Bonds

The public private partnership that took over Puerto Rico toll roads out of the territory’s bankruptcy is gearing up to sell municipal debt for the enterprise. The Wisconsin-based Public Finance Authority will be pricing the $286.2 million in senior revenue bonds on behalf of Puerto Rico Tollroads, LLC. Barclays is an underwriter. Fitch Ratings rates

A stalwart municipal market veteran, devoted friend, and beloved husband and father, George C. Mulry III, a managing director in public finance marketing at Assured Guaranty, died on Oct. 9. He was 64 years old. Mulry is remembered for the lives he touched and his unimpeachable work ethic. He spent nearly 40 years in the

The case has closed on the yearslong lawsuit leveled by the Securities and Exchange Commission at Rochester, New York, and its former finance director Rosiland Brooks-Harris after a federal District Court Judge in the Western District of New York passed down a final judgment with no monetary penalty and no financial monitor. The c accepted

Municipals were firmer Wednesday as muni mutual funds saw inflows top $2 billion and Pennsylvania led the new-issue calendar with $1.6 million of general obligation bonds in three series. U.S. Treasury yields fell slightly and equities ended up. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Wednesday was at 63%, the three-year at 62%, the five-year at 64%, the

The Hampton County School District in Varnville, South Carolina has won its dispute with the Internal Revenue Service over the tax exempt status of its Series 2010 $14 million general obligation bonds, preserving its tax-exempt status and incurring no fines. The school district received a letter this month from the IRS, stating that the IRS

Municipals were little changed Tuesday as investors await a surge of new issuance to hit the market Wednesday and Thursday. U.S. Treasuries rallied out long and equities ended down. Two weeks into the fourth quarter of the year, munis are posting negative returns in October, down 0.56%, bringing year-to-date returns down to 1.72%, said Jason

A Utah judge voided a proposed constitutional amendment on the Nov. 5 statewide ballot that raised concerns about future state funding for K-12 public schools. If passed by voters, Amendment A would have provided more flexibility for Utah’s budget by tapping excess income tax revenue currently constitutionally earmarked mainly for public education. Utah Third District

Muni advocates are gearing up for a contentious tax fight next year, particularly if Kamala Harris should prevail in the presidential election, as Congressional Republicans are already digging in with a nationwide tour preemptively attacking the tax policies of the current Vice President. On Tuesday, Rep. Jason Smith R- Mo., Chairman of the House Ways

Cook County, Illinois, officials released a $9.89 billion executive budget recommendation Thursday, after saying in a press briefing Wednesday that the nation’s second-most populous county will see no new taxes or layoffs. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said 56 open positions are being cut. The eliminated positions were ones the county anticipated filling with

The Equitable School Revolving Fund LLC., a first-of-its-kind loan pool for charter schools, will hit the market next week with $300 million of A-rated social bonds. The deal, set to price Wednesday, marks the sixth borrowing for the fund, said Equitable Facilities Fund CEO and founder Anand Kesavan. Its most recent deal came last November

The Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund remains in “very good position” after Hurricane Milton, according to the head of Florida’s Division of Bond Finance. But, Ben Watkins on Thursday noted that only modeled losses are available for Hurricane Helene, which hit in late September, and no figures have been advanced for Milton yet. The CAT fund

Enjoy complimentary access to top ideas and insights — selected by our editors. Remembered for his positive and cheerful attitude and willingness to pitch in wherever needed, retired Bond Buyer reporter and municipal market fixture Harold “Chip” Walter George Barnett, Jr. died on Monday. He was 67. Barnett suffered from pulmonary fibrosis, “a disease related

Investor demand for bond insurance remained strong during the first three quarters of 2024 as the amount of debt wrapped by bond insurance rose 26.8% year-over-year. Municipal bond insurers wrapped $28.921 billion in the first three quarters 2024, an increase from the $22.814 billion insured in the first three quarters of 2023, according to LSEG

After outperforming the larger weakness in U.S. Treasuries over the past week, municipals played some catch up Friday seeing pressure across the curve ahead of holiday-shortened, but still heavy supply week. Triple-A yields rose two to five basis points while Treasuries were stronger 10-years and in, to close out a week of more mixed economic

James McIntire, who served two terms as Washington state treasurer, died in August. He was 71. The cause was an aggressive and rare form of prostate cancer, his wife, Christina Koons, told the Seattle Times. An economics student and later professor at the University of Washington, McIntire’s first step into government service was as a

Municipals were little changed Thursday as U.S. Treasuries were weaker out long and equities were off after a hotter-than-expected inflation report. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Thursday was at 61%, the three-year at 61%, the five-year at 62%, the 10-year at 67% and the 30-year at 84%, according to Refinitiv Municipal Market Data’s 3 p.m. EST

Third quarter trade count this year has remained steadily above the one million mark, a trend that the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board said could be a fundamental change in the market after a few less than consistent years. Trade counts increased 13% compared to the third quarter of 2023 and year-to-date average daily trade count

The Puerto Rico Oversight Board and the bondholders opposed to the proposed plan of adjustment remain far apart, according to disclosures on the EMMA web site Tuesday night. U.S. District Court Judge Laura Taylor Swain earlier this week extended the bankruptcy stay and set a Dec. 11 omnibus hearing to hear the opposing bond parties’

Fitch Ratings and Moody’s Ratings downgraded Xavier University, a private Jesuit college in Cincinnati, to A-minus from A and to Baa1 from A3, respectively, last week.  Fitch pointed to the school’s decision to take on more debt to finance the construction of a new College of Osteopathic Medicine at a time when operating performance has

Municipals were weaker Tuesday with the largest losses out long while U.S. Treasuries saw narrow gains on the day and equities ended up. Triple-A yields rose by up to five basis points, depending on the scale, while USTs saw yields flat or lower by a basis point or two. The two-year muni-to-Treasury ratio Tuesday was