Bonds

The Mayo Clinic has ambitious plans that start at home. When the Rochester, Minnesota-based nonprofit healthcare system updated its five-year plan last year, it said the move was part of a “strategy to transform healthcare globally.” The update reflected changes from a $5 billion expansion of Mayo’s flagship Rochester campus.  Mayo’s board of trustees approved

In a first-of-its-kind transaction, the city of Quincy, Massachusetts, issued $10 million of tax-exempt bonds using blockchain technology, taking the first step in what those involved in the transaction say could be a transformation of the municipal bond market. “The city of Quincy has invested in its innovation economy over the past number of years

The recent slew of prepaid energy bond issues in the Southeast continues to revive interest in the sector as demand remains strong for the tax-exempt paper. In a prepaid natural gas deal, public utilities secure a long-term supply of natural gas at a discounted rate. A conduit issuer, typically a special-purpose entity, sells these bonds.

The California Supreme Court has granted review of a case challenging retirement reforms state lawmakers approved 11 years ago, marking a return of pension spiking questions to the high court for the first time since a 2020 ruling on an Alameda County case. The new case — Ventura County Employees’ Retirement Association v. Criminal Justice

Municipals were slightly weaker in secondary trading Wednesday as the Los Angeles Unified School District’s nearly $3 billion pricing for institutions took focus. U.S. Treasury yields rose and equities ended mixed. Munis started the second quarter in “excellent shape,” as credit spreads are in fair value range, and muni-UST ratios start to cheapen, said GW&K

The push to allow tax-exempt bonds for spaceport infrastructure received renewed attention last week at a House subcommittee roundtable on the U.S. space race with China. “If you’re asking a private company that launches rockets to space, if you’re asking them to build the spaceport, it’s like asking American Airlines to build the airport,” Jim

The recently announced sale of the National Hockey League’s Arizona Coyotes and the team’s move to Utah could lead to bond issuances for arena projects in both states.  Under a plan approved by the NHL Board of Governors last week, the team, which had been unable to secure a permanent arena in Arizona, was sold

The U.S. Virgin Islands Legislature complained about the governor’s lack of consultation before he declared a state of emergency to pay off Water and Power Authority debts. The legislature gathered Tuesday to express its concerns about Gov. Albert Bryan’s Monday action, which used the emergency declaration to authorize spending the government’s rainy-day funds for WAPA

Citi‘s exit from the municipal business late last year, on the heels of UBS‘ closure of its negotiated underwriting business in October, has brought about a redistribution of high-level bankers, traders and other market players to a broad range of municipal firms that is leading to an evolved muni market landscape in 2024. Word of

Chicago’s City Council on Friday approved the issuance of $1.25 billion of bonds to fund affordable housing and economic development programs after debating the measure for the past month. Rather than raising property taxes, the city will let about 45 tax increment financing districts expire and, once the tax revenue from those districts returns to

Moody’s Ratings on Monday revised Illinois’ outlook to positive from stable. The rating agency also affirmed the state’s A3 issuer rating and the A3 rating on Illinois’ general obligation debt and Build Illinois sales tax bonds. It assigned a rating of A3 to $1.8 billion of forthcoming Illinois GO bonds. The new bonds include $250

The primary market was the focus Tuesday as investors digested several large deals and the secondary took a backseat while U.S. Treasuries improved and equities rallied on earnings reports This week provides “ample opportunity” to buy paper with up to $13 billion of supply on tap, said Chris Brigati, senior vice president and director of

The Securities and Exchange Commission is seeking additional feedback on the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s one minute trade reporting proposal, beginning a process that often results in eventual disapproval. The move begins formal “disapproval proceedings” related to the proposed amendments to Rule G-14 on time of trade reporting, the SEC’s answer to the amendments filed

An Oklahoma law that banned state and local government contracts with investment banks that “boycott” the fossil fuel industry boosted municipalities’ borrowing costs by 59 basis points on average, according to the latest research into the financial impact of so-called anti-environmental, social, and governance laws.   The study released Monday by the Oklahoma Rural Association comes

The Securities and Exchange Commission has won its first ever case enforcing Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board Rule G-42 on the duties of non-solicitor municipal advisors after a federal judge in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California granted partial summary judgment against Choice Advisors and its principal Matthias O’Meara. The court found that

Rockefeller Asset Management added three new portfolio managers to bolster its municipal investment strategies within in its fixed income division, the firm announced Monday. Scott Cottier, Mark DeMitry and Michael Camarella will join Rockefeller from Invesco, where they managed the California Value Municipal Income Trust and the Trust for Investment Grade New York Municipals. They

Miami International Airport got a rating uplift from S&P Global Ratings, which Monday raised the long-term and underlying ratings on airport revenue bonds Miami-Dade County, Florida, issued for the facility to A-plus from A. The outlook is stable at the upgraded rating; it was positive before the upgrade. “The rating action reflects our view of

Local government officials in Texas are increasingly feeling the sting of 2021 state laws that banned big banks from underwriting municipal bonds for “boycotting” or “discriminating” against the fossil fuel or firearm industries. Several aired their grievances at The Bond Buyer’s Texas Public Finance conference in Austin last week, noting the impact of the laws,

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg joined a bevy of state, federal and company officials in Las Vegas Monday to celebrate the long-awaited groundbreaking of Brightline West, a $12 billion privately owned passenger line that is vying to become the nation’s first high-speed train that advocates say will help launch similar projects across the country. “We are

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has proposed $293 million of departmental cuts in her fiscal 2024-25 budget as well as the elimination of thousands of vacant city positions to close a budget gap after revenues failed to meet expectations. The mayor’s proposed $12.8 billion spending plan would close a $467 million deficit by eliminating 2,139

Fitch Ratings affirmed both Miami Jewish Health Systems and Subsidiaries long-term issuer default ratings and the the city of Miami Health Facilities Authority’s $41 million of Series 2017 revenue bonds issued by on behalf of MJHS at speculative-grade BB-plus. The rating outlook on both is negative, Fitch said. “The affirmation reflects good growth in the