Bonds

A top-rated Texas program that guarantees public school bonds may be nearing a shutdown after its projected available capacity fell to just $653 million at the end of October.  The big drop from $3.52 billion at the end of September comes amid a huge wave of voter-approved school debt in the state. The Texas Permanent

Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority fuel line lenders reached a deal with the Oversight Board that would give them priority over bondholders’ treatment in the authority’s debt restructuring. The fuel line lenders’ $700 million claim would receive new PREPA bonds, the board said Thursday night in announcing the deal. “The principal to be paid on

As the federal government’s emergency COVID-19 aid dwindles, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority is looking at ways to restore its fiscal health in the face of a variety of challenges both new and old. The MTA’s proposed $19.2 billion budget for 2023 and its four-year financial plan both note that the $15 billion in

The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority willfully violated the state’s Open Meeting Act when it failed to disclose a $5 billion, bond-financed extension plan on meeting agendas earlier this year, according to the first major ruling in litigation seeking to derail the project. Cleveland County District Court Judge Timothy Olsen ruled Thursday that OTA agendas for January

Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority bankruptcy Judge Laura Taylor Swain approved a one-week delay of Thursday night’s deadline for an Oversight Board proposed plan of adjustment. The mediators in the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority bankruptcy asked earlier on Thursday for the delay, citing a lack of data and analyses they were seeking from the

Municipals rallied on the short end to kick off December with the one-year triple-A muni dropping below 2.50%. U.S. Treasuries rallied across the curve, and equities were mixed. Triple-A yields fell up to 10 basis points on the short end and made gains across the curve. UST improved with the largest gains out long. The

Puerto Rico government agencies and authorities completed their approval of extending LUMA Energy’s operation of the island’s electrical transmission and distribution system Wednesday. LUMA took over the system in June 2021 based on a short-term supplementary agreement that was supposed to be replaced by a 15-year Operating and Maintenance agreement on Thursday. However, that agreement

The municipal market strengthened throughout the session Wednesday as Federal Reserve Board ChairJerome Powell said smaller interest rate increases are likely ahead — and could start as early as next month. U.S. Treasuries and equities rallied following Powell’s comments. Triple-A yields fell by two to four basis points with the best performance on bonds 10

Municipals were firmer Tuesday in a constructive secondary market while two large new-issues from the New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund Authority and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts led the primary. U.S. Treasuries were weaker, and equities ended down. Triple-A benchmark yields fell up to seven basis points on the short end, depending on the scale, while

Anchorage, Alaska, received two rating downgrades ahead of plans to sell $105 million in general obligation bonds competitively on Dec. 6. Fitch Ratings downgraded the city’s issuer default rating to AA from AA-plus Nov. 22, maintaining a stable outlook; and S&P Global Ratings downgraded the city to AA from AA-plus Nov. 23, maintaining a negative

Municipals were better to start the week in constructive secondary trading while U.S. Treasuries pared back earlier gains to close the session mixed and equities ended in the red. Triple-A yields fell three to five basis points along the curve while UST were little changed to weaker by a basis point on the short end.

The public agency that owns the stadium built for the former St. Louis Rams votes this week on an agreement to divvy up a $790 million settlement over the team’s 2016 departure, setting the stage for debate over how to put the funds to use. The tentative agreement to distribute the settlement reached with the

The U.S. higher education sector is pressured by declining enrollment and inflation-adjusted tuition revenue declines, according to Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings. In the current fiscal year median enrollment is expected to decline by 0.4% for private universities and by 1.3% for public ones compared to the preceding fiscal year, said Moody’s Senior Credit

Municipals saw healthy secondary trading on the short-end of the yield curve Wednesday, while U.S. Treasuries saw larger gains out long and equities improved after the Federal Open Market Committee minutes showed an expectation of slowing rate hikes. The improved tone continued Wednesday, with triple-A muni yields falling up to nine basis points on the

As revenue projections inch toward pre-pandemic norms, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey plans on more capital spending heading into new year, according to its recently proposed fiscal 2023 budget. “We are laser-focused on building a future that benefits all users of our facilities and supports the entire region’s economy,” Port Authority

A non-profit Texas corporation that defaulted on bonds sold to purchase two senior living facilities in Oklahoma aims to sell those assets through its recent bankruptcy filing. Leading Life Senior Living, Inc., which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Nov. 18 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas, sold $30.275 million of tax-exempt

Increased activity at Houston airports led S&P Global Ratings to boost certain ratings by a notch as the city eyes debt issuance for the three-airport system in the first quarter of 2023. The rating agency raised the system’s subordinate-lien general airport revenue bond rating to A-plus from A with a stable outlook affecting about $2.2

Despite a negative return in the latest quarter, New York State’s retirement fund is “built to weather the ups and downs of the markets,” even with an investment environment termed “challenging,” according to New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. The New York State Common Retirement Fund’s estimated value at the end of the second quarter

Municipals were firmer Tuesday on the short end, while U.S. Treasury yields saw larger gains five years and out. Equities closed in the black as the markets digested more Fedspeak. While Federal Reserve members have continued to emphasize the need to continue tightening, comments from San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly indicated a “pause is

Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority bondholders, insurers and the PREPA bond trustee defended their lien on authority revenues in a bankruptcy adversary proceeding. Responding to the Oversight Board’s filing in the lien adversary proceeding, bondholders said their liens extend beyond money in the Sinking Fund and Self-Insurance Fund to revenues generally including future revenues and