Bonds

PFM this week hired Nathaniel Singer, whose career spans nearly four decades in the municipal derivatives and advisory space, as a senior director and financial advisor. Singer, who started Wednesday, reports to Dan Hartman, chief executive officer of PFM. Singer will collaborate with professionals and practice groups across the firm and focus on all financial

Despite the impact from Hurricane Ian in Florida, the state’s labor force increased by 36,000 in October with Florida’s private sector adding 35,000 of those jobs. This was the 30th straight month that jobs were created in Florida, while private-sector job growth has exceeded the national pace for the past 19 months, the Department of

Evidence shows that the states are collecting and spending more money due to federal action and a tax collection boon, a trend that started two years ago. “Over the past two years total state spending has been heavily impacted by federal COVID-19 aid and rising state tax collections,” said Brian Sigritz, director of State Fiscal

Construction will begin early next year on a public-private partnership to build a $4.2 billion terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport after the team locked in financing and federal environmental approvals this week. “This has been a long and difficult road,” said Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Executive Director Rick Cotton

Triple Five, owner of the American Dream mall in New Jersey, has struck a deal with a group of creditors led by JP Morgan that grants the developer a four-year extension on overdue construction debt. The agreement has the potential to ease pressure on $1.1 billion of tax-exempt bond debt taken on separately to finance

Municipals were steady to firmer in spots Friday ahead of a holiday-shortened week and a light new-issue calendar. U.S. Treasuries closed out weaker and equities ended the week with small gains. Triple-A yields were little changed to bumped by up to four basis points, depending on the curve, while U.S. Treasuries saw yields rise by

A $3.4 billion bond issue to securitize costs incurred by Texas natural gas providers during 2021’s Winter Storm Uri appears to be on track for pricing at the end of this month. Members of the state’s Bond Review Board, who have until the end of Friday to call for a full review of the transaction,

Municipals improved again Thursday pushing the 10-year triple-A yield firmly below 3% while inflows into municipal bond mutual funds returned after 14 consecutive weeks of outflows. U.S. Treasuries saw losses and equities ended down after Federal Reserve officials tempered expectations of a slowdown in rate hikes. Triple-A yields fell by three to six basis points,

South Dakota-based Sanford Health and Minnesota-based Fairview Health Services will take another shot at merging, nearly 10 years after a previous attempt ran up against a political roadblock. The two systems Tuesday signed a non-binding letter of intent to combine and create a new health system. The systems would each retain their own regional presence,

Municipals rallied across the yield curve Wednesday, outperforming U.S. Treasuries and seeing the greatest gains out long after stronger retail sales data signaled the Fed’s tightening is not yet over, pushing equities into the red. Retail sales increased 1.3% in October, slightly above the consensus forecast of 1.0% and a significant improvement from the flat

Voters in South Carolina mandated permanent contribution increases to the state’s reserve accounts by approving two ballot measures in last week’s election. Both, passed with just over 60% of the popular vote,amendthe state’s constitution.. The first ballot measure requires annual contributions to the General Reserve Fund to increase to 7% of the previous year’s revenue

The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority fuel line lenders said they have a document to stop the Oversight Board from getting its proposed restructuring approved. The document, the board’s agreement with former PREPA fuel provider Vitol for its support of the restructuring, will make it very difficult for the judge to accept Vitol as a

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic Puerto Rico’s employment picture has improved much more than that of the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to a Federal Reserve Bank of New York official. From February 2020 to September of this year, Puerto Rico’s employment has increased by a “very strong” 6%, said Jaison Abel, head of

The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission heads into the market Tuesday with a $489 million new money deal with a new AAA rating attached to the third-lien paper. The commission will take competitive bids on the offering of third-lien state road bonds. PFM Financial Advisors LLC is advising. Gilmore & Bell PC and Bushyhead LLC

Fitch Ratings has revised the outlook on Miami-Dade County, Florida’s A-rated senior lien seaport revenue bonds issued for PortMiami to stable from negative. Thursday’s action affects $800.3 million of Series 2021A-1, 2021A-2, and 2021A-3 senior lien seaport revenue bonds the county issued on behalf of its seaport department. Fitch said the outlook revision “reflects the

Amarillo, Texas, will appeal a state judge’s ruling rejecting the city’s plan to issue $260 million of tax anticipation notes for a civic center project.  Mayor Ginger Nelson said the move was needed to clarify conflicts between the ruling and current Texas law, particularly when it comes to debt issuance. The city filed a notice

Arizona’s water financing agency should think big when it comes to the state’s hunt for new water supplies amid a persistent drought. That was the message from board members of the relaunched Water Infrastructure Finance Authority at its inaugural meeting Thursday. State lawmakers passed legislation in June making WIFA, which dates back to 1989 and

Most members of the House Municipal Finance Caucus appear to have won re-election in Tuesday’s tight midterm elections, while key advocates of state and local tax reform will be exiting the stage next year. As results continued to trickle in Friday, Republicans were on track to gain a narrow majority in the House and Democrats

Chicago could win an upgrade into the single-A category if its new pension funding policy remains on track, S&P Global Ratings said in shifting the city’s general obligation outlook to positive from stable. S&P revised the outlook on the city’s BBB-plus general obligation rating Thursday, the same day Kroll Bond Rating Agency lifted the outlook

Chester, Pennsylvania, has filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy. The petition was filed Thursday in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. In its Chapter 9 filing, the city’s receiver listed estimated liabilities of between $100 million and $500 million with assets of between $10 million and $50 million. The city has

On the heels of her election, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul returns to Albany to face the stiffest resistance yet to her $8 billion plan to redevelop Manhattan’s Penn Station, as a recently filed lawsuit seeks to halt the project before it breaks ground. The lawsuit, filed in New York Supreme Court late last month

Municipals rallied hard Thursday with the greatest gains seen out long after a lower-than-expected consumer price index report showed inflation is cooling, boosting all markets. U.S. Treasuries rallied out of the gates seeing yields close the session up to 31 basis points lower on the short end of the curve, while equities made massive gains,

Democrats Erick Russell and James Diossa won open-seat campaigns for the state treasurer’s offices in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Russell will replace Connecticut State Treasurer Shawn Wooden, who didn’t seek re-election, and Diossa will replace Rhode Island General Treasurer Seth Magaziner, who ran for and won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Russell,

Municipals were firmer 10 years and in Wednesday while another week of mutual fund outflows clocked in at $3.8 billion. U.S. Treasuries closed out the session better while equities sold off on weaker earnings. The focus shifted from midterm election results to Thursday’s monthly consumer price index report. “U.S. stocks declined as the midterm election

Voters in New York State approved the $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Energy, Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act bonds on Tuesday’s ballot. San Diego Unified School District voters approved $3.2 billion for facility and safety improvements. Austin ISD voters approved a $2.44 billion bond package including $2.316 billion for general purposes, $75.5 million for technology

Municipals were firmer again Tuesday along with U.S. Treasuries, while equities made modest gains as voters headed to the polls. Triple-A yields fell two to five basis points while USTs were lower by six to nine, with the strongest performance in the belly of the curve. With a more volatile UST market that saw yields

Several Puerto Rico credit unions argued for the court to undo the Puerto Rico and Government Development Bank for Puerto Rico plans of adjustment’s treatment of the credit unions’ nearly $1 billion of bonds, but the judges seemed unlikely to do so. The credit unions presented oral arguments before a panel of three judges from

Municipals were little changed and lightly traded ahead of the midterm elections while U.S. Treasuries were weaker across the curve and equities improved. Triple-A yields were little changed to a basis point or two firmer 10 years and out while the U.S. Treasury two-year climbed to another high not seen since 2007. Muni to UST

The looming severance of governance ties between Chicago Public Schools and the city adds to strains on the district’s “fragile” fiscal health as federal COVID-19 pandemic relief is being exhausted and structural costs are mounting. That’s the assessment of a review that delves into CPS finances and how Chicago and other city-related entities prop up

The Internal Revenue Service’s Tax Exempt & Government Entities Division is making clear there will be a beefier IRS presence in the coming year, which may be both a boon and a hindrance to issuers and their attorneys. The TE/GE 2023 Program Letter wasreleased online Friday and lists the division’s priorities for the fiscal year.