Bonds

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s four enforcement actions this year were all leveled against municipal issuers, a signal that the Commission could be taking a more holistic approach when looking at municipal securities violations. This year, the Commission has charged issuers and related officials from Rochester, New York, Crosby Independent School District in Harris County,

Controversy and contentiousness are nothing new in Louisiana politics and ideology intruded into the financial realm once again as the Louisiana Bond Commission had to come to grips with funding, financing, and politics at last week’s meeting. While the commission approved up to $1.7 billion of bond issuance for Louisiana Community Development Authority projects at

The mediators handling the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority mediation asked Wednesday for the deadline to be extended from Aug. 1 until Aug. 15.  Puerto Rico bankruptcy Judge Laura Taylor Swain had set 11:59 p.m. Aug. 1 as the deadline for the Oversight Board to achieve a proposed plan of adjustment, a plan term sheet,

Urban renewal might not be the first association the average saver or even fund manager may make with the word “pension.” But the long-term, “patient” capital invested in pensions can play a big role in the regeneration of our cities.  Urban renewal calls to mind small, industrial sections of a city fallen into ruin that

Municipals were firmer Tuesday ahead of the conclusion of the July Federal Open Market Committee meeting where a three-quarter point rate hike is likely, while U.S. Treasuries were weaker and equities sold off. Triple-A curves saw yields fall up to five basis points, depending on the scale, while U.S. Treasuries rose up to three basis

The latest version of a much-negotiated spending bill that Senate Democrats hope to pass before the end of next week features a provision that’s key to the stability of the nonprofit health care sector, market participants said. After passing the House in December as a $1.75 trillion Build Back Better legislation that encompassed President Joe

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot laid out three options to make over Soldier Field as part of the last-ditch effort to keep the National Football League’s Chicago Bears from leaving the nearly 100-year-old stadium for a new venue in the suburbs. The price tag ranges from $900 million to $2.2 billion, but the pitch lacked any

The U.S. Treasury curve remains inverted — a historical signal of a recession on the horizon — deepening the challenge that Federal Reserve faces to control inflation without pushing a weakening economy into recession, as traders position ahead of the Federal Open Market Committee’s rate hike decision Wednesday. The municipal market has been quiet this

The top bond counsel firms combined for a total of $200.965 billion in 4,673 transactions during the first half of the year, down from the $222.162 billion in 6,177 deals over the same period in 2021. Only two firms remained in the same spot at this point last year: Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe and Norton

Public finance attorney, tax expert and National Association of Bond Lawyers board member Johnny Hutchinson has left Squire Patton Bogg’s Houston office to join Nixon Peabody as a partner. Hutchinson has extensive experience with private activity bond financings, federally tax-advantaged debt transactions, defending issuers and borrowers against Internal Revenue Service audits, helping clients resolve tax

Issuers and borrowers should watch out for phishing scams in their communications with the IRS’ Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division, as there have been instances in recent months of scammers posing as IRS representatives. John Stanley, a tax and public finance partner at Orrick and Joseph Santiesteban, private and data innovation partner at Orrick,

Tribal governments pay 22% to 87% higher borrowing costs on municipal bonds compared to state and local entities, according to a new paper presented at the Brookings Institution Municipal Finance Conference.  The resulting increases in annual interest payments for average tribal issuers range from $79,000 to $310,000 greater than their nontribal counterparts, according to the

A senior U.S. Republican lawmaker accused China of a broad campaign to obtain confidential information from the Federal Reserve, including recruiting central bank staffers and detaining a Fed employee visiting Shanghai. The report, from Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, said the Fed’s own investigations had identified several employees with connections to Chinese talent recruiters, as well

Municipals were little changed Monday while U.S. Treasuries were weaker and equities were mixed near the close. With a steady muni yield curve and weaker USTs, muni to UST ratios on Monday fell slightly. They were at 67% in five years, 85% in 10 years and 98% in 30 years, according to Refinitiv MMD’s 3

Cleveland heads into the market this week with an upgrade helped along by its decision to tap surpluses to bolster reserve levels. Moody’s Investors Service raised the city’s rating to Aa3 from A1 while S&P Global Ratings affirmed its AA-plus. Both assign a stable outlook.Moody’s action recognizes a “strengthening of fund balance and liquidity,” analysts

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago’s National Activity Index held at minus 0.19 in June, the first back-to-back negative readings since the pandemic started in early 2020. The three-month average, which smooths out monthly volatility, slipped to minus 0.04 in June from 0.09 a month earlier. Periods of economic expansion have historically been associated with

President Joe Biden has nominated Shailen Bhatt, a former state transportation official with public-private partnership experience, to lead the Federal Highway Administration. The FHWA has been without an administrator since Biden took office. Deputy director Stephanie Pollack, who has been leading the department, reportedly did not want the top spot. If the Senate confirms the

Puerto Rico general fund net revenue for the first 11 months of fiscal year 2022 was 12.8% above the Puerto Rico Oversight Board’s most recent projection. In the July 2021 to May 2022 period revenue was also 16.8% above the same months a year earlier, according to information released Friday. Puerto Rico’s general fund revenue

Chicago could use fines generated from its automated speed enforcement cameras for public safety pension contributions under legislation proposed by a Republican state lawmaker. “Speed cameras are a function of public safety. It just makes sense that the revenue they generate goes back into keeping our streets safe,” said state Rep. Mark Batinick, R-Plainfield. “This

Texas is a hot spot of convention center financing with Dallas, Fort Worth and Austin readying expansion projects on the premise that a bigger venue will attract bigger shows and generate larger revenues and economic benefits. With the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic — which brought trade shows to an abrupt halt in 2020 —