Bonds

A suburban Chicago hotel and conference center working to get back on track from COVID-19-induced operating struggles made a partial payment on overdue interest owed to some holders of $142 million of restructured bonds. Breathing room still remains through this year for the Westin hotel and conference center complex in Lombard from a bondholder-provided loan

Municipals were weaker in spots Friday, outperforming a U.S. Treasury selloff, while equities ended up. The three-year muni-UST ratio was at 55%, the five-year at 58%, the 10-year at 64% and the 30-year at 87%, according to Refinitiv MMD’s 3 p.m. ET read. ICE Data Services had the three at 55%, the five at 59%,

The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority approved a contract Thursday with a consortium to run its electric generating facilities, despite observers raising some concerns about one member of the group. The consortium, Genera PR, would include New Fortress Energy, the El Nuevo Día and El Vocero web sites reported. New Fortress is a liquified natural

Municipals were firmer once more on Thursday as triple-A benchmark yields fell further and inflows continued. U.S. Treasuries were weaker and equities ended in the red. The three-year muni-UST ratio was at 56%, the five-year at 59%, the 10-year at 65% and the 30-year at 88%, according to Refinitiv MMD’s 3 p.m. ET read. ICE

Minnesota-based Fairview Health Services lost its A-level rating from Moody’s Investors Service and could fall further on the credit scale as it copes with worsening operating struggles that began before the COVID-19 pandemic. Moody’s lowered the rating Wednesday to Baa1 from A3 and assigned a negative outlook. Further downgrades raises the risk that Fairview — which

Municipals were firmer in secondary trading Wednesday as several large deals in the primary took focus and triple-A benchmarks underperformed a U.S. Treasury rally after data showed a decline in retail spending. Equities ended in the red. Triple-A benchmarks were bumped four to 10 basis points, while UST yields fell 13 to 19 basis points.

Growth in U.S. prices is expected to ease in the year ahead, contacts surveyed in the Federal Reserve’s latest Beige Book said. “Selling prices increased at a modest or moderate pace in most districts, though many said that the pace of increases had slowed from that of recent reporting periods,” the Fed said Wednesday in

Municipals were little changed — down a basis point or two — Tuesday as a heavier new-issue calendar greets investors. U.S. Treasuries and equities were mixed. The three-year muni-UST ratio was at 57%, the five-year at 60%, the 10-year at 65% and the 30-year at 89%, according to Refinitiv MMD’s 3 p.m. ET read. ICE

Chicago’s Sales Tax Securitization Corp. will take retail orders Wednesday on a long-planned issue that prioritizes local buyers on the city’s first bonds to carry a social bond designation and gives special consideration for environmental, social, and governance investors. The STSC offers $305.3 million of tax-exempt paper in three series — including $98 million of

Muni leaders are airing disagreements and concerns about the Financial Data Transparency Act and other recent developments, highlighting some long-simmering tensions over how issuers disclose information to the market. The multi-pronged discussion on FDTA and other hot topics occurred Thursday at the Richard Ravitch Public Finance Initiative Launch Symposium sponsored by the Volcker Alliance and

New York City’s $102.7 billion fiscal 2024 budget is balanced and maintains a record level of reserves while holding spending in check even as economic uncertainty casts a shadow over the city’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Still analysts bemoaned the lack of additional monies for the rainy-day fund, especially with potential budgetary challenges from

Plans for a youth sports destination in Arizona to refinance its way out of financial trouble have yet to come to fruition, and the clock appears to be ticking. Bell Bank Park, which opened on schedule in January 2022 and publicly claims to be a smash success, with 4.3 million guests in its first year,

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s revenues took a hit in 2022, reflecting a tough year for the municipal bond business as underwriting fees fell sharply.  That’s according to the MSRB’s 2022 Annual Report, which showed the board’s total assets in 2022 drop to $68 million, down from $78.5 million in 2021 and $83.1 million in

A question mark looms large this year over whether hospitals and health systems will see sufficient recovery from 2022’s operating wounds to spare them from rating and outlook deterioration, rating agencies warn. The not-for-profit hospital sector suffered bruising margin wounds last year as it confronted inflationary costs along with ongoing supply-chain issues, labor shortages and

Municipals were a bit stronger Friday as traders geared up to see a rather healthy slate of new issues head to market during a holiday-shortened trading week. Volume for the upcoming week is estimated at $8.34 billion, consisting of $6.30 billion of negotiated deals and $2.04 billion of competitive sales. The biggest deal of the

Maine Gov. Janet Mills’ proposed biennial budget for fiscal years 2024-2025 seeks to continue a public infrastructure overhaul started in her first term without raising taxes or touching reserve accounts. Instead, it frees up billions in new infrastructure spending by taking advantage of the state’s unexpectedly high estimated revenue of $10.5 billion in addition to

Municipals were firmer Thursday as inflows into muni mutual funds returned and triple-A benchmarks continued to fall, underperforming a U.S. Treasury rally after the consumer price index report showed inflation is cooling. Equities ended up. The three-year muni-UST ratio was at 58%, the five-year at 62%, the 10-year at 68% and the 30-year at 91%,

Moody’s Investors Service upgraded southern New Jersey’s Cooper Health System to A3 from Baa1. The action affects about $312 million of debt. The outlook, previously positive, is stable at the new, higher rating. The upgrade comes as the nonprofit hospital operator, marketed as Cooper University Health Care, begins to carry out a $2 billion ten-year

Federal Reserve Bank of Boston President Susan Collins said she’s leaning toward supporting a quarter-point interest rate hike at the central bank’s next meeting ending Feb. 1 as officials near a peak in borrowing costs. Downshifting to a smaller move from the more aggressive rate increases the Fed rolled out last year would give officials

The municipal market tone continues to be positive as munis were firmer again. U.S. Treasury yields fell and equities ended in the black. Triple-A benchmarks were bumped two to four basis points, depending on the scale, pushing the one-year below 2.50%. UST yields fell three to nine basis points. The three-year muni-UST ratio was at

Municipals were slightly firmer in spots, while U.S. Treasuries were weaker and equities ended up. The three-year muni-UST ratio was at 58%, the five-year at 61%, the 10-year at 66% and the 30-year at 89%, according to Refinitiv MMD’s final 3 p.m. ET read. ICE Data Services had the three at 58%, the five at

A controversial new law requiring cities and states to standardize their disclosure raises a bevy of questions that market participants and regulators will need to answer to pave the way for implementation. That’s the message from Ernesto Lanza of Ballard Spahr, who wrote a white paper on the newly passed Financial Disclosures Transparency Act along

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster’s $36 billion budget proposal for fiscal year 2024 seeks to raise capital spending without adding debt and bolster reserves. McMaster told lawmakers in a letter last week he wants to take full advantage of the state’s unexpected $3.8 billion budget surplus ahead of a potential recession. “South Carolina’s booming economy

The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s search for a new president is coming down to the wire. Esther George, the bank’s current president and CEO, turns 65 on Sunday, a milestone that triggers her mandatory retirement, according to Federal Reserve System rules. With just a matter of days left before that marker is reached,

A federal judge’s dismissal of former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey’s lawsuit challenging the Biden administration’s request that the state stop spending federal relief money on schools that do not have mask mandates won’t impact the state’s other litigation related to clawbacks of relief money used for tax cuts. The move follows Ducey’s motion for dismissal,

The crisis that has engulfed Republican House leadership this week, whatever the outcome, could complicate the public finance agenda in the 118th Congress. For issuers, an emergent ultra-conservative influence in the House could raise the risk of a government shutdown and bring fresh scrutiny to key topics like the so-called PAYGO waiver for tax subsidies,

Chicago sent a $242 million supplemental payment to its pension systems, making good on a funding policy adopted as part of the 2023 budget that helped lift its one junk rating back into investment-grade territory. Efforts to better align expenses with recurring revenues, shed one-time maneuvers like scoop-and-toss debt restructuring, and complete a move to

In her inaugural address, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey affirmed her administration’s commitment to overhauling the state’s public transportation infrastructure. “The state of our trains and roads and bridges today is unacceptable,” Healey said Thursday, adding there was an “urgency” for capital development of the state’s neglected transportation infrastructure as she took office. Her plan calls

Municipal yields fell Friday ahead of a heavier new-issue calendar while U.S. Treasuries and equities rallied after the latest jobs report offered signs that may suggest inflation will be cooling. Triple-A benchmark yields fell six to 15 basis points, depending on the scale, pushing the 10-year muni below 2.50% and the 30-year muni below 3.50%.

Veteran public finance attorney Jon Ballan joined Harris Beach PLLC as partner and will head its new Infrastructure and public-private partnerships practice. Ballan will lead attorneys working with clients and deal teams on structuring complex strategies for financing and managing large-scale public and private projects, the firm announced. “Jon has a 360-degree view of the