Bonds

Outstanding Illinois debt is now smoke-free after the state defeased the last $449 million of bonds backed by payments from a master settlement agreement with tobacco companies.  Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the move, which was included in Illinois’ fiscal 2024 budget, will save the state $50 million. “Today’s action reflects Illinois’ strong fiscal position and

Banks’ pandemic-era bond investments are still hampering some lenders, dragging down the profitability of those that are saddled with low-yielding portfolios for months or even years to come. The concerns are far less severe than they were in March and April, when the failure of Silicon Valley Bank brought scrutiny of surviving banks whose large

Municipals were little changed Tuesday amid an active primary market that saw the retail pricing of $889 million deal from the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York. U.S. Treasuries were firmer in spots and equities ended in the red. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Tuesday was at 63%, the three-year was at 64%, the

Virginia lawmakers have passed a final budget for fiscal year 2024, finding compromises on tax cuts and new spending initiatives after months of debate between the state’s politically divided government. The state’s Democratic-controlled state Senate and GOP-led House of Delegates failed to agree on a budget at the end of their legislative session in February,

Hawaii will allocate $100 million to help families affected by the Maui fires and create a loan program to prevent Lahaina businesses destroyed by the fires from going bankrupt, Gov. Josh Green announced Friday. The money for families will be allocated from a special revenue source called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF; and

Municipals were steady Friday ahead of a smaller new-issue calendar. U.S. Treasuries and equities ended mixed. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Friday was at 63%, the three-year was at 64%, the five-year at 65%, the 10-year at 70% and the 30-year at 90%, according to Refinitiv MMD’s 3 p.m. read. ICE Data Services had the two-year

Moody’s Investors Service revised its credit outlook on Pennsylvania to positive from stable and affirmed the state’s Aa3 issuer and general obligation bond ratings. There are about $10.7 billion of GOs outstanding. Additionally, Moody’s affirmed the state’s A1 and A2 ratings on its outstanding appropriation backed debt, the A1 rating on the Pennsylvania School District

Justin Erbacci, head of Los Angeles World Airports has announced he is leaving to run NEOM Airports, a regional airport being developed in northwest Saudi Arabia. The city airport department is in the midst of a massive $12 billion capital improvement program underway to make Los Angeles International Airport accessible to public transportation and improve

Voters in Maine will have a lot of material to chew over before they decide later this year if a public agency should take over service provided by investor-owned electric utilities. What they won’t necessarily get is a slam-dunk yes or no recommendation. Maine’s Office of the Public Advocate, a state office created to represent

Just eight years ago, BondLink Co-Founder and CEO Colin MacNaught left his post as assistant deputy treasurer for debt management in the Massachusetts’ treasurer’s office to build a firm that would bring greater transparency to the municipal bond markets and aid issuers in reaching more investors to attain better pricing. Today, the firm he started

New York City continued to see healthy job growth this year, according to a report issued by the New York State Financial Control Board. In the first half of the year, 175,800 jobs were created in the city, a 3.9% increase, exceeding the national growth rate of 2.8%, the Control Board heard at its yearly

Municipals were weaker in spots Thursday amid an active primary market that included two billion-dollar pricings for institutions and the return of outflows. U.S. Treasury yields fell and equities were mixed. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Thursday was at 63%, the three-year was at 64%, the five-year at 66%, the 10-year at 70% and the 30-year

Climate change increases risk to electric utility bonds, as last month’s Maui fires and the 2018 Camp Fire in California indicate, some municipal bond analysts say. “The confluence of [Pacific Gas & Electric], Hawaiian Electric, and Trinity Utilities solidifies our view that the heightened incidence of extreme and negatively impactful weather events are increasingly adding

Starting in October, New Jersey motorists will pay almost a penny more per gallon for gas following a worse-than-expected year for state fuel tax revenue, officials announced. State Treasurer Elizabeth Maher Muoio said in a statement on Friday that an adjustment of the state’s Petroleum Products Gross Receipt tax rate was necessary following depressed taxable

As the battle over appropriations starts to warm up, water sector authorities are already asking Congress for a full appropriation of the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, an important tool for building and maintaining public water infrastructure. Congress decides how much funding to appropriate while the Environmental Protection Agency administers the money

The Huntsville Healthcare Authority issued $190 million of hospital revenue bonds as it saw a financial rebound from tough post-pandemic conditions. The North Alabama-based public hospital operator, whose flagship Huntsville Hospital is the state’s second largest, structured the deal with a 2053 maturity and a mandatory tender date of June 1, 2030. Bond proceeds will

The U.S. Treasury has failed to file an appeal to the Supreme Court against Tennessee’s win in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals after that court found that the American Rescue Plan Act provision barring states from using federal coronavirus funds to offset net reductions in tax revenue can’t be enforced against Tennessee. That’s the

Investor-owned Georgia Power will recover capital costs associated with the over-budgeted construction of two new nuclear reactors from ratepayers, according to a preliminary agreement announced Thursday. Georgia Power and the Georgia Public Services Commission’s public interest advocacy staff agreed to a $7.56 billion cap on the amount of capital construction costs placed in the rate

Municipals were little changed ahead of the Labor Day weekend and a larger new-issue calendar led by California, while U.S. Treasuries were weaker after the August jobs report showed a slowing labor market. Equities ended mixed. Friday’s jobs report reinforced some market participants’ belief the Fed will opt to skip a rate hike at the

The Biden administration’s revised rule on the definition of polluted waterways threatens to delay transportation projects and drive up costs, road infrastructure groups warned last week after the Environmental Protection Agency released a revised rule that attempts to conform to a recent opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court. The EPA’s revised Waters of the United