Bonds

A Biden administration proposal aimed at providing relief for transit agencies struggling with anemic ridership would benefit large agencies but could pressure smaller ones, local transit officials told a Senate panel Wednesday. President Joe Biden’s fiscal year 2024 budget, unveiled last week, would free up $6.7 billion in so-called 5307 urbanized area grant formula grants

Trading spreads on Illinois GO bonds narrowed this week after the state’s latest rating upgrade, and an uptick in tax revenues could help keep the positive ratings momentum going if the state makes more headway on paying off debts and building reserves. The state’s moves to build up its rainy-day fund, pay down debts, and

The largest public school system in Texas will be run by state-appointed managers starting later this year as part of a takeover announced Wednesday by the Texas Education Agency. Houston Independent School District, which had $2.4 billion of bonds outstanding as of June 30, was targeted for takeover on the basis of academic performance.  The

The Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed new rules for all market entities, including broker dealers and the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, to help address cybersecurity risks as one part of a three-part proposal intended to strengthen cybersecurity protections. Proposed new Rule 10, if implemented, would require entities across markets to establish, maintain and enforce

The failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank have added to the uncertainty of whether the U.S. and California are headed for a recession. That lack of clarity led UCLA Anderson Forecast economists to provide a dual forecast in the quarterly report they released Wednesday: one where a recession lies ahead and one where

The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority faces further scrutiny after the state attorney general ordered an investigative audit of the agency as it waits for a court ruling on the validity of bonds to start funding a $5 billion extension project. The audit is needed to determine whether OTA is in compliance with the law, state Attorney

Could the municipal bond market see refunding volume rise later this year if the Federal Reserve Board pauses or lowers interest rates in the aftermath of the market-stirring collapse at Silicon Valley and Signature banks? Most likely not, according to municipal market experts. “While the SVB collapse added significant volatility into the financial markets, I

The influx of cash from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is creating opportunities and challenges for state transit agencies which must find matching funds, navigate politic turmoil and compete against other municipal programs to keep improving their infrastructure. A group of three state transit officials discussed those challenges at this week’s American Public Transportation

Moody’s Investor’s Service raised the outlook on the A. B. Won Guam International Airport senior revenue bonds Baa2 rating to stable from negative Wednesday. Moody’s Lead Analyst William Oh said the improved outlook stemmed from Moody’s expectation that enplanement levels will continue to improve because South Korea and Japan have lifted COVID-19-related travel restrictions. The

Join us for a conversation with preeminent banking regulation attorney H. Rodgin Cohen of Sullivan & Cromwell and American Banker Editor-in-Chief Chana Schoenberger to discuss how financial institutions can navigate these challenges. Transcript: Josh Rucci: Welcome, everybody, to snowy Arizent Studios. We are honored to have you here for a very informative and quite timely

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will not proceed with construction on a proposed AirTrain for LaGuardia Airport following the conclusion of a state-backed evaluation released this week. Transportation and construction industry experts “failed to identify a construction approach” that could overcome the “significant challenges and complexities” associated with plans for a

A suit by subordinate Puerto Rico Sales Tax Finance Corp. (COFINA) bondholders may have implications for Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority and other Puerto Rico bonds, a Puerto Rico analyst not involved in the case said. Marzulla Law, which specializes in claims in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, is representing the COFINA bondholders. The

A call to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s senior help line led to dozens of brokers compensating investors who overpaid for defaulted Florida bridge bonds due to a complex and rarely used bond price calculating method. The complaint came in February 2021 from an investor who had bought Santa Rosa Bay Bridge Authority capital appreciation

Florida’s most prominent issuer official is on board with pending legislation to limit the ability of issuers around the state to shape the municipal bonds they sell. House Bill 3, which cleared two committees this week, would prohibit bond issuers from issuing an environmental, social, and corporate governance bond or paying for a third-party verifier

Ohio filed a civil federal lawsuit against Norfolk Southern Corp. that seeks to ensure residents and the state receive long-term compensation for lost taxes and economic and environmental damage caused by the February toxic train derailment in East Palestine. Local, state and federal authorities are overseeing water and air quality testing and Norfolk Southern’s disposal

As a result of the continuing crisis in the banking sector, bond yields fell even further early Wednesday with municipals continuing to follow U.S. Treasuries in a flight to quality as market volatility persists. UST yields fell 44 basis points on the two-year, now yielding 3.799%, and 26 basis points at 10 years, yielding 3.409%,

The fall of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, the second and third largest bank failures in U.S. history, will likely force regulators to take a closer look at depository institutions and their related affiliates and is prompting a Dodd-Frank like scenario where muni leaders may be called to testify in front of Congress to

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board has advanced a number of regulatory initiatives including filing proposed amendments with the Securities and Exchange Commission on MSRB Rule G-12 on uniform practice, Rule G-15 on uniform practices for transactions, as well as moving forward with their draft amendments on MSRB Rule G-32 on primary offering disclosures and extending

Illinois drew a fresh rating upgrade Tuesday for making further progress in tackling its chronic fiscal sore spots. Moody’s Investors Service raised Illinois’ general obligation and sales tax-backed Build Illinois bonds by one notch to A3 from Baa1 and assigned a stable outlook. The upgrade also lifts the Metropolitan Pier & Exposition Authority’s rating one

Municipals were little changed Tuesday in secondary trading as the $1.25 billion deal from the New York City Transitional Finance Authority took focus in the primary. Days after the Silicon Valley Bank collapse, U.S. Treasuries reversed course and sold off on the heels of the most recent inflation report. Equities ended up. Triple-A benchmarks largely

Gov. Phil Murphy was quick to announce $35 million in support for businesses in New Jersey affected by the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. Two programs managed by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority will provide businesses in the state with critical short-term support and ensure investments “continue to flow” to emerging industries in the wake of