Bonds

The first quarter of the year saw the highest number of new municipal bond impairments since the Great Recession, according to Municipal Market Analytics, Inc. There were 47 new impairments eclipsing the previous post-Great Recession peak of 44 in 2019, the firm said in its Default Trends report released Wednesday. The first quarter’s impairments “continue

The Department of Transportation and Baltimore County have reached an agreement to divert a previously awarded DOT grant to help nearby ports accommodate more cargo following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. That comes along with the announcement Thursday that DOT’s Federal Transit Administration will allocate $20.5 billion to state and local government

Miami-Dade County, Florida, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has dropped plans for a proposed a $2.5 billion municipal bond referendum in November that would have funded infrastructure projects. Instead, the mayor said Thursday she will work to propose an even larger bonding plan that will include money for transit projects. Proceeds from the “305 Future Ready”

Following another better-than-expected jobs report, U.S. Treasuries sold off and were volatile throughout the session leading municipals to see a weaker, but more muted tone than their taxable counterparts. Equities rallied. The March employment report sent “the bond market in panic mode over Fed cuts being delayed,” according to Bryce Doty, senior portfolio manager/vice president at

California lawmakers fine-tuned their March budget proposal, cutting spending by $17.3 billion ahead of formal discussions to get a head start on difficult decisions amid a record deficit. Gov. Gavin Newsom, Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas announced they reached an agreement Thursday, providing specifics about how they plan to

In a ceremony watched by thousands of issuers, the White House Thursday unveiled an overhaul of how it sends billions of federal funds to cities, states and nonprofits in an effort to cut red tape, expand the pool of grant recipients and simplify reporting and compliance. “The changes being finalized and announced today are historic

Fitch Ratings’ new U.S. local government rating criteria is expected to lead to changes to about 550 ratings in the next six months. Fitch adopted the new criteria — which will affect cities, counties, school districts, and special districts — after working on the revision since the fall. The criteria will also be used to

The Environmental Protection Agency Thursday announced $20 billion of grants to spur clean energy projects primarily in underserved areas, marking the largest federal investment to date in climate-related projects. The money, divided among eight applicants, marks the official launch of the $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund created by President Joe Biden’s 2022 Inflation Reduction

Munis saw a weaker tone Wednesday as muni yields were cut up to five basis points, depending on the scale, marking a second day of selling pressure, as few deals priced in the primary. U.S. Treasuries were slightly firmer across most of the curve and equities were mixed. “Much like other periods in recent years

The North Carolina Local Government Commission approved more than $1 billion in financing requests from state agencies and local governments at its latest meeting. The largest request on Tuesday’s agenda was from the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, which was given approval to issue $750 million of revenue bonds to be used to increase the

The bankruptcy of Iowa City’s Mercy Hospital is closer to an end with the resolution last week of a dispute between the committee of unsecured creditors, which had filed a complaint on March 25, and trustee Computershare Trust and bondholder representative Preston Hollow Community Capital.  The plan support agreement reached raised the estimated dollar amount

When his partner decided to retire, bond attorney Brian Quint shuttered his San Francisco law firm and joined Stradling Yocca, Carlson & Rauth. Quint & Thimmig closed March 31 — exactly 27 years to the day that it opened on March 31, 1997. Brian Quint started work as of counsel at Stradling on Monday. Brian

Munis were little changed Monday as U.S. Treasuries sold off and equities ended mixed. Following the conclusion of the first quarter, munis are seeing losses for the year with the asset class returning negative 0.39% for the year and March returns were at 0.00%, noted Jason Wong, vice president of municipals at AmeriVet Securities. The

Issuance in March increased for the third consecutive month, helped by a surge in refundings and several billion-plus dollar deals, as increased demand and fewer economic headwinds led to greater issuer confidence. March’s volume rose 7.1% to $36.405 billion in 532 issues from $34.008 billion in 601 issues in 2023. Issuance in March is above the

With tax season in full swing, the muni market is underperforming and facing selling pressure as investors move out of short-term paper to pay tax blls. However, these dynamics have not made the asset class an undesirable option for investors and most expect demand to remain strong. Munis are returning negative 0.06% month-to-date, while USTs

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board voted 11-1 to adopt its congestion pricing toll structure, the first of its kind in the nation and a key source of funding for the MTA’s upcoming capital projects. The vote will allow congestion pricing to be implemented as planned in mid-June. However, the congestion pricing plan is

New Yorkers are feeling less satisfied and more uneasy today than they were only six years ago, according to a survey done by the Citizens Budget Commission. The results of the CBC’s 2023 Resident Survey released March 19 reveals that Big Apple residents rate their quality of life much lower than they did in a

A proposed $2 billion public private partnership that would have moved two major league sports teams out of Washington D.C. and into a bond-financed, built-from-scratch arena in Northern Virginia is officially off, following an announcement that the District has come to terms on a deal to keep the teams in their current home. On Wednesday,

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green claims the state is making headway toward reducing recovery costs by getting people displaced by fires out of hotels and into permanent housing. Green has faced criticism from lawmakers for not having a cogent housing plan or coherent budget for the costs associated with the August 8 Lahaina wildfires. Lawmakers are

Municipals were steady to weaker in spots Thursday ahead of a smaller new-issue calendar while municipal bond mutual funds saw more inflows. U.S. Treasury yields rose 10 years and in and equities ended mixed. LSEG Lipper reported fund inflows of $447 million for the week ending Wednesday following $63.8 million of inflows the prior week.

The Purdue University Trustees priced $72.43 million of student fee bonds Tuesday, joining other issuers in refunding some of the university’s outstanding Build America Bonds. Lead managers Jefferies and Ramirez & Co. priced the deal Wednesday, with Wells Fargo Securities serving as co-manager. The municipal advisor is Blue Rose Capital Advisors. Bond counsel is Ice

A Colorado bonding authority is taking a step toward purchasing a hotel tied to author Stephen King’s The Shining after an Arizona nonprofit dropped its bond-financed plan to buy and renovate the property.  The Colorado Educational and Cultural Facilities Authority (CECFA), which would have been the conduit issuer for up to $475 million of cultural

Municipals were mixed Wednesday, but selling pressure was evident on the short end, as few deals of size priced in the primary market and balances from Tuesday’s large new-issues were digested. Munis underperformed a stronger U.S. Treasury market while equities ended up. Despite weakness Wednesday and Tuesday, munis have “held in pretty well,” with yields

When it comes to women’s advancement in public finance, Samantha Costanzo is clear-eyed yet optimistic. The former Citi banker earlier this month was tapped by Huntington National Bank to become the firm’s head of public finance, the fourth woman to ascend to the role in the municipal industry. She describes the question of equal representation

A massive new-issue slate was the focus Tuesday, with investors digesting three large general obligation deals out of California, New York City and Washington, amid lighter but slightly weaker secondary trading. The onslaught of new-issuance and approaching month- and quarter-end led triple-A yields to rise up to seven basis points on the short end and

Moody’s Ratings on Friday raised Detroit’s issuer and general obligation unlimited tax bond ratings to Baa2 from Ba1, a major milestone for the city, which has waited 15 years to return to investment-grade status. It’s been just over a decade since Detroit filed for bankruptcy and defaulted on its bond debt. In December 2014, the

Municipals were steady as investors await several larger new-issues, including $2.68 billion of California GOs, which were offered to retail investors Monday, while U.S. Treasury yields rose and equities ended down. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Monday was at 61%, the three-year at 61%, the five-year at 58%, the 10-year at 58% and the 30-year at

Legal challenges to the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s congestion tolling program for lower Manhattan have already slowed down the authority’s capital construction projects, months before toll collections are slated to begin. The authority announced a pause on new capital contracts in February, reiterated in the offering documents for $1.3 billion of revenue refunding bonds

Ryan Hallam, who spent nearly three decades at Citi, has been hired as a managing director and co-head of high-yield trading on Piper Sandler’s fixed-income team. Hallam will handle high-yield muni sales and trading, focusing on large institutional accounts. “As we look to grow our market share in the municipal industry, Ryan’s tremendous experience and

While a move to raise New York City’s borrowing capacity by $12 billion is reasonable and sufficient for the city to meet future capital needs, the debt service threshold must be kept within safe limits, officials say. Letting New York City sell more bonds will allow it to meet its capital needs over the next