rates, but the month saw the smallest drop in issuance year-over-year in 2023. July’s total volume was $25.939 billion in 542 issues, down from $28.258 billion in 619 issues a year earlier, and lower

The head of the San Diego Association of Governments, the metropolitan planning organization for the county, notified the organization’s board late Friday that he would be stepping down in December. SANDAG Chief Executive Officer Hasan Ikhrata’s last day with the agency will be December 29. “This news is a bittersweet moment for our region,” said

Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee said data showing slower U.S. inflation is “fabulous news” but he hasn’t yet decided on whether to support pausing interest-rate increases at the next policy meeting. “I haven’t made up my mind for what should happen in September,” Goolsbee said Monday in an interview on Yahoo! Finance.

The bond-issuing Utah Inland Port Authority, which has been the target of two state audit reviews, a lawsuit brought by Salt Lake City, and opposition from environmentalists, is retooling its image and approach to economic development.   With a strategic business plan covering 2023 to 2027 and a new executive director who took over in September,

Environmental, social, and governance capital programs continue to flourish under increased scrutiny, said one presenter at a recent securities industry event. Climate change may be nothing new, said Trenton J. Allen, CEO of Sustainable Capital Advisors, but the “growing appetite” for suitably focused investments is, and issuers and investors alike can benefit from strategies to

Munis were weaker to close out the week, playing catch up to Thursday’s larger U.S. Treasury losses and preparing for a larger new-issue calendar led by billion-dollar issues from the New York Dormitory Authority and triple-A rated Minnesota, along with multiple large deals from Texas school districts. U.S. Treasuries were firmer Friday and equities rallied.

Congress adjourned for its long summer break Thursday still far apart on top-line 2024 spending levels with only a few weeks left to reconcile the difference. There are also looming deadlines to pass a new farm bill and reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration. Congress faces a partial government shutdown if it hasn’t passed funding bills

Hospitals, already facing multiple challenges, are being stressed by a heat wave that has hit a large swath of the United States, according to a Moody’s Investors Service analyst. A heat dome that initially impacted California and Texas has spread across most of the southwest and is also affecting some Northwest states like Idaho. An

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board has voted to move ahead with its controversial amendments to Rule G-14 on trade reporting, changing the trade reporting window to one minute from 15 minutes. That was approved during its quarterly board meeting that took place July 26-27, during which the board also approved a new $47 million budget

Issuers have had to become creative to derive interest cost savings in the years since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 eliminated the tax-exempt advanced refunding option. A clear successor has yet to emerge, but rising interest rates, falling prices and fluctuating relative value prompted issuers to consider tender offers as a way

Blake Washington was appointed Thursday to be New York’s budget director. Washington, secretary to the New York State Assembly Ways and Means Committee, where he advises the Speaker and Assembly members on all budget and fiscal matters, was chosen for the post by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. “With years of public service and a deep

Munis yields rose Thursday, following and outperforming a U.S. Treasury sell-off on the heels of strong-than-expected economic data. Equities ended down. Thursday’s “economic data offers the latest evidence that the U.S. economy is weathering the fastest rate hikes in a generation without much damage to the major gear-works of the economy,” said Wells Fargo Securities

The ongoing challenges faced by publicly-owned mass transit authorities are looming large as federal funding for COVID relief will start drying up in in 2024. Possible solutions to careening over the financial cliffs include raising taxes, raising fares, tapping future casino revenue, and instituting controversial congestion traffic plans.  “Just last week we unveiled our financial

The life and legacy of Bond Buyer reporter Yvette Shields was honored Tuesday with a proclamation introduced on the floor of the Illinois Senate. Introduced by Sen. Rob Martwick, D-Chicago, the proclamation pays homage to Shields as a “celebrated and beloved financial reporter” who “left behind an indelible mark on the public finance industry in

The Securities and Exchange Commission has adopted cybersecurity rules, requiring public companies to disclose material information on their cybersecurity risk management and governance strategy and requiring firms to disclose cybersecurity breaches within four days of them deeming it material to investors. The adopted rules don’t have any direct implications for municipal issuers, but the requirements

Alaska is crafting regulations for a law that would reduce carbon emissions by selling credits to preserve the state’s forested land to help lessen the impact of air pollution. The state’s so called tree bill, Senate Bill 48, and its companion bill, House Bill 49, were signed into law in May. When Gov. Mike Dunleavy

San Antonio, Texas, could be on its way to a third triple-A rating after Fitch Ratings this week revised its outlook to positive from stable ahead of the city’s sale of about $555 million of debt next month. Fitch, which rates the city’s limited tax general obligation bonds AA-plus, cited improved spending flexibility, aided by

Munis were steady to weaker in spots Wednesday, while U.S. Treasuries were firmer after the Fed hiked rates 25 basis points and signaled more may come this year. Equities ended the session in the red. The Fed just “delivered a 25bps hike and by holding firm to their data dependent rhetoric and are trying to

The cost of protecting U.S. infrastructure against climate change is costly — but the cost of doing nothing is higher. That was the message today from Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards and other witnesses who testified at a Senate Budget Committee hearing on the fiscal fallout from climate change. Louisiana is one of the states